Let's Do It: Narrative Drive

A 1-hour live online workshop to find the plot arrow that carries your story forward and makes it matter – plus a replay for one week and a PDF template to keep.

If the central thread of your story or scene feels unclear, patchy, or sluggish, it’s much harder to write – or to know how to rework your first draft.

The Narrative Drive workshop will help you identify a clear plot arrow that carries your story forward and a firm sense of why it matters. That’s your narrative drive, which you can then shape your story, act, or scene around, whether you’re starting to write it or reworking your first draft.

This is a simple powerful tool I return to at the start of every novel and short story, and whenever I’m struggling with an act or scene. Use it to plan, troubleshoot, or redraft: it always illuminates exactly which bit of the narrative drive needs work, and how to fix it.

Note: This is a new workshop, so all the reviews are from previous courses and workshops.

What you’ll get to create your narrative drive

• An in-depth 1-hour live workshop with time to create your narrative drive within the session
• Live on Zoom, so you can ask me questions and workshop your narrative drive in small groups
• A week’s access to the replay, so you can do the workshop even if you miss the live
• A PDF summary to keep, so you can return to the same principles for future stories / tricky sections within your story

When and Where

• Date: Monday 9 June, 6–7pm UK time; replay available 10–16 June
• Price: £20 OR book this and the Plot Tension Map workshop for £30 total for both
• Numbers: No minimum or maximum on places

Can I do this workshop? and other FAQ

• Do I need to have a story? Yes – at any stage, from nascent idea to a finished draft you want to refine.
• I’m a beginner / experienced writer: will this work for me? Yes: like my other teaching, it’s multi-level. If you’re new to writing, it’ll start you off with clear guidance. If you’re experienced, it’ll help you troubleshoot familiar issues.
• Have I met this tool before? It’s used in the Page Turners and Planning A Novel workshops. You don’t need to have done those workshops. If you have, you can still do this workshop if you want to use it in more depth.
• What if I can’t make the date? If you can't make it live, book to get access to the replay. If you can make it to the live, you'll also get the chance to ask questions and to workshop your narrative drive in small groups.
• Will I have my mic / camera on? Yes: it's an interactive workshop, and you'll be chatting with other students in small groups and joining in whole-group discussions / feedback. You will not appear on the replay.

What's a Let's Do It workshop?

Most of my courses and workshops are designed for breadth: they whisk you through a wide repertoire of tools and strategies, with short bursts to rapidly try them out, then take them home to use at your own pace.

The Let's Do It workshops are designed for depth: they hone in on 1–2 tools or activities, with much more time to actually do it, in the workshop. Plus time to workshop it, discuss it, and ask questions.