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 202431min
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
#178: How To Uncomplicate Your Plot
If I had to pick one thing that makes readers stop reading, it's the overcomplicated plot. Both novice and experienced writers fall into this trap. They include too many characters, too many events,...
20 Helmi 202414min
#177: 3 Ways To Deeper, More Fascinating Characters
You want to bring more depth and complexity to your characters so that readers are interested and invested in what happens to them. But how do you do that? In this episode, I’m sharing 3 ways to crea...
13 Helmi 202416min
#176: Beyond First and Third Person: 3 Tips For Writing Point Of View
There's a lot of confusion about the difference between who's telling the story (first or third person), and point of view. I'll see stories with no point of view, a watered down point of view, or...
6 Helmi 202419min
