Plotting Your Novel Without Guesswork : & Writing a Logline

by Ann Garvin

There are no rules for writing a novel.
This is not a science. There is no formula that guarantees a great book. There is only understanding, a handful of useful guidelines, and the freedom to figure out what works for your story.
But wouldn't it be nice to have a little less guesswork?
Maybe you know exactly how your book begins but have no idea how it ends. Maybe you know the ending but keep getting lost in the middle. Or maybe you've written thousands of words and realized something isn't quite working.
Plotting Your Novel Without Guesswork & Writing a Logline is a practical, step-by-step workbook designed to help you understand the story you're trying to tell—and give you the tools to tell it.
Through guided questions, writing exercises, and plotting grids, you'll explore what your protagonist wants, what they actually need, what's standing in their way, and how the events of your novel force them to change. You'll learn to recognize the essential elements of a compelling story and use them to build a plot that makes sense, moves forward, and keeps readers turning pages.
Then you'll take everything you've discovered and turn it into a concise, compelling logline that captures the heart of your novel.
Learn from a novelist who has spent more than a decade helping writers find their stories.
Ann Garvin, PhD, is a bestselling novelist and professor. For years, she has worked with aspiring and established writers across the country, helping them develop their ideas, strengthen their manuscripts, and understand the craft of storytelling. This workbook brings the exercises, questions, and practical guidance from her teaching directly to your writing desk.
Whether you're starting your first novel, stuck halfway through your fifth, or trying to make sense of a manuscript you've already written, this workbook will help you find your way forward.
There may be no rules. But you don't have to figure it all out alone.

Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2026

About the author

Ann Garvin Ph.D. is a nurse, a professor, and USA Today Bestselling Author. She thinks everything is funny and a little bit sad. Ann Writes stories about women with a good sense of humor who do too much in a world that asks too much from them.

Ann teaches creative writing at Drexel University in their Low- Residence Masters of Fine Arts program and lives in Wisconsin with her anxious and overly protective dog Peanut.

She is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers and is dedicated to helping authors find readers and vice versa. Learn more about Ann Garvin at: anngarvin.com