Plot Forest Summit 2023:

The Workbook

About this book

Here is your practical summit handbook: in this guide, you can
plan out your own novel in response to the techniques taught in the
talks.
It’s nice to learn new ideas. But it’s great when you can apply those
ideas to your own goals, projects, and concerns. That’s what this book
is for.

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 Starting point
Think of a book you’ve always wanted to write. Or the book you’re
writing right now. Or the story you keep thinking about while you try
to finish something else.
Let’s see how far we can develop that book during the next week.

Writing
Feel free to print this file out and write on the pages. Or type
directly into the digital version. The goal is to put words down.
This book is only for you to read, but if you would like to share a
page, either in our community site or by emailing me, I would love to
see what you wrote.

Sequencing
The book asks you one or two questions based on the lessons of each
summit session. Try to watch every session mentioned here so you can
fill all the pages!
P.S. Due to time constraints and so on, not every summit
session may be mentioned in this book — feel free, if a session
that’s not mentioned really helped you, to add extra pages to the
book, and send me the pages.

Ready?
Then let’s begin.

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 Gabriela Pereira: 3 + 2 = 1
How does the three act structure manifest in your current WIP
(work in progress)?

Could it make sense to streamline your Act One?

Maurice Carlos Ruffin: (Un)historical novels

How are you representing painful aspects of history in your novels?

Could you design a more empowering world?

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 Gareth Jones: Genre Plotting
How does your story align with Gareth’s beats?

What genre shape makes the most sense for your story and why?
Does it differ from its current shape?

Susan DeFreitas: Take Fiction from Good to Great

What human rights could you champion in your work?

For a more meaningful story, what themes could you speak to more
deeply?

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 Cameron Sutter: Book Outlining with Ethical AI
How could a tool like Plottr help you process your planning and
revision stages?

What are your ethical boundaries when it comes to AI in your

work?

H. R. D’Costa: Start your Story in the Right Spot

Do your inciting incidents fulfill D’Costa’s four metrics? If not, use
this space to sketch out ideas for how to resolve what's missing.

How can you use your proximate inciting incident in your

marketing?

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 Charlie Jane Anders: Weave Character and Plot in Saga
Considering Rhonda Douglas' quirk matrix, how can you
incorporate some of your favorite fandoms into your work?

Write a quick vignette with two of your characters to explore and

deepen their relationship. Have fun with this!

Savannah Gilbo: Red Herrings

What are some of your favorite red herrings in fiction?

What red herrings could you include in your story, and how can you
develop them while “playing fair” with your reader?

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 Maryrose Wood: Fix the Story First
What story are you telling?

Describe your three acts using a logline (or whatever shortform

description works for you). Do they meet Maryrose’s brief?

Craft your Novel with AutoCrit

What tools are helpful to your drafting process?

What features would you like to see?

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 Gareth Powell: Space Opera
What are your favorite space operas?

What elements of Gareth’s process could resonate with your work?

Masterclass One: Midpoint Paradox

What knot could you introduce in Act Two, and how?

Jot down some ideas here for the turning point reveal:

How could you then resolve that knot for a satisfying end?

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 Rhonda Douglas: Deepen Your Story with Quirks
Plotting your current supporting character(s) on the matrix, what
did you discover?

How could your character’s quirks affect the plot in a meaningful

way?

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer: Portrayal of Native Americans

What sensitivity readers would make sense to hire on during the
drafting and revision process for your novel?

How can you further hone the specificity of your representation?

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 Lish McBride: Structure a Cozy Romantasy
What elements of Lish’s process resonate with your work?

Whose feedback is the most relevant for your current WIP?

Douglas Boulter: Emotional Scene as a Lighthouse

What aspects of Doug’s process most resonate with your work?

What lighthouses could you write toward?

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 Lewis Jorstad: Successful Fiction Series
Which of the four types of series are you most interested in writing?

Would your process as an author be best supported by planning the

series out with a tool like Plottr, or writing into the dark with your
lighthouses to guide you? Please jot down any relevant notes for your
next steps forward.

Nicole Breit: Story Form + Structure

What form of lyric essay most resonates with you and your work?

How could you experiment in the arena of the examples Nicole

shared?

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 Troy Lambert: Goal Motivation Conflict 101
Do you have a clear sense of your characters’ GMC(V)?

If the structure works for you, how can you better hone these
aspects for plot and character clarity?

Kris Kennedy: Scene-Level Surprise

What "Yes, But" moments could you include in your novel?

What "No, And" moments would be fun to include?

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 Allison Saft: Opening Chapters
Does your story reference or portray any real world events?

How strong are your opening chapters? In what ways could you
improve your reader guidance?

Masterclass Two: Transformation

What is the transformation your protagonist is going through (if
they have one)?

How are they resisting that transformation in the middle of the

story?

How is the end of the story a kind of transformation for the

character?

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 Brooke Adams Law: Plot as an Intuitive Writer
Are you an intuitive writer? Where do you fall on the spectrum?

What new insights can you fold into your process?

Kat Caldwell: Create a Compelling Character

Where do your characters fall in terms of their Big Five / OCEAN
traits (open, conscientious, extraverted, agreeable, neurotic)?

Which traits could you push to the extremes for your current
characters to create more compelling interactions?

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 David Corbett: Moments of Helplessness
Sketch out your: "Moment of greatest fear," "Moment of greatest
shame," "I love you..."

If it makes sense for your story, how could you shape an arc through
similar moments of helplessness for your characters (each scene
connecting with “therefore,” “therefore,” “but”)?

Jessie Cal: Superior Plot Twists

Which of the eight surprises and three twists can you identify in
your story? (If you plan to include more, jot them down here)

Which of the five payoffs can you use for these twists?

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 Abigail Perry: Opening Pages
Does your first chapter effectively answer the seven questions?

Which questions feel the most unclear in your opening pages, and
how could you clarify them?

Lara Ferrari: Strengthen Writing with Social Media

What are some small personal bits you could share on social about
your story?

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 Nina Schuyler: Braided Plot Structure
If you have at least two narrative threads (to “thicken the story”),
how are these in conversation, and why are they together?

If it makes sense for your story, what threads could you weave in to
add deeper complexity and meaning?

Karyn Fisher: Reader Suspense

Jot your responses to Karyn’s six exercise questions here:

What tools of tension are most relevant to your work, and how can
you put them to use now?

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 Networking Session
Who did you meet, and what did you learn?

What are your next steps in deepening community here?

John Fox: How to Write Dialogue

Being that novels excel in the internal dialogue, are there scenes in
your WIP where you could add more internality?

If you have a character you’re struggling to consistently voice, write

stream-of-consciousness from their perspective here:

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 Traci Skuce: Trust your Story
What is your story inviting you to change? How is your character
getting off track?

Where can you add deeper specificity into your setting? Where can
you slow down to really see what's going on?

Natasha C. Sass: Cozy Mystery Quickstart

What do your readers want?

If it works for your process, how can you put this quickstart guide
into practice?

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 Rachel Lachmansingh: Plot as a Pantser
Describe your characters' emotional arcs:

Sketch out a brief reverse-outline of your story and note the major
emotional beats:

Paula Judith Johnson: Romantic Subplots

If your work has a romantic subplot, does it follow the twelve steps
of intimacy Paula referenced?

If relevant to your work, jot out a romantic subplot you could add
to your WIP here:

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 Michael Noltemeyer: Story Discovery
How does your story map to Michael's layout of Daniel's ABC
framework?

If there are elements of discomfort for you in telling the story

(potentially as informed by Susan DeFreitas' or Sarah Elisabeth
Sawyer's talks) how can you allow your own emotional resistance to
serve the story?

Pa Theriot: Build a Consent-Forward Support Team

How would you rate your current editorial relationships?

What would it take to get one step closer to your ideal support?

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 Jaden (Beth) Terrell: Two Timelines
What are some events in your plot that have very different places on
the chronological and the story timeline?

Beth Barany: Genre Expectations

What are the expectations of your current WIP’s genre?

How might you add something new to that genre?

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 Thank You!

Thank you so much for joining this year’s Plot Forest Summit. It’s
such a joy to bring together speakers and guests from all walks of life
and continue to build this community together with you.

In the first year of this summit, I worried no one would attend; now,
in the fourth year, I worry how to be worthy of the special nature of
this annual gathering.

Be sure to reach out to [email protected] with any

questions or comments on what we did right, and how we can improve
the experience next year. Tips and suggested sessions / speakers are
always appreciated.

I hope this experience helps to develop both your craft and sense of
belonging in the writing world. Remember, you can return to this
workbook any time to further develop the ideas you cultivated here.

Until we meet again,

Happy writing!

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