Visually Sketching Out Your Plot
with Glenn Jason Hanna
Most elements in a story are simply called into being at the behest the writer. You want a story set in the American West? Boom! You wish is granted. You want a male main character? You now have a male main character. Plot, however doesn't work that way because plot is not a single element but a series of actions and reactions, choices and consequences. Reveal things too quickly and your audience loses interest. Reveal things not clearly enough and your audience is confused. Gaps of logic undermine your whole work.
In this workshop we are going to learn how to construct a tight, interesting plot by making quick thumbnails and sketches and by working your way backward from the end to the beginning. You don't need to know how to draw (though I would argue everyone does know how to draw) If you can make the letter i and the letter c, and if you have an open mind, then you have all that you will need.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
GLENN JASON HANNA
Glenn is a former animator who abandoned the world of cartoons for writing. He's a prolific writer whose work spans genres from picture books all the way to novels. He currently serves as CBW-LA's Critique Leader.
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