Writer Unleashed

How do you nudge your way into a story? How do you generate ideas? Do you start with a childhood memory? A vintage photograph? An overheard conversation? We all have our own way in. And our creative p...

7 Okt 202012min

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...

30 Sep 202010min

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 writin...

23 Sep 202016min

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 ...

16 Sep 202016min

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 over...

9 Sep 202014min

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...

2 Sep 202013min

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 stonk...

26 Aug 202018min

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 voic...

19 Aug 202016min