Sign-up for this upcoming free three-hour online workshop on building story endings that gasp, land, and linger. For writers of every stripe, every medium, and every level.
November 14th @ 2pm ET / 11am PT (3 Hours)
Zoom/Online — Free & open to all ages and writing levels
Every writer knows the moment they’re trying to earn. The portals open and Captain America hears “On your left.” Amir runs the kite for Sohrab and whispers, “For you, a thousand times over.” A reader closes the book and sits still for a minute. A theater forgets to breathe. You’ve felt it from the audience side — now you’re the one at the keyboard, staring at your Act 3 and trying to figure out how all your setup is actually supposed to land like that. In this free three-hour workshop, we’ll show you how to build it.
Here’s what we’ll build together:
The Signature Insight
The One-Two Punch
First twist is plot — the gasp. Second twist is character — the gut punch. Great endings always have both.
The Method
Reverse-Engineer
Start at the ending. Scroll back up through Acts 1 and 2. Plant the seeds that make your Act 3 land.
The Toolkit
The Six Soils
Six categories of seeds. Six places to hide your payoff in plain sight so your reader never sees it coming.
The Rhythm
Plant ? Water ? Bloom
The Three Touches every great payoff follows. Set it. Reinforce it. Detonate it.
You’ll walk out with
Your completed Payoff Top Sheet — a one-page takeaway worksheet that becomes the blueprint for your ending. You can start writing from it tomorrow.
Here’s the part most workshops won’t tell you: you don’t need to know your ending to show up. Most writers don’t. That’s exactly what we’re here to figure out — whether you want to clarify an ending you half-see, sharpen one that isn’t quite landing, or invent one from scratch. The framework works for screenplays, novels, stageplays, radio plays, and short fiction, with examples drawn equally from prose and screen. All ages welcome. All experience levels welcome. Come as you are. First instincts, no overthinking, no sharing required. Just build.
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Diana Botsford’s courses are practical, detailed and immediately applicable to the work in progress. I learned techniques during the class that I used right away in my writing. Her courses are my top recommendation for any author looking to improve their craft and skills for professional writing.
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Working with Diana changed how I think about structure. She has a way of pointing at the exact piece that’s missing without ever making you feel like you missed it.
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Free Writing Workshop
November 14th @ 2pm ET / 11am PT (3 Hours)
Zoom/Online — Free & open to all ages and writing levels
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Twelve Saturdays. One feature. Learn how to write screenplays for the budgets indie producers actually fund.JAN 9 – MAR 27, 2027 12 SATURDAYS 10am, PT / 2pm, ET + 3 HOURS