Dear Overwhelmed Writer, I see the coffee you’re drinking just to make it through your day, a day that’s filled with more chores, bills, never-ending-landry, and work than you know what to do with. I see you give all you have just to make it to your too-late bedtime. And I know you feel tired […]
There are so many amazing resources and websites for writers that are filled with huge amounts of information. I’m humbled and grateful for all the many experienced authors and agents sharing their knowledge freely. And I think everyone should take advantage of them! We all have much to learn. Here are some websites that are […]
I see you, Nano-ers! I see you prepping your stories and stockpiling coffee. And I’m right there with you counting down the days! With Nanowrimo in mind, today we’re looking at some of my favorite writing resources for writing a great first draft. Writing a First Draft To start with, I believe every first draft […]
The term “Self Care” has been thrown around a lot lately and for good reason: people are stressed, over-worked, and not sleeping nearly enough. We’re regularly flirting with the cliff side of busy and burnt out. We’re not sure what sustainability even means, let alone sustainable writing. The problem is that sometimes self care becomes […]
Story structure is what keeps our stories on track to create powerful stories that readers don’t want to put down. It’s the backbone that makes our books strong and cohesive. We’ve already taken an quick look at the core elements of story structure and we’ve covered the hook and the inciting incident. Today we’re looking […]
Nanowrimo is coming! Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it happens every November. Which will be here soon! Of course novel writing can (and should!) happen year round. But there is something special about writers new and experienced alike all coming together to work toward common goals. There is so much excitement and […]
Understanding story structure helps us create stories that keep readers reading. Story structure provides a critical framework to make our stories powerful and engaging. We’ve looked briefly at an overview of the core elements of story structure. Today we’re going to dig deeper into the inciting incident. The Inciting Incident The inciting incident is where […]
Sharing is caring, my friends, so here are some of my favorite things as summer draws to a close. Please feel free to comment below or send me a note with some of your “best of the summer” recommendations as well! I always love hearing from you 🙂 My Summer Reading List Note: Book links […]
Story structure is the framework that makes a story “work.” When utilized, it can provide a firm foundation to make stories more powerful and allow readers to resonate with them. We’ve looked earlier at an outline of the core elements that make up strong stories. Today we’re digging a bit deeper into a story’s “hook” […]
I recently guest posted over at DIY MFA about what makes characters truly compelling. As writers, we want to create complex and engaging characters that our readers will love, hate, and connect with. Today we’re looking at lists of characters from books that stand out as great among the millions of stories out there. Hopefully […]