Often, writers find themselves getting hung up on how to plan out their story. Or, they start their draft with great excitement, only to get stuck somewhere in the middle, mired in the question of “where should I go next?” Even worse, you might have a plot — but your characters just don’t seem to grip your readers. Or maybe you get caught up in discouragement, wondering why you bothered to start writing this book in the first place.

If you get bogged down in what-ifs and can’t find your way forward in your plotting, it may be that your character’s inner journey isn’t mapped to match their outer experiences. Jennie Nash’s Blueprint for a Book offers helpful exercises so writers can get clear on their purpose, understand the engine that drives their story, and keep their characters fully engaging to readers.

The essential skill of tying a character’s inner need for change to the external plot is key to writing fiction that grips readers and keeps them turning pages. It takes your writing to the next level, and ensures that readers get hooked! So, it’s crucial to create an “inside outline” for why your story events matter to your character, and how those events are provoking your character to grow. Without that, your basic plot events will either feel predictable, or confusing, or mildly engaging at best.

Pro Tip: This lack of true, well planned character evolution and how that inner journey changes the plot of the story is a major reason why many movies just aren’t that memorable these days. Sure, explosions and chases look good on-screen, but they happen in tons of movies. Why should I watch yours? And more importantly, why should I watch it twice, buy a copy of it, and recommend it to all my friends?

This is just as true for books as it is for movies. And while the big guns in Hollywood have plenty of movies and plenty of cash flow upholding them, indie authors like us cannot be that lackadaisical or cynical about it. We have to push ourselves harder and deliver more to build our audience.

Doing the work to tie your character’s major misbeliefs and their journey to getting free of their wrong-headed ideas sounds like therapy. But it’s also the reason people read—we all want to get into someone else’s head and experience them beating the odds, which helps us feel like we can do that too.

And tapping into this also makes it super easy to plot, because you’ll always know what types of situations your character has to confront in order to grow. You’ll think of a cool idea, but know it can’t work for this story, so you’ll file the idea for another book without wasting time writing unnecessary scenes. You’ll spot plot bunnies before they can hop off in the wrong direction, leading you astray. You’ll be able to brainstorm possibilities that will totally make sense for your character to face—making it a lot more pleasant to sit down in front of a blank page. You’ll find it easier to avoid writer’s block.

That’s what Blueprint of a Book is meant to do for you. Along with book coaching—which is in essence kicking things around with someone who can help you push yourself to really answer these questions without getting lazy—Jennie Nash’s book is a helpful way to think about the intertwined DNA of plot and character that make a novel truly work.

Beyond that, this book has exercises from nailing down your own purpose — your why for writing, which motivates you to push past writer’s block; to how you can approach marketing and pitching; and lots of the in-between stages of taking yourself as a writer from idea to actual finished manuscript. Her techniques have helped lots of writers find success, and you’ll find something to inspire you in here.

Interested in working on your next book outline or blueprinting your character’s internal and external growth arcs? We’ve got a certified book coach on staff! Michele can help you think through what drives your character, where their internal cracks lie, and what it’ll take inside-out to help your protagonist grow and succeed. No matter what genre you’re writing, blueprinting your story so the plot and character arcs align will make your book more compelling and satisfying to readers.

Contact us for more information!