Hear Zehra's story with NPA

"I filled my Plot Grid in ONE evening, and I completed my first draft in roughly two months."

I joined NPA around August 2022. The course was incredible. The second I scrolled through the lessons, I knew my life had been made a million times easier.

The modules were very organised and very detailed, covering every aspect of planning the perfect book. Not only that, it included a lot of bonus material like name banks and prompts to start us off in case we did not have any book idea to begin with. Oh, and the glittering, smiling face of our wonderful teacher Char at the beginning of every lesson. It's healing.

My story was literally all over the place when I started. I had a whole register filled with random notes and ideas, multiple, really ugly sketches for a map, character bios and details filled with inconsistencies and a plot with so many holes it could pass off as a net, except, it let the important things fall through as well.

While I did have some idea of what story I wanted to tell, NPA really helped make everything so much clearer. From planning, characters, plotting and everything in between, taking this course sped up the progress of my project by tenfold.

👆 Here's the message I sent to Char after I was done with my plot grid.

Yes, that's how good this course is. I completed my first draft in roughly two months. I'd never felt more motivated or confident about my novel and it was all thanks to the mindset module of NPA. I really started to believe in myself after this course.

My novel is going through its last round of edits. I have received great feedback by my editor. And my personal feelings towards the project are very positive.

I am emotionally and mentally prepared to put my work out into the world.

This is the best thing you could invest into, second only to a detachable keyboard.

If you still have doubts about how good this course is, just go through The Plottery's Instagram posts. When just the posts are THAT good, imagine how hard she must have worked on a paid course.

You get life time access. You get taught how to deal with a lack of self esteem and writer's block. You get taught what a plot grid is.

It's a win. It's worth it.

About Zehra's NPA project

A deadly assassin hiding a dark secret, a drunkard with a craze for blood, a genius victim of an experiment gone wrong and a runaway bride skilled in archery. Bound by their need for money and their thirst for vengeance, Maya, Hakobe, Grey and Katarina have taken it upon themselves to bring down Foul Yodhins--the evil mages of their world. 

But when Nariko Miyazawa, a young man running for his life offers them a job like no other, they leave the safety of their hideout to kill a powerful Yodhin hiding in a cursed forest on the opposite side of the world--in Zelgar, the very kingdom Katarina fled from. The plan is simple: Assassinate the Yodhin, keep Katarina hidden from her fiance—the Prince of Zelgar, deliver Nariko back to his kingdom, and retire with the large sum of money he will pay them in return. But their pasts soon entangle with their hopes for the future, dangerous secrets are uncovered, royalty interrupts their plans and terrible creatures await them in the Forest of Woes. To make it worse, not all of them are what they seem. Their only key to survival? Knowing who to trust, and learning to trust themselves.

Want to know how she put together this blurb?

💡Module 1 - Mindset💡

Module 1 focuses on clearing out mental blocks that tend to make writing way worse than it ever has to be. These are common misconceptions and pitfalls that we will banish one by one.

Lessons in this module:

• Plotting is not a chore
  💡Plotting isn't as big of a deal as you thought. It really doesn't have to be complicated.
  
• Why YOU can do this
  💡A look at my clients who have written awesome books with zero experience, and why you can do it too.
• Character over plot
  💡The greatest lesson you'll ever need to hear about writing. Plot is not all that.

🎯Module 2 - Find your purpose🎯

Module 2 will get you thinking beyond the words. You'll realize that none of the choices in your writing journey should be coincidental. Everything has a purpose and a meaning, and your project becomes much stronger with it.

Lessons in this module:

• Purpose: author and novel 
  🎯 Have you ever thought about your higher purpose as a writer? Here's why you should and the formula to figure your purpose out.
• Thematic argument or question
  🎯 Figure out the one overarching question that will carry your entire story.
• Themes
  🎯 We break apart what themes actually are and how you can identify the ones in your project.
• Motifs and symbolism
  🎯 Learn how to use motifs and symbols in your project from the get-go.
• Writing with purpose
  🎯 Explore the areas in your project where you can make deliberate creative choices and strengthen your story.

🛠️Module 3 - Laying the groundwork🛠️

Module 3 is where we organize your project from the ground up. We build strong lasting foundations, compelling characters and the beginnings of a sturdy story structure, so you don't encounter plot problems down the line.

Lessons in this module:

• Where to start 
  🛠️ In this module I take you through the exact order of prepping a project I use with all my clients.
• Story basics 
  🛠️ All the things you need to know about your project before you start plotting.
• Genre 
  🛠️ A deep dive into genres and where you story fits.
• Title 
  🛠️ How do you craft a compelling title? Where do you find yours?
• Premise & blurb 
  🛠️ Let's build your book blurb with my easy formula! (Watch this lesson for free further down the page or by clicking here!)
• Protagonist 
  🛠️ The foundations of what makes a good lead.
• Theme 
  🛠️In this lesson, we’ll find out what a theme is, how it differs from a plot and why it’s a key part of your story. 
• Visuals
  🛠️ Learn how to create a vibrant realistic tone and world for your story.
• Synopsis 
  🛠️ Learn the equilibrium theory to structure your synopsis with ease.
• Audience and reader consideration 
  🛠️ How to write a book that readers will actually read.

😎Module 4 - Protagonist😎

Module 4 teaches you how to craft a compelling lead character who will carry the story FOR you and be a constant driver of plot, before you've ever even looked at your outline.

Lessons in this module:

• Traits and quirks
  😎 How do you fill in your character sheets? What basic info do you actually need?
  
• Personality
  😎 Let's get into how to craft a realistic personality and balance out your characters' virtues and flaws.
  
• Voice
  😎 Coming up with unique voices, and the strength of internal vs. external voice.
  
• Internal conflict
  😎 The core of your character. I'll teach you the simplest method to craft a strong driving conflict for your character. This is what’s going to help your story write itself.
  
• Character journey
  😎 Using your internal conflict to develop character arcs.
  
• Significant relationships
  😎 We’re covering the three ways of relationship changes that might happen in your story and learning how to summarize these.
  
• Backstory
  😎 You know who your protagonist is now... but do you know why?
  

😈Module 5 - Antagonist😈

Module 5 is all about creating the conflict of your story and the ultimate opposition to your protagonist, whether this is a physical person or not. This is going to become your biggest driver of plot ideas.

Lessons in this module:

• Anti-protagonist
  😈 Learn why an antagonist is exactly the opposite of everything your protagonist stands for, with all the ways in which they connect.
  
• Motivation and backstory
  😈 We begin to add some depth and complexity by finding the reason behind your antagonist's evil-doings.
  
• Strengths and weaknesses
  😈 How to identify your antagonist's strengths and weaknesses, and make them more compelling.
• Relatability and empathy
  😈Let's build some connection to your antagonist and make them more realistic and morally grey. 
• Internal conflict, negative arcs, and redemption
  😈 Every antagonist should have an internal conflict, but I'll teach you the formula to their complete self-destruction, or a fighting chance at redemption.
  

🕺Module 6 - Rest of the Cast🕺

Module 6 teaches you how to fill out the cast for your story and build a realistic world, and a conflict/support system for your protagonist.

Lessons in this module:

• Major and minor characters
  🕺Learn the different types of characters that might appear in your story, how to tell them apart, and how to write them well.
  
• Story purpose
  🕺 In this lesson, we’re going to learn about the three main purposes that a minor character can have.
  
• Diversity
  🕺 From culture to names, to purposes & personalities... We explore all of it in this lesson!
• Character relationships
  🕺Let's have a deeper look at relationships as their own story arcs, and my character tree method.
• Catchy character names
  🕺Some ideas to make your character names POP, and some things to avoid.
  

✏️Module 7 - Plotting✏️

Module 7 is where we finally create your outline. This is a beautiful one-page living document that most students are able to put together in one day to provide them with a solid story structure they can start writing with confidently.

Lessons in this module:

• Plot grid
  ✏️Get familiar with my one-page outline and how we're going to fill it in.
  
• Act 1
  ✏️How to craft a strong opening for your book, and all the elements you should include in your first act.
  
• Act 2A
  ✏️All the plot points you should hit in the first part of act 2.
• Act 2B
  ✏️We start on the second half of your story where things begin to go downhill.
• Act 3
  ✏️Now to resolve everything and end with a bang.
  
• Subplots
  ✏️This is an easy way to add a bit more depth and detail to your story.

👀Module 8 - Narrative perspectives👀

Module 8 is where we break down every possible narrative perspective you could use for your project and learn how to pick the right one depending on your story.

Lessons in this module:

• Why perspectives matter
  👀So far we learned about WHAT you should say through your story. Perspectives are where you determine HOW you say it.
  
• 1st, 2nd, and 1st direct
  👀In this lesson we cover: 1st person singular + plural, 2nd person, and 1st person direct address.
  
• 3rd close, detached, and privileged narrators
  👀In this lesson we'll tackle the three types of narrators you can have when writing in 3rd person.
• Narrative devices
  👀Learn about all the alternative ways to tell a story that aren't prosaic narration.
• Using multiple POVs
  👀We go over the scenarios in which you may use multiple perspectives and how you can do this right.
  
• Purpose behind perspectives and tenses
  👀Let's attribute purpose to choosing a specific narrative position, and talk about the pros and cons of present and past tense.

🌲Module 9 - World building🌲

Module 9 is where we build out the tone and setting for your story, as well as learn about creating new storyworlds from scratch.

Lessons in this module:

• Psychogeography, immersion and tone
  🌲How to create immersive settings for your project.
  
• Know your necessities
  🌲A quick warning for all the intensive world builders out there, and why you shouldn't spend months of your life on it.
  
• Fantasy or dystopian worlds
  🌲All the basics that make up a world, and the categories for you to think about if you're building a new world from scratch.
• Magic, technology, and rules
  🌲Let's sprinkle in a little conflict and constriction into your fantasy or sci-fi world.

📖Module 10 - Chapters📖

Module 10 is where we learn to divide your book up into chapters, create comprehensive and detailed chapter treatments, and dive deeper into story structure on a formatting level.

Lessons in this module:

• Determining chapters
  📖Let's learn what makes up a chapter.
  
• To prologue or not to prologue
  📖In this lesson you learn whether your story needs a prologue or not.
  
• Chapter structure
  📖Easy chapter structure, where we revisit our earlier equilibrium theory.
• Ultimate "show don't tell" trick
  📖Learn my way of outlining chapters that I use to show not tell consistently, in each chapter.
• Epilogues
  📖Learn what an epilogue is and whether you need one. 
• Formatting and book structure
  📖 Some of my suggestions on how to get creative with structuring your book!
• Creating a chapter treatment
  📖For those die-hard plotters! Let's dive into chapter breakdowns, scenes, and beats. 
• Non-linear storytelling
  📖For stories that are not told from beginning to end. Learn how to use flashbacks and non-linear structures 

📚Module 11 - What comes after plotting?📚

Module 11 is where we learn about the world of drafts, editing and publishing options for once your book is finished.

Lessons in this module:

• Know when to stop it
  📚The line between plotting and writing can often get blurred. Don't wait until you feel ready to start writing.
  
• The first draft
  📚All the things you may come across when writing your first draft, and how to handle this huge task.
  
• The second draft
  📚Writing is rewriting: here's how to approach a second draft.
• Next steps
  📚All on self-edits, professional editing, and different pathways to get your work published.

⌛Module 12 - To wrap it up⌛

Module 11 is where we pull everything together and make sure you don't get stuck.

Lessons in this module:

• What to do when you get stuck
  ⌛Getting stuck with your project is inevitable... We all go through that. In this lesson we help determine the root cause.
  
• And you've done it!
  ⌛Here's what you should do now that you're done, and an overview of all the further services we offer.
  
• You've finished NPA
  ⌛Share any thoughts about the course with me.

Michelle Deimos

NPA is a simple and easily digestible course that will help you nail down all of the essentials of creating the perfect story from start to finish!

Even when I feel like I lack some ideas to completely plot out my next book, Char's step-by-step plotting method always manages to save the day and get me to jot down all the info I need to start writing my next novel!

Even if you're a pantser, your story will eventually need to follow a conventional story structure if you're writing genre fiction, and for that, I highly recommend NPA to give you all the tools for an engaging and satisfying tale for your readers!

Ishleen

As a pantser, NPA has been a life-changer.

I am only a few modules in, but I am absolutely in love with this academy, and all the helpful advice Char has given me through detailed videos and interactive worksheets. I cannot wait to learn more from her.

This is an immediate 5 stars for me.

Laur

Your course has made a HUGE impact on my confidence. It's really helped me focus on things in the right order. You're the first coach to help me get such a solid understanding!

The templates force you to 'trim the weeds' and keep to just the most relevant things, which in my case was sorely needed as my old character sheet was 4 pages long, and now fits neatly on one page - I can always refer back to it for tiny, less important details. It helped me separate out my protagonist's character arc from my plot and story so I have a nice concise version that focuses on their inner journey, which in turn helped me refine the story. I feel really motivated to keep going!

Savanna G.

Before NPA, my MG fantasy series was an insanely disorganized pile of notebooks, index cards, sticky notes, and plot holes. Trying to plot felt like an overwhelming task, and there were times when I just wanted to give up. But then NPA came along! By definition, NPA is mind-blowing awesomeness! The modules, workbook, plot grid, character sheets, chapter trackers… everything that NPA had to offer has helped my story so much!

I felt so confident and enthusiastic during my plotting experience because I just knew that NPA was exactly what my story needed! The modules and lessons were so organized and easy to follow, and I especially enjoyed being able pause and playback the videos whenever I needed to. The best part was that it only took me few weeks of plotting, not the many, many months or even years that I thought it would take for my story to come to life.

Novel Plotting Academy is like the sunlight and water to your seedling of a story idea. I recommend it to all writers looking for an enjoyable and fun way to plot their novel!

Saturn

My name is Saturn, and I'm currently writing a fantasy novel about a young woman learning to love and trust as she makes the journey to a new world in search of her missing mother. I'd had the idea for years and years without any real knowledge of how to make the story happen in a cohesive way, and after a few short-lived attempts, I'd all but given up on it.

I joined NPA earlier this year after falling in love with the Plottery's Instagram page, and deciding it was worth the money. I thought it would just be a little workbook, some videos, a sheet or two--a small stepping stone to help me get my writing bearings. I was surprised and delighted when it turned out to be a highly involved and well-thought-out process, and I dived in immediately. I went through it quickly and was able to polish up my years of notes into an outline in just a couple of weeks, and with that under my belt, I started writing my first draft. Spurred on by Char's kind motivations, I'm currently 60k words in! I sometimes feel discouraged, but I remind myself that this is the furthest I've ever gotten, and there'd be no sense in stopping now.

To someone considering investing in NPA: do it! It's time and money well spent on yourself, your stories, and your talents. Char's work is kind, intuitive, and beyond helpful. There's really no way to regret the decision. I never would have made it this far without it.

Alva

My name is Alva and I come from a small town in Sweden. It has been my dream to become an author ever since I was 8 years old and this course has helped me more than I could ever have imagined.

Novel Plotting Academy will help you finish plotting your novel whether you have experience in writing or not. The techniques are so simple, yet they work so well. You automatically become more productive because Char's way of teaching plotting is so fun and creative. Everyone who says that plotting takes away creativity is proved wrong in this course; after a while, the story basically writes itself.

This is the most effective course I have ever taken and it has completely changed how I see my character and her world. It is new, fresh and unique-- not like any other course out there. Char makes it fun to plot and she has made me long for an empty document where I can start writing now that I know what journey I want to take my characters and my readers on.

Johanna

I have read so many writing books, taken and completed online courses, followed podcasts, and even wrote a little story here and there.

But it wasn’t until I found the Novel Plotting Academy that I finally found my voice. It offers just the right blend of information and resources to quickly grasp the main concepts of a good story, and best of all, you get started right away. There is no fluff or delay. You learn and you write, all in just a few hours. I am a fan for life!

Ana

The platform used is easy to use and manage; each section covers an interesting subject about writing your novel and it’s explained in such an eloquent manner that you won’t have any trouble understanding the concepts and ideas.

The material provided is perfect to follow every class and not miss a thing. This course is doing the impossible; helping me believe I will finally write the novel I’ve wanting to develop for years.