The Evolution a Book -- Part One: Creating a Vlog

Thanks I get from writers for the Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? is an added gift.

I did the vlog (which I later learned means a video blog) on a lark with my friend Cathy Cress , fiction writer and expert on the aging family and sibling warfare. My vlogs are on plot for writers. Cathy's vlogs Mom Loves You Best - Forgiveness are on sibling reconciliation and forgiveness which grew out of her own life, her writing and her lifelong work. While I filmed her, I was struck how writers could benefit from the juicy and touching and horrific sibling stories she relates for creating more realistic familial back-stories and antagonists in stories and also for tips on how to heal your own personal sibling back-story.

I brought up the idea of creating vlogs. Sight unseen, no explanations needed, Cathy was in. Cathy's latest book: Mom Loves You Best - Forgiveness was just released. The month before I had met my soon-to-be agent at a writers retreat where I was teaching plot and she was teaching about voice and being her -- a high-energy light. Jill Corcoran of the Herman Agency loves my plot teaching. I love everything about her.

Cathy and I both created a youtube channel, bought a flip camera and started filming mostly because we wanted to share our passions.

Cathy's and my spontaneity and rookie filming is evidenced in the first video -- Step One: How Do I Plot the Dramatic Action Plot. If either Cathy or I had heard LingLing (the dog barking) we would have stopped filming and opened the gate. I heard nothing, not even the sound of my own voice or what I was saying. We followed outlines on giant Post-It Notes -- Cathy's amazingly plotted out. Mine more by the seat of your pants.

The series evolved from our own gardens to using cool local landmarks as backdrops on Step Five: How Do I Plot the Three Major Plot-lines in a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay.

Another rookie mistake revealed itself in Step Ten: How Do I Plot the Beginning of a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay.

where it appears a man is mooning the camera. I was oblivious. Obviously, Cathy was too.

By Step Eleven: How Do I Plot Turning Points in a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay. the Santa Cruz Traveling Mystery Tour was born.

Cathy and I laughed our way through the steps, while my brand new (to me) amazing agent Jill pitched mainstream, national publishers for the second edition of Blockbuster Plots Pure and Simple.

Part Two: The vision for a Plot Whisperer book materializes...

For immediate tips about the Universal Story and writing a novel, memoir or screenplay, visit Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? on YouTube. A directory of all the steps to the series is to the right of this post. Enjoy!

Order The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of the Universal Story Structure Any Writer Can Master NOW and receive it in time to pre-plot for NaNoWriMo in November!