Permission to Write Your Truth
What is the Truth of your story? OK, you’ve outlined your story and you’re getting ready to write your first draft. But […]
Banishing Redundancies
Redundancy is not only a sign of lazy writing; it can also pull us out of the story by interrupting the narrative […]
But That’s What Really Happened
“I’ve given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. You can’t divorce a book.“—Gloria Swanson Sticking to “What Really […]
Asking “Why?”
Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process. It already […]
Trusting the Process
Be open to possibilities When I wrote my first novel Diamond Dogs, I had the idea that my hero, a high school senior, […]
Why Writers Get Stuck
Einstein says, “You cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem.” Writers often get stuck because […]
One Thing Readers Hate
One thing readers hate are coincidences. Sure, coincidences occur in our lives every day, but in a story, they are generally a […]
Take Risks – Advice for First-Time Writers
“In order to share one’s true brilliance one initially has to risk looking like a fool.” – Criss Jami Writing your first […]
Outlining: The Dramatic Question
Your characters are a function of the plot, archetypes that constellate around the dramatic question. Story is essentially an argument with the […]
Blind Spots in Your Story
It is human to have blind spots, and often convenient to be in denial about certain aspects of ourselves. This is natural, […]
On Writing Dialogue
“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn to it. […]
Developing Your Writing Technique
Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We learn how […]
Playing on the Page
When there is a story problem you can’t solve, or there appears to be no way out for your characters, remember one […]
What Happens Next?
The first step in creating a fully alive story is imagining the world. This simply means envisioning your characters in relation to […]
A Screenplay is a Blueprint
A screenplay is the blueprint from which directors take their cues. It is not the screenwriter’s job to provide camera shots — […]
The Power of Curiosity
Story creation often begins with an idea or an image that ignites your imagination. You become curious, wanting to know more, to […]
Making the Impossible Possible
Turning the impossible into something possible is the magic of story. We often have an idea of the direction our story is […]
Surrender to Your Story
Our story asks everything of us. If it didn’t, we would never surrender. How often do we live our lives as though […]
