Leon Parenzo

Fight scenes are essential when it comes to so many genres, which is one reason that one of my all-time favorite courses I’ve ever taught was Bulletproof Barbie. The second reason that was my favorite class? As an editor and avid reader, nothing can make or break a story—on the page or on the screen—like Read more

Podcasting obviously isn’t a good fit for everyone, but writing, branding, and life are not One-Size-Fits-All. I’ve made it my personal mission to not only help writers hone their craft (great books sell better than rambling crappy books), but also to demystify branding. I GET that most writers are also working a full-time job and Read more

Image via movie ‘Black Swan’ Plot twists are very common in all forms of fiction from a short story (The Lottery) to novels (Gone Girl) to the screen (Vanilla Sky). Mysteries, by their very nature, demand the author understand plot twists and be able to use them well. The ‘kissing cousin’ genres—thriller, suspense, horror, and Read more

Binging is big business. Series are HOT, HOT, HOT! As in hotter than ever in the history of fiction. Granted, humans have always had a proclivity for gluttony. It’s just that, until very recently, we were limited. We simply didn’t have so much content and instant availability. This said, series have always been popular. When Read more

Writer’s block is a very controversial subject in the publishing world. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is right. Okay, maybe not everyone. I am right…and also NUMBER ONE AT HUMBLE! *gets cramp patting self on back* I believe that, when it comes to discussing writer’s block, there is a real danger of oversimplifying a Read more

Ah description. Few things can make a writer’s skin tingle like glorious prose, right? A couple posts ago, I gave y’all some editing tips. In the meantime, I also mistakenly stumbled across an audio book that should be charged with assault, ergo why we are talking about description today. Can we be really honest about Read more

Being a writer is the best job in the world, aside from those fortunate enough to be paid to pet kittens or sample new ice cream flavors. But is writing a REAL job? This question has set fire to the entire psychiatric community. Okay, most of them…the ones in my head *turns off fire alarms*. Read more

Editing makes up a HUGE part of the writing process. Oh, if all we writers had to do was sit down and slap glorious words on a page. If only it were so easy. For those new to this profession, here’s a truth bomb. This job is rewarding but it isn’t for the faint of Read more

The burning desire is the beating heart of all great stories. Without the burning desire, the story will fall apart faster than a reality star who’s lost her hair extensions. We’ve discussed story structure more times than I can count on this blog, and for good reasons. When we understand the fundamental parts of story Read more

Mastery is peculiar in that spectators see whatever the professional does as ‘easy.’ Masters rarely seem to even break a sweat, whether they’re dancers, authors, or entrepreneurs. What they do seems so natural that it’s easy for us to be fooled into believing we could do the same right off the bat. Sure. I recently Read more