The Genre Plot: form vs. formula

 

Class Blurb:

THE GENRE PLOT with Damon Suede

A plotting class even pantsers love… Even when a happy ending is certain, a great plot keeps your writing fresh while amplifying your voice. Learn how to craft a sure-fire structure and launch your story.

We go beyond the bullet points and cookie-cutter structure. Rather hammering one “true” blueprint, we’ll break down major story models from Aristotle to Netflix, identify their seven shared points, and help you develop your own narrative strategy.

Class Description:

The Genre Plot is comprehensive exploration of narrative structure and theories about its use over the past two thousand years. In this session we’ll cover:

• the basics of classical plotting, beginning with Aristotle, Shakepeare, and Freytag.
• Cinematic models: the traditional three acts, Vogler's monomyth,
• Beat Sheet paradigms: Save the Cat, Sequencing, and the Moral Premise.
• Pulp techniques from Dwight Swain, the W-Plot, Snowflake Method, and more.
• Pamela Regis' comprehensive analysis of the romance genre.
• The Seven narrative points common to all genre fiction and a Plotting synthesis.

Though this class operates primarily as a lecture, there will be practical discussion of application to student projects.

Takeaways:

• A clear understanding of all the popular plotting systems of the past 2000 years so students can identify ideas that work for them
• a look at the distinctions between cinema and fiction, and the ways that confusion can wreck a story
• a list of the seven narrative points and a plotting method useable by pantsers and conscious plotters.
• A comprehensive fusion (Genre Plot Rosetta Stone!) of all these systems to facilitate understanding and conversations with colleagues.

Presentations:

• "Plot Lab" Masterclass for the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2024)
• "The Genre Plot" workshop for the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2024)
• "Thrill Ride" workshop for PNWA in Issaquah, WA (November 2023)
• "Story Garden" masterclass for PNWA in Seattle, WA (September 2023)
• "Romance Genre Bootcamp" for Stockholm Writers Festival in Stockholm, Sweden (May 2021)
• "Romancing the Plot" for Orange County RWA in Fullerton, CA (October 2019)
• "The Genre Plot" for Alaska Writers Guild in Anchorage, AK (September 2019)
• "Genre Plotting" masterclass for the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2019)
• "Romancing the Plot" for Desert Rose RWA in Phoenix, AZ (June 2019)
• "The Genre Plot" for the NHRWA Winter Frolic in Portsmouth, NH (December 2018)
• "Romancing the Plot" for the Dreamspinner Author Weekend in Orlando, FL (September 2018)
• "The Romantic Plot" masterclass for the Contemporary Romance Writers in Denver, CO (July 2018)
• "The Romantic Plot" for Desert Rose RWA in Phoenix, AZ (June 2018)
• "Romancing the Plot" for Spring Fling in Chicago, IL (April 2018)
• "Genre Plotting" at the Bristol Romance and Suspense Workshop 2017 in Bristol, UK (November 2017)
• "The Genre Plot" masterclass for the CTRWA Minicon in Norwalk, CT (February 2016)
• "The Genre Plot" for West Houston RWA in Houston, TX (February 2016)
• "The Genre Plot" and "Advanced Plotting Theory" for Long Island RWA (March 2015)
• "The Genre Plot" for Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference (March 2014)
• "The Genre Plot" and "Advanced Plotting Theory" for RT Boot Camp (Every May, 2012-2018)

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If you'd like to book Damon to come present a workshop for your group or chapter, just give a holler.