#16: Five Things About Revision I Wish I'd Known Sooner
I used to live for the rush of that first draft. And dread revision. The more I tried to revise the more lost in the mess of my draft I'd become. That's because I didn't understand what revision was, or how to do it. Fast forward to today. I not only have control over my revision process, it's hands down my favorite part of writing. So, what changed? My misconceptions about the writing process and some slow, steady insights about how to approach rewriting. On today's episode, we'll ...
30 Syys 202011min
#15: How to Find Your Creative Flow
In order to nail down a solid, productive writing practice, to reach the level of mastery that ultimately leads to publication, you need to be in a state of flow. But how do we find flow in our writing when we’re not in the mood to write? And how do we stay in a state of flow? On today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’ll talk about: How to anchor yourself in your work so that you can reach and stay in a state of flow easily. How you can make vast improvements in your writing...
23 Syys 202017min
#14: How to Intensify Your Story's Drama
Happiness may be great in real life. But it’s fatal in story. Few things numb readers more than characters surrounded by birdsong and puppies who aren’t risking something deeply important. There’s no payoff when everything works out all hunky-dory. Or when the outcome is as simple as a character getting what he wants. Or not. Readers are hungry for danger. We’re just hardwired that way. We want drama. On today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore: What we mean by drama.How to ...
16 Syys 202017min
#13: How to Write for Emotional Impact
We want to move our readers emotionally. We want them to feel our character’s joy, pain, and everything in between. But one of the surest ways to sever the reader’s emotional connection is to be overly direct about how a character feels. In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’re going to break down 4 techniques to get the greatest emotional payoff from your scenes. We'll explore: The biology of emotion.How to blast through the reader's intellect to his most primitive emo...
9 Syys 202015min
#12: Four Ways to Write Effective Flashbacks
A flashback moves readers back in time. It interrupts the flow of the story to catch up on what happened before page 1. But when writers overuse flashbacks, readers grow impatient. They lose interest in, or even forget, what’s happening in the “now” of the story. Yes, we should explore our story’s past. But at some point in revision, we need to reign the past in. We need to select and shape only those flashback episodes that are crucial to understanding the story’s present. It all...
2 Syys 202014min
#11: How To Make Time To Write When You Have No Time
Time is finite. It’s not a renewable resource. We have so much crammed into our day - our jobs, our kids, our spouses, our homes. And even if we do find pockets of time to write, we’re flat out stonkered by the time we get to our keyboard. Because, here’s the thing. Writing requires clean focus. We need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s not just about finding the hours to write, it’s the quality of mind we bring to those hours. But we all have more time than we think. And we have mo...
26 Elo 202019min
#10: What is Writer's Voice?
You hear it all the time - Find your voice! Publishers say they're looking for "fresh new voices." But what does writer's voice mean, exactly? In today's episode, we'll explore: What writer's voice isHow you can encourage your voice to come out and play. Excerpts from stories by Meghan Daum and Ernest Hemingway to get a fix on what makes their voices distinct from any other. And I'll give you an exercise straight from Twyla Tharp's book, The Creative Habit, to help you access yo...
19 Elo 202017min
#9: How To Keep A Consistent Writing Routine
Why is it so damn hard to keep a writing routine? In today’s episode, of Writer Unleashed, I’ll give you 3 strategies backed by science to break through your barriers so you can start and keep a consistent, thriving writing practice. Not sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the ...
12 Elo 202017min
