For those who can't attend Melanie's Weekend Writing Seminar in person, you can now get all the information, insight, tips, and tricks on DVD - All 14 hours in this 8 disc set!

Learn story structure and storytelling right in the comfort of your living room, at your own pace.  Now you can review important topics, pause to reflect on an interesting new concept.

The StoryWeaving Seminar on DVD was recorded at a recent weekend writing seminar, so it includes all the most up to date material.

The first four discs cover the Elements of Structure and the second four explore the Art of Storytelling.

The Elements of Structure

Disc One ~ Character & Storyforming

From archetypes to complex characters, documenting the elements of character and how they can be combined, deconstructing the the hero and villain, objective and subjective characters, why the Main Character doesn't have to be your protragonist, methods for determining the foundational dynamics of your story's structure.

Disc Two ~ Theme & Story Encoding

The two kinds of theme, thematic topic and thematic message, a new approach to premise.  The 28 "magic" thematic scenes, building an emotional argument, avoiding ham-handed moralizations, coming up with symbols to represent your key structural points.

Disc Three ~ Plot & StoryWeaving

Static and Progressive elements of plot, origin of the 3 act structure, signposts and journeys, alternatives to 3 act structure, relationship of scenes to acts, using four throughlines to weave your plot, storytelling order vs. story structure order, techniques of exposition.

Disc Four ~ Genre & Reception

The overall personality of your story, creating foundational perspectives, the four modes of expression, creating a unique genre, building a genre map, considering audience interpretation, targeting your audience, pandering and propaganda.

The Art of Storytelling

Disc Five ~ Inspiration

Techniques for coming up with story ideas, finding your creative time, choosing your creative space, inspiration through nonsense, expanding a story with questions and answers, finding characters that grow from your story, avoiding stereotypes, creating a riveting plot, determining the moral issues of your story, a genre shopping list.

Disc Six ~ Development

Making your characters into real people, providing shadings to your theme and moral message, giving your main character personal issues, tying your plot to your characters and theme, developing your genres story-wide influence.

Disc Seven ~ Exposition

How to unfold your story, creating an exposition map, techniques for keeping your reader/audience involved, getting your information across, multi-appreciation moments, weaving your throughlines.

Disc Eight ~ Storytelling

Building scenes or chapters, controlling pacing, working structure into the flow. blending dramatic elements into seamless sequences, adding the element of surprise, tying it all together, wrapping it up, closure.