Effective Stakes Are Always Personal When writers hear that they need to raise the stakes, they often think that means larger conflicts, epic battles, or…
Effective Stakes Are Always Personal When writers hear that they need to raise the stakes, they often think that means larger conflicts, epic battles, or…
Crafting Good Endings Some writers start with the ending in mind, and some find their way there. No matter the path, a solid ending is…
Character Agency: Why It Matters and How to Strengthen It in Your Story Why Character Agency Matters: Brain science has shown that stories aren’t just…
Authentic characters are key to engaging, accessible stories. I firmly believe in creating compelling characters. So much so, I even created a Teachable course about…
Here are 5 Great Books From My 2024 Reading List (& What Makes Them Excellent Mentor Texts For Writers) In addition to being a…
CARTOONS You can learn a lot about storytelling from all types of media, including cartoons. When it comes to cartoons, my tastes run to the…
Fracturing the Narrative One of the biggest challenges that I see when clients are doing work that cuts close to the emotional heart is finding…
Here are 7 Great Books From My 2023 Reading List (& Why They Are Excellent Mentor Texts For Writers) In addition to being a…
SUSTAINING A STORY First thought: It’s such a clever/great/amazing/fun idea for a story! Second thought: I need to write that down. Third thought: I’ll just…
Writing hooks are not only a great way to engage readers, but are also an excellent tool to keep them reading. This post goes through…