[WW] 1 - Protagonist & Plot Drive

I've decided to initiate a writing workshop with my writing group "The Drunken Lion."  This workshop is designed to help prospective writers complete a novel.  The workshop is scheduled to last from January 1st - April 19th. Below is a rough timeline of what I intend to cover during this time.

1.  January 1 - 15: Brainstorming, Outlining, "The Planning Process" 

2.  January 16 - 29: Exposition, Character & Plot Introduction 

3.  January 30 - February 12: Rising Action & Character Development 

4.  February 13 - 26: The Journey 

5.  February 27 - March 12: "The Tough Stuff", Transitions & Boring Details 

6.  March 13 - 26: The Plot Thickens 

7.  March 27 - April 9: Falling Action & Ending 

8.  April 10 - 19: Polishing & Editing 

I have decided to share the posts from my writing workshop lessons to my page here.  This is the first section on "The Planning Process", which focuses on the Protagonist and Plot Drive.

THE PLANNING PROCESS
January 1 - 15
 Section One: Protagonist & Plot Drive

 Welcome to my "Write a Novel with Me" Workshop! 

 We'll do introductions first. My name is Kelly, and I have written a book. For some reason, I feel as though this validates me enough to impart the wisdom of book-writing unto others. My book is not published yet, but I hope it will be soon. For more information on me as an author, you may visit my website ikellymichaels.com! 

This is the first day of the section I've titled as "The Planning Process." For the next two weeks, we will be extensively planning our books. Because we have have 14-week workshop, this is an accelerated course. In reality, there is no definite amount of time brainstorming or writing your book will take. But hopefully this workshop will break down and explain the process with you. 

Be mindful that I can only show you the way I write books. If you find a different way works for you, then I encourage you to pursue (and even share with everyone) that method! 

Let's get started! 

In order to have an idea that is able to be fully developed and expanded into the size of 

book, you must prepare your protagonist. 

I'm not saying you have to flesh out all the physical details or personality traits right now. But your protagonist needs a problem. This problem will be your protagnist's conflict, the drive that pushes the story to its conclusion. Be mindful of that when you develop this. Your protagonist(s) needs a logical, plausible reason for having said problem. And by your story's end, they will need to have learned/gleaned/gained the means to accomplish said problem. You don't need to envision the FULL JOURNEY now, but you'll need a pretty clean picture of the end, even if the End is the hero(ine) not solving the problem at all and BAM, you have a cliffhanger for your sequel. But there definitely will need to be a problem. 

I will use two examples throughout this workshop. One example will be from my completed book and the other will be from its sequel, the book I plan to write with you. 

In the completed book, Archer of the Lake, my protagonist is named Caelfel. Her problem, one of the central drives of the story, is her friendship with an outcast. Upon their initial meeting in the beginning, Caelfel's life has been thrown into constant adversity. She faces waves of problems because of this friendship. The driving point is that continuing such a friendship puts her life in danger, as culminated by her kidnapping at the end. Caelfel's personality, her staunch sense of morality and a blooming romance, perpetuate the problem through the story's end. You'll want to make sure that you perpetuate the problem to its fruition too. 

But a story can have more than one conflict. To make it complex, the protagonist needs underlying flaws that obstruct the path to their solution. Caelfel faces internal problems too. She grapples with her youth and the image society thrusts upon her, so she often feels a need to prove herself. Some ways through the story, Caelfel loses powers, her ability to perform magic, and then becomes defenseless to protect herself. These are compound problems that enhance your story and protagonist more. Solving them may prove more difficult than your initial problem, but they do develop your character more. 

In my sequel, Caelfel ventures away from her homeland and stumbles upon an army from a distant land. The army faces a problem, and Caelfel makes the problem her own. The driving point for this story are the rampant werewolves that terrorize this new kingdom. War and conflict are great, simple ways of creating a driving plot in your story. The secondary, compound problem Caelfel will face in the sequel is adjusting to the lifestyle of men, as she is an elf. The struggle for adaptation can grow a character in maturity, developing them further. 

 Those are just a few examples. Your story will be different of course. The essential theme here is to recognize that your character needs to achieve a goal. 

 So share below what sort of problems or protagonists you are creating! If you need some help, share your idea and we can discuss!