The Essentials of Characterization and Plotting Workshop Links

May 28, 2022

Hi y’all,

Here are the social media links that take you to Savvy Authors to sign up for my month long workshop. If you’ve been considering taking my class now is the time.

This is the only one scheduled this year. I hope you’ll join me as we go through the essentials of characterization and plotting. These two areas of writing are vital for the creation of fiction writing.

Details for The Essentials of Characterization and Plotting with Tambra Nicole Kendall

https://savvyauthors.com/community/classes/the-essentials-of-characterization-and-plotting-with-tambra-nicole-kendall.1873/

Level Mixed Basic and Premium Members Prices

Premium Members $30 & Basic Members $40

Register by June 20th and save $5, use code ESSENTIALSKENDALL2022 at checkout! Category

1. Characters
2. Description/Setting
3. Dialogue
4. Structure
5. GMC
6. Plotting
7. Worldbuilding

$5 off Early Registration Coupon-expires 1 week before class starts ESSENTIALSKENDALL2022 Class Length 4 Weeks

This workshop material is for beginning and intermediate writers, but all are welcome!

Having a good foundation in fiction writing skills is vital. Our goal is to keep readers turning the pages and buying more of our books. Join me as we learn and discuss the techniques of characterization and plot and their relationship. Ready to get started? Here are a few of the lesson topics:

• Brainstorming: various ways to brainstorm your ideas
• Backstory, using plot sketches, show, don’t tell
• Creating three-dimensional characters
• World building, and more!

This workshop also includes a mini course on writing hot. Class Format

Savvy Authors’ workshops are held on a forum: a bulletin board based system. You will receive a reminder notice one day prior to the start of the workshop that includes instructions on how to access the workshop forum. If you have not received instructions by the day the workshop begins, please check your spam filter.
The forum will be available the morning (EST) of the day the workshop starts and will remain accessible to all participants thereafter.

I’m thrilled to be able to teach again and share my material with you. My website has testimonials from former students if you’re interested in seeing how the course helped them. Join me and we can learn from each other!

Hugs to all, Tambra Nicole

Photo by Hannah Grace, Unsplash website. Writing motivation.

I’m Teaching a Workshop!

Hi y’all!

Fountain Pen Nib

May 4, 2022

I’m so excited to announce my workshop The Essentials of Characterization and Plotting that will begin at the end of June for Savvy Authors. As soon as I get a link for you to sign up I’ll post it.

THE ESSENTIALS OF CHARACTERIZATIOHN AND PLOTTING

Instructor: Tambra Nicole Kendall

Code: ESSENTIALSKENDALL2022

Characterization, plot, GMC, saggy middle, viewpoint, worldbuilding, tension

Course length: 4 weeks

Date: June 27, 2022 to July 24, 2022

This workshop material is for beginning and intermediate writers, but all are welcome!

Having a good foundation in fiction writing skills is vital. Our goal is to keep readers turning the pages and buying more of our books. Join me as we learn and discuss the techniques of characterization and plot and their relationship. Ready to get started? Here are a few of the lesson topics:

• Brainstorming: various ways to brainstorm your ideas
• Backstory, using plot sketches, show, don’t tell
• Creating three-dimensional characters
• World building, and more!

This workshop also includes a mini course on writing hot.

I hope you’ll join me for this workshop on characterization and plotting plus all the other fun aspects of writing!

Hugs, Tambra

A Season of Reflection and Gratitude

28 November 2021 by Tambra Nicole Kendall

Image of a starry sky by Larisa Koshkina

In the past hubby and I have tried to make it to a Transiberian Orchestra concert during the Christmas holiday. It would have been lovely to attend this year but with Covid not under control, I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. They put on such a wonderful show. You feel energized and happy when you leave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHioIlbnS_A

I hope the link works so you can hear the Transiberian Orchestra if you haven’t before. I grateful we’ve had the opportunity to attend their concerts in the past. Ten years ago that wouldn’t have been possible. There are so many blessings. Food, shelter, a nice little town where I can walk Smudge and not worry about my safety.

I have a good team of doctors helping me live life as best I can with the chronic conditions I have. The coming new year will find me focused on getting back into doing Zumba Express and some Bollywood Dance to lose some weight and strengthen my muscles and stamina. There are a number writing projects I’d love to finish and share with you. One of my goals is to figure out how to focus better. Recently, I had someone confirm that my creative energy in art and craft feeds my writing energy. This reminder came at the perfect time.

I’m grateful for the people who read my blog and Smudge’s Doggy Bloggy. We thank you for your comments and for staying with us. The act of being grateful changes your whole focus. Jack Canfield is one of the people I listen to on the topic.

A few days ago, I watched my favourite Christmas movie, White Christmas the song, Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep explains gratitude perfectly and simply. Here are the lyrics if you don’t know them.

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep

Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings. I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessingsI think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings

Source: LyricFindSongwriters: Irving BerlinCount Your Blessings Instead of Sheep lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC

Vintage illustration of a Westie and Scottie dog wearing red bows and looking through a window

My wish is for all of you to have the happiest holiday season with your loved ones. Until we meet here again, take care of yourselves and each other.

Tambra

NaNoWriMo According to Smudge MacRuff and a Printable Word Count Calendar

10 October 2021

Hi y’all,

Here’s no frills NaNoWriMo calendar. After you print it out you can add stickers or washi tape. 🙂 I think there’s enough space for you to write your word count beneath the word count number to keep you on track. I hope you find inspiration from the forums, meeting writers from all over the world, and being inspired to write the story of your heart. NaNo is supposed to be fun, not a drudge. Should you persevere at the end you’ll have a draft of a manuscript, a big portion of editing, forward progress on whatever you’re writing.

NaNo is all about getting the story down. Editing comes later.

Smudge Alpin MacRuff wants to help writers with NaNo so here’s his POV on what happens when you undertake the month of November’s literary abandon.

Think about what you want to write. Be sure you like it enough to write on the story everyday.

After you join NaNoWriMo get some writing friends to join you. Friends always make everything more fun!

Stay focused. Don’t quit! Quick, word sprints!

Why aren’t you cooperating story? I give you the evil eye. I do not like you anymore.

You see these shreds manuscript…that’s what will happen to you if you mess with me again.

Swift kick in the writing pants. I can do this because I’m the Boss!

You did it! Do something nice for yourself. All that hard work was worth it.

nanowrimo-2021-word-count-calendarDownload

All the best writing vibes and positive thoughts to everyone! Love, Tambra and Smudge

An Excellent Course

My sweet friend, Rae blogged about my upcoming workshop. Thank you, Rae!

powerfulwomenreaders

Always wanted to be a writer? Here’s a course that will help.

The Essentials of Characterization and Plotting Instructor: Tambra Nicole Kendall Registration Deadline:October 10, 2021 Start Date:October 6, 2021 End Date:November 1, 2021Class Fee in USD:$15 for HHRW members / $25 for non-membersGoogleiCalendarREGISTER NOW

In this course, we will discuss how to plot, what keeps it moving, and how storytellers drag readers into a fictional world and keep them there. We’ll learn point of view, story structure, pacing, world building, how to connect the beginning, middle and end, and more.

Tamara is a friend and a very capable teacher who has written since forever. She has mastered the skills of engaging writing, which is evident on every page of her books. I highly recommend this author and her course.

Thanks, Evin

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Preptober for NaNoWriMo

24 September 2021

Old books on a shelf

Hi y’all,

I know this is a wee bit early before October but I wanted to go ahead and share some resources to help you prepare for National Novel Writing Month (November). If you have problems finishing a manuscript NaNoWriMo might help you finish. It teaches you how to muffle/choke your inner editor. Bribery works for my inner editor.

What if you aren’t writing fiction and still want to participate in this frenzied event? You can be a NaNo Rebel. A NaNo Rebel is a NaNoWriMo participant who chooses to write something besides a novel of at least 50,000 words in November. Some rebels choose to revise and edit their novels, while others wander into the worlds of nonfiction, video games, scripts, and academic writing.

Back to the topic of novel writing. It’s easy for a nonwriter or someone who only writes short stories to say, “writing a novel can’t be that hard.” It can be. Many people wistfully say they want to write a novel one day. I’ll bet they started to really think about it, then broke out into an icy sweat while slowly backing away from that idea.

Writing a novel can be a daunting task. I’ve found that breaking such a large project into smaller pieces makes the process less overwhelming and easier to organize. I write my stories in Word but keep them organized in Scrivener.

To have an idea of where I’m going, I write out what I know about the major plot points and/or the pinch points in my story. This is a good start but I also need a way to keep myself on track without interfering my flow of creativity. Using the Hero’s Journey and the 3-Act Structure, along with the plot points I’ve written out give me a road map to follow. BUT, this method also gives me the room I need if I come up with ideas that are better than my initial effort. A Google search brings up lots of resources to help you prepare for NaNo.

Reedsy has an article that explains the Three Act Structure if you’re unfamiliar with this story structure. https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/three-act-structure/

Here’s a link for the Hero’s Journey if you’d like to know more. https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/

Author, Eva Deverell has plethora of writing worksheets to help get your Preptober off to a great start! https://www.eadeverell.com/preptober-schedule/

The NaNo website has helpful information, too. https://nanowrimo.org/nano-prep-101

Here’s the word count breakdown to reach the 50,000 word goal: 1,667 words per day or 7 pages. If you can’t sit down and write that number of pages in a single sitting you can write 556 words in three sessions which will keep you at the daily goal.

Do you have a child or teen who’s a writer? NaNoWriMo has a Young Writer’s Program.

I hope the links provide a good starting place for your novel preparation. If you’ve always wanted to write a novel, don’t put it off. Take the plunge! Don’t worry if you don’t reach the 200 pages goal what’s important is that you learned more about writing, yourself, and maybe made some new writing friends.

Keep writing and creating!

Tambra

P.S. Don’t forget my Essentials of Characterization and Plotting workshop starts October 6. Here’s the link to register! https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/the-essentials-of-characterization-and-plotting/

My October Workshop

September 10, 2021

Hi everyone,

cartoon cat writing at a desk.

I hope y’all are doing well!

I wanted to let you know I’ll be teaching my Essentials of Characterization and Plotting workshop. It begins October 6, 2021 and ends November 1, 2021. The cost for Hearts Through History members is $15, non-members $25. This is the only time this year I’ll be teaching it.

The length of the course is four weeks. I post lessons every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you’d like to read testimonials from people who’ve taken the course you can find it on my website: https://tambrakendall.com

Here’s a list of the lessons. I’ve tried to organise the material so the lessons build on each other making the material as cohesive as possible.

• Lesson One: Brainstorming
• Lesson Two: Backstory, Plot Sketches, Show, Don’t Tell and Effective Description
• Lesson Three: Character is Action, Plot is Action
• Lesson Four: GMC – Goal, Motivation and Conflict Goal, Urgency, Motivation
• Lesson Five: Writing Strong Characters and Viewpoint, Deep Point of View, Stimulus and Response
• Lesson Six: Sagging Middles
• Lesson Seven: Scene and Sequel Structure
• Lesson Eight: Plotting Methods
• Lesson Nine: Creating Dimensional Characters
• Lesson Ten: Adding Tension and Danger
• Lesson Eleven: Writing Sexual Tension
• Lesson Twelve: Basic Worldbuilding

As you can see, most of the lessons can be applied to other genres of fiction besides romance. I hope to see you in October!

Here’s the link to register for the workshop: https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/event/the-essentials-of-characterization-and-plotting/

If you’re at my website, please consider signing up for my newsletter. In exchange for signing up, I offer a mini-journal. The schedule is approximately every quarter, unless something special is occurring. I’m passionate about using essential oils/natural healing, recycling/upcycling, Celtic mythology, the Templars and Arthurian history.

Have a great weekend!

Tambra

Books to Add to Your Reading Pile

April 7, 2021 Tambra Nicole Kendall

Hello everyone,

I hope all of you are healthy and doing well. I’m on the waiting list to get my Covid vaccination. Hope it’s soon.

I wanted to let y’all know of some new book and upcoming releases.

Photo by Ichad Windhiagiri on Pexels.com

Tambra’s Author Suggestions

Judythe Morgan

Fitzpatrick Family Series: Eight Preacher Kids Each with a Sweet Love Story of their own.

Sarah & Nick

Sarah Fitzpatrick, pianist extraordinaire, gave up on true love when her high school boyfriend, Nick Stephens, ran off to marry his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Nick’s daughter shows up in her music class eleven years later. One look at the man, and old dreams come back to life. She must find a way to keep the little girl and Nick out of her heart. She won’t risk losing everything again.

Nick Stephens has other plans. Sarah is, and always has been, the love of his life and he’s back in Burton, TX to prove it. But there are secrets Nick must keep, from Sarah and his daughter. Secrets that could destroy everything he hopes to build. Can their second chance survive new secrets?

Here are the buy links.

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W9MP12F

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736553909

Nook:   https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-love-endures-judythe-morgan/1138790688

Stefanie London has some wonderful books for you to choose from and some recent titles to be released soon. Here’s her website: https://stefanie-london.com/

Kadee McDonald has another sweet PAWS romance out! You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VVPGM7D?fbclid=IwAR3owV_TCkmiIiI92NUNXLXBkGC6HXjvmT82YqJWp2BpB8IlsTi2PF6_0HE

Healing Two Hearts book cover

I hope you find some new authors to try. If you have friends that might be interested in these stories please pass on the information!

I’m working on a few projects (still!) but am doing my best to have something out this summer.

Hugs to all!

Tambra Nicole

SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS (And Others)

This is a reblog from my friend, Rae’s blog. She and I share a number of interests including a love for the writing of Madeleine L’Engle. I hope you enjoy her blog post as much as I did!

Hugs,
Tambra

powerfulwomenreaders

Just as Saturday mornings on TV in the 50s and 60s was dedicated to kids, Saturday mornings on this blog are dedicated to them.

Book 1 of the Wallace Family Series finds Meg a gawky twelve year old and Charles Wallace a 6 year old prodigy.

Book two finds Charles Wallace about Meg’s age in the previous book.

Book three finds Meg married (to Calvin) and expecting their first child and Charles Wallace a teenager.

For years, I thought this was it, The Wallace Family trilogy. I read A Wrinkle in Time to my sixth graders every year during the 80s as I discovered it with them. Later, I read A Wind in the Door and reread it recently. I do not think I ever read A Swiftly Tilting Planet until now, as I began my Madeline L’Engle “project”–to read as much by and about her as I could. The…

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News to Share

Hi y’all,

I wanted to let you know that Coffee Time Romance interviewed me and now it’s ready. I’d love it if you could stop by and comment. https://coffeetimeromance.com/interviews/interview-with-tambra-kendall/

The other news I wanted to share is I have a shop at Society6. If you’re looking for unique gift ideas, I just might have something to fill that need. Or, if you’d just like to see some of my photography you can do that, too. https://society6.com/tambranicole

Anne’s Flower Garden, taken at Chicken Paradise, San Antonio, Texas

I hope y’all have a blessed week!

Tambra Nicole Kendall