“In the midst of life’s journey I found myself in a dark wood, for the right path was lost.”—Dante, the Inferno
We have all felt as Dante expresses above at one, or many points, in our lives.
Those of us who write might, in fact, be doing so as a way of finding the right path again, or carving out a new path, constructing a protagonist to walk it, and creating a journey that will help us make meaning out Life with a capital L, or our own individual lives.
There’s a marvelous symmetry to the path it takes to become a writer and the “hero’s journey” that turns up in all great mythology (and yes, the hero is often a woman). And the process of learning how to plot a story reveals surprising mysteries about not only our characters and the worlds they inhabit but ourselves and our rich lives.
I began teaching my Plot Intensive as a way to get a solid handle on my own writing, and over time I’ve come to see that the writer who masters plot, finds entry into her own heart, his own soul. Plot is the scaffolding, the structure at the core of any great story. And what is a great story? A communication full of deep feeling, important thoughts, flawed but human characters reaching toward the light of wholeness.
If you’re ready to transform your writing and your self through the medium of plot, it’s not too late to register for the Plot Intensive, 8 weeks online, beginning May 7th. Classes are small, and fill fast:
