Are we too “domesticated” to write truly great stories? This might seem like an odd question, but bear with me. I’ve been incredibly blessed over the course of my life to travel all over the world. While I did get to check out some of the resorts, my favorite travel stories seem to always involve Read more
Fortitude: Dream, Do, Then Keep on DOING Day After Day
Fortitude—enduring the tired, tedious and unremarkable chores—is what makes the difference between those who dream and those who do. Why am I talking about this? Because recently I saw some quote scroll past on social media. It was something (of course) posted by one of those super happy “life coach” people. Though I’m certain the Read more
Read MoreSchadenfreude: Misfortune, Revenge, Justice & Catharsis
Schadenfreude is a word that many of y’all might not have heard of, yet we’ve all felt it. Interestingly enough, it can be a great tool to keep our audience interested and breathlessly wanting more. What is schadenfreude, other than a fifty dollar word we can toss around to impress friends and colleagues? Schadenfreude—a combination Read more
Read MoreStakes: How to Hook an Audience All the Way to THE END
Stakes, bizarrely enough, are a key ingredient missing in many stories. If the characters don’t have skin in the game, why would the audience? The bigger the stakes the better the page turner. Whether on the page or on the screen, what keeps audiences enraptured the most? What makes us spend an entire weekend inhaling Read more
Read MoreAgency: The Critical Component of ALL Great Stories
Agency means a condition of being in action, instrumental, or possessing some kind of power. It can incorporate not only making decisions, but the belief that we (or our characters) have choice. If we think about it, if there aren’t options, then by default, our characters have no power and are not making any decisions. Read more
How to Build an Audience, No Duct Tape Required
How do we build an audience without coming across as a stalker crossbred with an MLM rep? This is no easy task, especially since most creative professionals don’t exactly shine in this area. Face it. If we’d been good at high pressure sales, we’d be languishing on our yacht along with other people who excel Read more
Read MoreCulture, Conflict & Creating Fresh Stories People LOVE
Ah, culture. One word that can encapsulate so much. It’s nice and bendy, too, which is fabulous for story ideas (or for injecting more conflict in a story that feels flat). Put more than two humans together and somewhere, somehow they will find something to fight about. They might be from the same country, but Read more
Read MoreHow to Create YOUR Audience: Identify, Connect, Convert
Audience. How can we connect to an audience (readers) who will love our stories enough to buy, support and spread the word? This is the ever-present challenge on every author’s mind. If it isn’t, then it should be. The post before last, we had a big group hug and sang a little digital kumbayah in Read more
Wounds & Characters: The Damaged REBORN!
Wounds matter in life and in fiction. We’ve all been hurt in some way and to some degree. Just goes with being human. Admitting weakness, failure, mistakes, and flaws isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be downright terrifying for even the ‘strongest’ of us. It’s an especially daunting task in a world that idolizes Read more
Read MoreHelp! I Think I am Having a Mid-Write Crisis!
Crisis. Oh, we writers and how we know that word sooo well. I know many of you have been following this blog for quite a few years and THANK YOU. Lord knows we have navigated a crisis…or fifty. In fact, I took a break from blogging this summer to deal with family crises because kids Read more
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