Write Here, Write Now | Suyi Okungbowa: "Three Ways To Think About Plot"

Pop-Up Workshop: Write Here, Write Now | Suyi Okungbowa: "Three Ways To Think About Plot"

Need ideas to help you start writing? Join us for a monthly pop-up workshop co-presented by Phoenix College and ASU's Piper Center for Creative Writing. Each session includes a 30-minute mini-class and a writing prompt exploring some aspect of craft—setting, dialogue, character development, etc.—followed by focused writing time and the opportunity to read your work to the group. Tonight, the author of the highly-anticipated Nigerian godpunk debut David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019), Suyi Okungbowa continues the series with "Three Ways To Think About Plot."
You might've heard people refer to some of your beloved stories as "plot-heavy" or even "plot-less," while you're over here wondering what in the world "plot" is even, and how to make your story have one (that works). In this workshop, we’ll explore new ways to think about plot in relation to your work. First, we’ll talk about plot in relationship to character goals as cycles of trying and failing, acceptance and rejection, and cause and effect. Then, we’ll create our own plots or micro-stories in five minutes and rewrite them using each of these techniques. Finally, we’ll discuss how these exercises can be adapted for novellas, novels, and other longer works. By the end of the workshop, you'll leave with concrete ideas and actionable strategies for tackling plot in your stories.

• Please bring paper and pen or an electronic device to write on.