Back to School

This new project has taught me to do my homework first. I had to give it a try blindly, but now find i want to change alot of things a quarter of the way through. In the future, i will stick to creating the character sketches (not snapshots) keeping mindful to three page limit. (If you know me, you know i LOVE the character research part. I have in the past written sketches three times as long as the actual story!)
My weak point is plot. Plot and structure. I definitely write from the "know your characters well and they will tell you the story" school of thought. Which is why my first month long project went so well. I stuck to the limited character sketch, had a basic idea of the theme of the story and let the characters lead me in their actions.
In the end, i finished the story before the deadline. But i found it to be... boring. Granted, it is only a first draft and i can always add firework displays later, but what if i want my storyline to be a bit more exciting?
Which leads to the current project.
It is a far more exciting premise. And unlike the first one needs more than just a group of great characters, it needs a strong structured plot as well.
So i'm going back to school! Independent study tho it may be. I've refereed back to my old issues of writer's digest and found a useful excerpt taken from a book that luckily was at my local library.
I'm studin' plot folks! Hopefully this story will make it to the second... and then third draft and i'll be able to share it with you!