EWM 101 companion: The 3-level concept workbook
Air element implementation tools for fiction and nonfiction writers.
Back in August, we began The Elemental Writing Mysteries with Air: the element of vision, purpose and conceptual clarity.
We explored why some writing resonates while other writing (even well-crafted work) leaves readers wondering “what was the point?” We worked through the four Air components: conceptual clarity, unique perspective, thematic resonance and vision alignment.
For those who went through EWM 101 and the Deep Dive lab, you learned the 3-level framework:
Surface Level: What your story/content is about (the unique hook)
Structural Level: How it works (the internal architecture)
Essential Level: Why it matters (the universal truth)
If you tried working through the Air element lessons on your own and found yourself struggling to apply them to your actual project, I have something for you.
But first, I want to dive deeper into where most writers start — and where most writers get stuck: Surface Level.
The Surface Level Problem
Most writers think they have a clear surface concept when what they actually have is a topic description or plot summary.
Topic description or plot summary tells you the basic information:
“How to use the four elements as a navigation system for writing.”
“A guide to setting boundaries in your business.”
“A botanist inherits her grandmother’s garden and has to decide whether to sell it.”
HEAR ME CLEARLY: These aren’t wrong. They’re simply incomplete. They tell you what the writing is about, but nothing about why THIS particular story/content matters or what makes it different from the hundreds of other stories/pieces on the same topic.
Surface concept reveals what makes your work unique:
“How to develop your own internal creative compass using elemental wisdom (Air, Fire, Water, Earth) instead of following rigid writing rules that often fail marginalized voices.” - from The Elemental Writer’s Compass
“How service-based entrepreneurs can set boundaries that honor both their energy and their clients’ needs by understanding the difference between sustainable service and self-sacrifice.”
“A botanist inherits a garden containing plants that hold memories from different time periods and must choose between selling the property or learning to preserve its magic.” - from a story concept in my journal, The Timekeeper’s Garden
See the difference?
Surface concept includes:
Your unique approach or methodology
What makes your perspective necessary
The specific angle only you can bring
The hook that makes readers lean in
Without strong Surface clarity, your work feels generic. Like it could have been written by anyone. Like readers could get the same value somewhere else.
Quick Diagnostic: Is Your Surface Concept Strong?
Look at your current project and ask yourself:
Could another writer in my field or genre take this basic idea and create essentially the same work?
If yes → You’re still in plot summary or topic description territory. You haven’t revealed what makes YOUR version unique.
Does this reveal what’s specific and distinctive about my approach?
If no → You’re hiding your best parts. The things that make your work worth someone’s time are buried.
Would a reader understand what makes THIS version worth their attention?
If no → Your surface concept needs to show the value proposition upfront, not make readers guess.
If your answers to any of these questions match the answers I gave, then your Surface level needs work. This is exactly where these companion workbooks — the tools I made for you — start.
Surface Level in Action
Let me show you how this works using The Elemental Writer’s Compass as an example. If you haven’t read this yet, I highly recommend reading it as it’s the foundation of my methodology and introduces the four-element navigation system the workbooks are built on. If you ever wondered how I developed my framework, start there.
Topic description version: “How to use the four elements as a navigation system for writing.”
This tells you the basic topic. Elements. Navigation. Writing. But so what? Why should anyone care about THIS particular navigation system?
Surface concept version: “How to develop your own internal creative compass using elemental wisdom (Air, Fire, Water, Earth) instead of following rigid writing rules that often fail marginalized voices.”
Now we have:
The unique approach (elemental wisdom as internal compass)
What you’re replacing (rigid external rules)
Why it matters (those rules often fail marginalized voices)
The promise (your own guidance system vs someone else’s map)
This surface concept immediately signals: this isn’t just another writing craft article. This is a different approach for writers who need something traditional advice doesn’t provide.
That’s what strong Surface does. It positions your work as necessary, not interchangeable.
And Surface is only the first level. The Structural level reveals how the internal transformation happens. The Essential level shows the universal truth that makes your work resonate beyond your specific audience.
But you have to get Surface right first. Everything else builds on this foundation.
Why This Matters
When your Surface concept is weak, readers either:
Skip your work entirely (the plot summary or topic description didn’t grab them)
Start reading but abandon quickly (it felt generic once they got into it)
Finish but forget immediately (nothing made it memorable or distinctive)
When your Surface concept is strong, readers:
Feel immediately curious (this sounds different from what I’ve seen before)
Stay engaged (the unique angle keeps delivering on its promise)
Remember your work (your specific approach sticks with them)
Strong Surface clarity is the difference between “another article about X” and “the piece that finally made X make sense.”
It’s the difference between “another novel about Y” and “the story that showed me Y in a way I’d never considered.”
The Tools I Created for You
When analyzing my own writing, I saw very clearly that Air is my strongest element. And I believe my personal astrology plays a big part in this. I’m an Aquarius rising and my natal Mercury is in my first house (Aquarius). That’s a lot of Air energy flowing through my thought processes and how I articulate my ideas.
And it’s how I know that understanding the framework intellectually is very different from applying it to your specific project.
I can explain Surface concept versus plot summary or topic description all day long. It comes naturally to me; it’s almost ethereal in how I understand it. But you sitting down with your manuscript or essay draft and actually developing your unique surface concept? That’s where writers get stuck.
You need structure. Prompts. Examples. Quality checks to make sure you’re not fooling yourself about your clarity.
So I created templates to make this easier.
The 3-Level Concept Workbook is now available in two editions:
Fiction Edition - For novels, short stories, narrative work
Nonfiction Edition - For essays, newsletters, business books, spiritual guidebooks
Both are google docs templates for simplicity and practicality. You save a copy to your drive and it becomes a working document you return to throughout your writing process (and use for future projects).
I didn’t want to create a course or add more theory. I wanted to give you something practical and tactile - a tool you could sit down with for 2-3 hours and come out the other side with complete conceptual clarity.
That’s what these are.
What’s Inside
Each workbook guides you through the same process we just walked through with The Elemental Writer’s Compass, but with your project:
Section 1: Quick Diagnostic (15 minutes)
Four questions that reveal which level needs the most work. You’ll know immediately where to focus your energy.
Section 2: Surface Level Workshop
Learn the difference between plot summary (fiction) or topic description (nonfiction) and actual surface concept. Work through genre-specific examples, use quality checks and refine until you pass the “anyone could write this” test.
Section 3: Structural Level Workshop
Develop your internal framework using fill-in-the-blank sentence structures. Map the transformation journey from old approach to new capability.
Section 4: Essential Level Workshop
Strip away your specifics to find the universal truth. Use sentence starters designed to help you reach the level that resonates beyond your specific audience.
Section 5: Integration Check & Troubleshooting
Make sure all three levels work together. Test your framework with real scenes or sections. Write your one-sentence purpose statement.
By the end, you’ll have your complete 3-level framework mapped out - the creative compass that will guide every decision going forward.
Real Results
Writers who have worked through this framework experienced immediate shifts in their creative clarity and confidence.
One writer who did this work yesterday sent me a message saying:
“Immediately, I was able to figure out why I’ve been starting and stopping so frequently in my work. I had been feeling untethered and it’s because I did not have this Air element to firmly connect to. This workbook forced me to get very clear on what I was writing, and it became immediately apparent to me that even the surface level concept of my work was loose.
Working through each level forced me to get very clear on my writing and my intention behind it. What has started off as merely an interesting story to tell has now morphed into a piece with purpose that has reason for existing. It seems that much of my imposter syndrome around writing merely stems from a lack of clarity in my work, and this workbook cleared up this block for me beautifully.
This is a tool I will use at the beginning stages of all of my stories, and it is something I will refer to continuously in my writing process. This has given my work the body, mind and soul it has been asking me for, that I haven’t felt equipped to provide. My story now has a clear direction and I have a firm understanding of why it needs to exist.” — Golden Psyche
After sitting with her words and smiling, here’s what Spirit brought to my attention: Imposter syndrome often stems from unclear work, not inadequate skill.
When your writing lacks conceptual clarity, that untethered feeling creates doubt. You start questioning your ability instead of recognizing you simply need better tools. This is something I’ll be exploring more deeply in a future piece, because too many talented writers abandon projects because they haven’t clarified what they’re writing toward.
Another writer, Jennie O'Connor, worked through the Air lessons during a writing retreat in the woods (how dreamy!) and went from being unable to pitch her story to having a complete outline with clear creative direction:
“Working through the Air Lesson Plan gave me the framework for my novel I didn’t know I needed. By separating my story into the three levels - surface, structural and essential - I finally understood how each scene, subplot and character either serves the deeper vision or distracts from it. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about making things line up chronologically; it was about weaving everything around my story’s core truth of self-erasure vs. sovereignty.
This clarity has become my compass. When I feel tempted to include everything or adhere to the exact timeline (my novel is based on true events), I can hold each scene up to the framework and ask: does this move the vision forward? It’s an incredible yardstick for clarifying if a scene actually needs to exist at all.” — Jennie O’Connor
Both writers are writing completely different things, yet they both discovered clear direction by working through all three levels systematically. Surface clarity led to Structural understanding, which revealed Essential truth.
That’s what these tools help you discover - all three levels working together to eliminate the untethered feeling and replace it with creative confidence rooted in clarity.
Why I Made Two Versions
If you write both fiction and nonfiction, here’s what Spirit told me in the shower (and yes, I listen when Spirit speaks cuz they are always on point):
“They should buy both to avoid the mental gymnastics of trying to convert the fiction examples to nonfiction and vice versa. Just get both and avoid the headache.”
Each workbook is tailored specifically for its form:
The Fiction Edition uses examples from novels, thrillers, literary work. The prompts address plot, character arcs, story premises. The fill-in-the-blank frameworks speak the language of narrative.
The Nonfiction Edition uses examples from essays, business content, newsletters. The prompts address arguments, reader transformation, message delivery. The frameworks speak the language of teaching and exploration.
Could you make one work for the other? Sure.
But why waste mental energy translating when you could be doing the actual work instead? Like Spirit said, just get both.
Both workbooks are $37 each.
The Bridge to Fire and the Other Elements
As it’s now October, we’re currently exploring Water element: emotion, connection and authentic voice. Check the syllabus for the complete EWM schedule.
But for those of you still working through Air clarity, you need something to work with before you can move into Fire (and the other elements).
Air gives you the map. The clear vision and purpose.
But Fire needs actual material to shape. You need chapters, scenes, pages. Sections, arguments, examples.
As I wrote in the EWM 101 Lab:
“Fire element is incredibly powerful. But it needs Air’s clarity to burn in the right direction. Without clear concepts guiding the transformation, you get what feels like random conflict rather than purposeful change.” — yours truly
The process works like this:
Air clarity first (that’s what these workbooks give you)
Material to shape (write some chapters, draft some content)
Fire momentum (we’ll explore these frameworks when the curriculum cycles back)
Air provides the “why” behind Fire’s “what.” Clear concepts ensure your plot events serve deeper purpose. Your pacing builds toward meaningful transformation. Your arguments progress with intention rather than meandering.
When you clarify your Air element first using these workbooks, you approach Fire with intention. You know what needs to transform and why. You can evaluate whether your choices advance your conceptual exploration or just create drama.
This is why I encourage spending as much time as possible on Air before moving to Fire. Unfocused Fire burns out quickly and/or burns in the wrong direction.
When you have strong conceptual clarity, Fire becomes precise and powerful.
Get Your Workbook(s)
Both editions include:
Complete 3-level framework
Genre-specific examples showing all three levels
Quality checks and troubleshooting for each level
Integration tests to ensure coherence
Lifetime access to your copy
This is the same framework I use with private editing clients to diagnose why their work feels unfocused. The same one I used to develop The Elemental Writer’s Compass and every piece I write for The Story Temple.
Now it’s yours to work through on your own timeline, with your own projects, as many times as you need.
I created these because doing conceptual clarity work alone is hard. Having the structure, the prompts, the examples and the quality checks makes it easier.
Try it out and see what clarity emerges.
Questions? Hit reply or drop a comment below.
With love and elemental wisdom,
Lakeisha | High Priestess of The Story Temple
P.S. - If you write both fiction and nonfiction, get both workbooks. Each one speaks directly to the specific challenges of its form. Don’t waste mental energy translating examples when you could be doing the actual clarity work instead. Spirit’s guidance is clear: avoid the mental gymnastics and get both.
Fiction Edition - $37 | Nonfiction Edition - $37
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