Writing Club by School of Plot (School of Plot)

Lore of the Wilds author Analeigh Sbrana chats with me about her unique path to an incredibly impressive book deal. We also discuss fantasy food, book boxes, diversity in fantasy, and the difference between indie and trad publishing. FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

I asked you guys on IG (@schoolofplot) what makes you abandon a novel. Here are the top responses as well as some fixes to avoid these features in your own writing. (Although a few of them were pretty subjective).

Here are the free downloads / plot template I talked about:

A fun one. I asked you guys on Instagram (@schoolofplot) what your guilty pleasure fantasy tropes are. In this episode I discuss the top answers as well as share some of my own with Shay from Vine and Parchment.

And as always, you can get free resources and whatnot here ⬇️ https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Handsome fairies, evil advisors, rebellious princesses who are bad at embroidery...and 45 other fantasy cliches. I tier rank them on a scale from cold lumpy porridge to hot buttery pie. Also I want to change my opinion on “name day” as a fantasy cliche. I’ve since learned that they’re a pretty normal thing in some cultures. That would be such a cool thing to explore in fantasy (as opposed to just using that term as a replacement for birthday) and I want to upgrade it to 🥧!

You sent me your most hated dialogue cliches, and I got a professional editor to give you alternatives. Shay from Vine and Parchment joined this episode for a funny, productive chat.

Full disclaimer, the start is quite jarring because I had to cut around a sound issue, but it gets very good very quickly!

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

I read 200 first pages as a writing contest judge. I made notes on which techniques grabbed my attention as well as common tropes and mistakes I noticed.

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:

📜  schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Captivating first lines and 3 types of hooks with fantasy editor Shay from Vine and Parchment!

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:

📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Niche aspects to keep in mind when you’re worldbuilding. I had fun!

Free writing resources ➡️

Fantasy world building workbook ➡️

I always set myself some writing goals at the start of the year (and I usually only complete them in December).

And as always, you can get free resources and whatnot here ⬇️ https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Is your writing cheesy? I asked a professional editor about how to spot cheesiness in your own writing as well as how to fix it.

Free writing resources:https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Find me here: https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot

Find Shay here:

There’s a lot of writing advice on the internet, and I disagree with some popular tips. In this episode, I explain why.

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads And you can find me at all these other places too: ➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/ ➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) https://www.pinterest.co.uk/schoolofplot ➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness) https://www.tiktok.com/@theschoolofplot You can find some writing resources I made for you here: 📖 WRITING WORKBOOKS: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks 💻 WRITING BLOG: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides

As I’m going through the drafting process, I’m keeping an eye on which words and phrases I want to cut from my manuscript. Here’s the list!

And as always, you can get free resources and whatnot here ⬇️

https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

From 6AM starts to Mambo #5, I pieced together King’s routine from various interviews and tried it out. Parts of it worked great! Others not so much. I’ve documented it all for you.

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:

📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Practical tips for when you can’t seem to write anything half-decent (or even sit down to write at all).

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:

📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

What’s the formula all great blurbs have? How can you make your book sound exciting? Which POV should you write in? Jessie from Book Blurb Magic gives us a 1 hour master class answering your blurb FAQs and workshopping a real example.

If you couldn’t take notes, here’s a blog post with some key insights from today’s chat: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides/ultimate-guide-to-blurb-writing-ft-jessie-cunniffe

Jessie’s article on hooks: https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/mastering-the-art-of-writing-book-blurbs/

Jessie’s freebie: http://anatomyofablurb.com/

Jessie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookblurbmagic

My Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot

I wrote a dark, comedic fantasy book. I answer your questions about outlining, timeframe, characters and more! I'll be regularly(-ish) posting about my self-publishing journey so we'll both learn exactly how it works.

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads And you can find me at all these other places too: ➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/ ➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) [https://www.pinterest.co.uk/schoolofplot ➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness) https://www.tiktok.com/@theschoolofplot Finally, you can find some writing resources I made for you here: 📖 WRITING WORKBOOKS: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks 💻 WRITING BLOG: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides

…without it sounding cringe. Some writing advice for novelists who want to avoid the “Marvel movie dialogue” criticism.

Resources mentioned:

• Character Workbook https://schoolofplot.com/products/character-workbook

• Writing Newsletter

I found my amazing beta readers on Instagram. Today, Tina Marshall (@bookedtildawn) joins me to show you how to use social media to find beta readers, critique partners, ARC readers and people who are willing to buy your novel when it finally comes out. She also tells me what a shadow daddy is, so let's thank her for her service.

Get writer freebies here: https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Find Tina here: instagram.com/bookedtildawn

Insider tips from a writing contest organiser and judge. We talk about what judges look out for, entry red flags, and common cliches judges are used to seeing in manuscripts.

November Brown of @writesofnovember joins me for a lovely, productive chat!

Enter November’s writing contest here: https://www.writesofnovember.com/first-page-frenzy

Get the Character Workbook here: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks

In this episode we take a virtually incoherent story idea that I jotted down at 3AM, and we turn it into a half-decent story idea. FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads And you can find me at all these other places too: ➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/ ➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) [https://www.pinterest.co.uk/schoolofplot ➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness) https://www.tiktok.com/@theschoolofplot Finally, you can find some writing resources I made for you here: 📖 WRITING WORKBOOKS: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks 💻 WRITING BLOG: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides

Hey writer! Welcome to the shoddy beginnings of my podcast.

Here's a (very very) simple trick if you need an idea for a story: apply the 5 Ws to any painting. In this video, I walk you through an example. Here are the resources I mentioned in the video: FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: 📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads CORNISH MYTH RESOURCE (I just think it's cool!) 🧚 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1252513 (part 1 - you may need to log in through your uni/school/local library) 🧚 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1252541 (part 2) 🧚 https://wildernessengland.com/blog/cornish-folklore/ And you can find me at all these other places too: ➡️ INSTA: (My pain place of posting) @schoolofplot ➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) @schoolofplot ➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness) @THEschoolofplot

And of course, schoolofplot.com

Circular endings, twists, cliffhangers and some exercises to help you workshop an ending that leaves readers feeling satisfied.

FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:

📜  schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

Screenwriter and director Eva Wikke takes your questions about script writing, getting your scripts funded and produced, why book adaptations are always so inaccurate, and more.

📜 FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads

📖 WRITING WORKBOOKS: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks 💻 WRITING BLOG: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides