TUESDAYS, October 6th-27th | Plan Your Novel
Whether or not you want to take part in the November Novel Sprint, you might have a novel you've been dying to write but have no clue how to begin. In this workshop, we will focus on nailing down the most important elements of a novel: the conflict, the stakes, the consequences, and the emotional heart at the core. We will sketch out a beat sheet, with an emphasis on the foundational beats, and do a deep dive into your main character's internal psyche and how their external journey (the plot) will help them heal the wound that's preventing them from achieving their heart's desire. Doing this advance planning in class during October will free you to start cranking out that hot first draft in November. Let's go!
We will use the beat sheet plotting tool in Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, so please have a copy before the first class. You don't need to read the whole thing in advance, but it will save time if you identify your genre using the guidelines in the book.
This workshop is appropriate for writers of middle grade, young adult, or adult fiction.
Long ago, Lisa Lerner was a professional rubber-stamp cutter, children’s party entertainer, and New York City performance artist. Then one day that lasted five years, she wrote a novel called Just Like Beauty, which became a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and is now in development as a movie shooting in 2026. Lisa has been writing stories for educational publishers such as Scholastic and McGraw Hill for over 25 years, as well as penning short fiction for McSweeney’s, Hobart, and other publications and teaching writing workshops to adults and kids. She is a proud member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, a juror for the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Competition, and a trustee on the board of the Kingston Public Library. Visit www.lisalerner.com for student testimonials and a glimpse into Lisa’s past and present lives.