The Story Equation Mini-Course
How to Plot & Write a Brilliant story from one powerful question
So you have an amazing story idea.
Now what?
You have to build your Characters, your Plot, the character change journey, plot the tension, the triumphant ending, and put it all into amazing scenes...
Yeah, I know. I used to stare at the blank page too, longing to write a great story, but fearing that I would forget, or maybe not deliver the story that was in my heart.
After struggling through four novels, rewriting one of them seven times, I thought...there has to be a better way. Something organic and easy, but something that would give me the tools to write a powerful story.
And that's when I developed the Story Equation...one question that could unlock my entire story!
Yes. I'm so not kidding--and when I started to use the "SEQ" suddenly I was able to plot a rough outline of story from beginning to end..including the character layers, the essential backstory, the tension and the triumphant finale.
And, although I am an outliner, this technique works fabulously for "organic" writers. Armed with your character and a few essential tools, you can journey forth into your novel knowing you won't have to backtrack and rewrite!
- The SEQ Solves the Saggy Middle problem. How? Because you know exactly the problems you'll create for your characters in the middle.
- The SEQ solves the character change problem. Because you'll know exactly what your character needs to do to change and grow--and how to prove it.
- And, the SEQ even helps you figure out your high-level pitch. Because you'll pull out the stakes, and figure out how to make them compelling to your readers.
Using the powerful technique that has created over fifty RITA, Christy and Carol award-winning, best-selling novels, I'll walk you through, with examples and explanations, all the elements of the SEQ to create the best story you’ve ever written.
Here's what readers have said about the books I've written using the SEQ:
Do you want to create a book that keeps readers up all night, turning pages and then passing along the book to their friends?
Learn:
- The amazing trick to creating unforgettable, compelling characters that epic movies use!
- How to create riveting tension to keep the story driving from chapter to chapter
- The easy solution to plotting the middle of your novel
- The one element every story needs to keep a reader up all night
- How to craft an ending that makes your reader say to their friends, “Oh, you have to read this book!”
Get started writing your brilliant novel today with this SEQ mini course!
- Start by downloading our SEQ Infographic!
- Then, watch our FREE Video on Character Building.
Course Curriculum
Get started now!
Praise for the SEQ!
“The Story Equation is pure genius.” — Randy Ingermanson, author of Writing Fiction for Dummies
"In simple yet powerful terms, Susan May Warren lays down the essential crafting elements that make for a gripping tale. This is the stuff we all need to first learn and then constantly keep in mind as we dive into the process of laying the story we see in our minds down on the page. A great benefit to all writers of fiction." Ted Dekker, New York Times best-selling author
"There have been only two must-have craft books on my shelf for years. Now there is a third. If you write fiction, Susan May Warren's The Story Equation is a book you need to buy. And devour. I could talk in detail about the book's insight, its power to transform your writing, its brilliance, but suffice it to say I predict this will become a classic in the library of how to write bestselling stories." James L. Rubart- Bestselling author of The Long Journey to Jake Palmer.
“Susan May Warren loves to help novelists outrageously succeed. She does this in a practical way through her insightful book, The Story Equation. I felt like I’d been taken by the hand and mentored by a masterful storyteller!” Mary DeMuth, author of six novels including, The Muir House (Zondervan).
"Susan May Warren is a terrific teacher and enabler of fiction writers. I wholeheartedly agree with the approach of starting from the character journey and wrapping the plot around it. I think the SEQ can really help lots of authors." Jeff Gerke, national writing instructor and Writer's Digest author of The Irresistible Novel
"Every novelist who wants to up their game should own a copy of The Story Equation. Susan May Warren has distilled down years of teaching to an understandable, transferable technique — the SEQ — that helps them develop stories that will captivate their readers. I’ve seen Susie teach this method and watched the “before” and “after” affect in writers’ lives — including my own." Beth K. Vogt, 2016 Christy Award-winning author of Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Your Instructor
Hi. I'm Susan May Warren. I started writing while I lived in Siberia (yes, you heard that right--cold, snowy, Siberia). Alone. No one to help me, overwhelmed and not a little discouraged. Twenty years later, I've published over 80 books in five different genres, have landed on numerous bestseller lists (including USA Today bestselling), won the RITA, CHRISTY and CAROL awards (and others) and started a school for novelists.
I've learned a few things along the way (beyond techniques on how to stay warm in the tundra!) Most importantly I learned that if I wanted to be published, I had to figure out how to write a book, how to edit it, how to step back from my stories, look at them with a critical eye, figure out what a good manuscript looks like, and then use my unique voice to make that happen.
First, write a good book. Then, learn how to sell it.
This is the foundation of NovelAcademy. Learning. Editing. Growing...Getting published and Staying published.