From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

Welcome and what to expect

From the course: Write a Bestselling Novel in 15 Steps

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Welcome and what to expect

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(electronic music) - Have you ever noticed that your favorite novels and movies follow a similar pattern? Have you noticed that something specific happens about one quarter of the way through to kick the story and the main character into action? Or that three quarters of the way through there's a distinct low point or rock bottom where all seems lost for the main character? Or that huge plots twists tend to come right in the dead center of the story? If you have, then congratulations. You've stumbled upon the secret storytelling code. The very code we're going to explore at length in this course. Hello, I'm Jessica Brody. Welcome to Writing Mastery. Write a best selling novel in 15 steps. This is my master class in plot and plot structure. This course is specifically designed for writers who want to dive deep into the elements of plot, story structure, character transformation, and ultimately discover the key to what makes a novel really resonate with readers. The secret storytelling code goes back centuries to the beginning of story. This code can be found in all great stories ever told. Movies, novels, novellas, plays, memoirs, short stories. Wherever there's a narrative being told, the code is there, hidden beneath the surface. This code is made up of 15 key story beats. These beats are plot points: distinct markers along the path of the story that we use to track the character's journey and ultimate transformation. Together, these 15 beats make up a blueprint for any successful story. Don't believe me? Just check out the myriad of book and movie examples we'll be covering in this course and you'll soon see. From novels like Pride and Prejudice, The Martian, The Girl on the Train, Jane Eyre, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. To movies like Bridesmaids, The King's Speech, Midnight in Paris, Legally Blonde, and Bruce Almighty. They all share the same key story beats. So logic tells us, if we can study these story beats and learn how to use them, then we too can craft a successful story that will resonate with readers. Since discovering these key story beats and harnessing their immeasurable power, I've managed to sell more than 17 novels to major publishers, like Simon and Schuster, Random House, and Macmillan. My novels have been translated and published in over 23 countries. And two are even currently in development as major motion pictures. Is this a coincidence? Definitely not. Am I just that good of a writer? Mm, debatable. Did I invent something that no one ever had before? Not at all. I simply learned and mastered the secrets of a successful plot structure. The same secrets I'm going to teach you in this course. Throughout this course, I'm going to take you step by step through the key story beats that are found in all great stories ever told. And guide you through the process of using these beats to write your own bestselling novel. I'll be showing you tons of examples of the story beats in action. From both books and movies and walking you through exercises to help you practice crafting and developing the beats. In fact, by the end of this course, you'll have a full novel roadmap or outline for a novel that you could begin working on immediately. Or if you're already working on a novel and need help structuring it or revising it, by the end of this course, you'll have a solid understanding of plot structure and a full revision plan ready to go. Intrigued? Good. Click over to the next lecture where I'll be giving you a little more information about why I created this course and how it can help you specifically. See you there.

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