#184: 5 Questions To Help Focus Your Story Idea
Our stories can become so overrun with ideas, they run away from us. Each idea leads to another and another until you’re lost in the vortex. There are stories within stories. Endless possibilities. S...
16 Huhti 202416min
#183: How To Link Your Character's Interior Story To The Plot
Most writers know how their characters need to change. They know what happens on the plot level. They know their character's struggles. Often, though, the main character doesn't seem to change, ev...
9 Huhti 202413min
Reprise: 4 Writing Myths Holding You Back
There’s no shortage of writing advice. Especially in the online space. Google is not the best gatekeeper. And some FB groups are doling out conflicting advice, canned advice, bad advice. Writers he...
2 Huhti 202422min
Reprise: What Readers Really Want From Your Story
Why do readers read? Is it just for entertainment? To escape everyday life? Or is there a deeper need? What is it about story that keeps us captivated from beginning to end? It helps to understand ...
26 Maalis 202416min
#182: 5 Ways To Nail Your First Chapter
Your first chapter matters. It's what binds readers to your story. It makes them care. And when they care, they can't help but keep reading. There's a lot riding on your first chapter. So you wan...
19 Maalis 202432min
181: Writing Emotions: 3 Ways To Move Readers
When a story moves us, it’s not because of beautiful writing, or a strong voice – it’s not because of a great plot. All these things are important, but those things on their own don’t move us. What ...
12 Maalis 202420min
#180: Show, Don't Tell: Your Top Questions Answered
Show, don't tell. How many times have you heard this advice? You may understand the concept, but it's still not sinking in. So, what's the difference between showing and telling? Should show don't ...
5 Maalis 202421min
#179: Writing Dialogue: 5 Do's and Don'ts
You want your characters' dialogue to sound natural, like real people talking. But what do you do when the dialogue just sounds mundane, forced, and dull? Writing dialogue requires practice. And th...
27 Helmi 202419min
