It’s a new year and I’m sure most of us have outlined writing goals for ourselves. What better way to get a jump on them by motivating yourself through an awesome workshop!

Laurie Schnebly Campbell is doing a month long course over at Writer University on PLOTTING VIA MOTIVATION. Seriously, folks, this is an awesome class, and Laurie is an excellent and *fun* instructor. This class will teach you how to make sure that you are plotting from the inside out–from deep within your characters–to eliminate weak plot points, sagging middles, and improbable characters.

Laurie’s insights are priceless and she always takes the time to give valuable feedback to everyone who participates. If you’re struggling with character motivation, you REALLY need to head on over to Writer U and sign up for this class. There’s still time!

Here are all the details:

Too much conflict?
Not enough?
Captivating characters?
Plausible action?

Your whole story is powered by motivation, the best engine to drive a compelling plot. If you nail down ANY character’s motivation, the plot will automatically take shape with inherent, believable conflict.

Learn how to build your book, starting with the heart of GMC, in Laurie Schnebly Campbell’s month-long email class that past students have called:

“…an amazing workshop — I cut/pasted 30 pages of great stuff.”
“a terrific eye-opening experience…great tool for planning out future projects!”
“I loved the interactive aspect…the process was something this Pantser could appreciate.”
“enlightening…one of the best classes I’ve ever taken.”
“ideas and worksheets were so helpful…take a daunting subject and make it do-able”
“turning an idea into a plotted story this fast is amazing.”

Plotting Via Motivation is offered on yahoogroups from February 1-29. Registration is $30 at http://www.writeruniv.com

So, my husband and I rented this movie over the weekend:

Synopsis (from Redbox.com): Neil (Gerard Butler) and Abby (Maria Bello) have a perfect marriage and a worry-free life until their young daughter goes missing and a strange gunman (Pierce Brosnan) named Ryan shows up. Clearly masterminding the kidnapping, Ryan insists the couple perform various tasks for him in order to protect their child from any harm. After they’ve committed to multiple, strenuous orders, Ryan escalates to a request that may be impossible to fulfill.

Though the movie is comprised of big name actors (Butler & Brosnan), I had never heard of it before seeing it at the Redbox rental kiosk. It looked interesting and I was in the mood for a big thriller type movie, so we decided to give it a chance.

Given my love of suspense, it is no wonder that I found this movie highly enjoyable. Maria Bello and Gerard Butler play convincing parents who are terrified for their daughter’s safety when a quiet, crazed, gunman (Brosnan) tells them he has their daughter and they must do exactly what he says if they hope to see her alive. Viewers are kept guessing as to the gunman’s motive as he gives them increasingly strange (and more dangerous) demands, and it isn’t until the final few scenes that all the threads are brought together in a satisfying conclusion. The many plot twists and turns keep you guessing (though my husband and I both had a hunch what the big twist at the end was going to be). I especially enjoyed seeing Brosnan play the villain after his James Bond days, and the fact that all the characters straddled the line between good and bad was interesting as well.