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 […]
Setting a Plan with Purpose
Do you often find it hard to stick to your writing plan? How often do “important tasks” distract you and pull you […]
Humor in Writing
There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years. Every once in a while after […]
The Nature of the “Want”
“To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” – Isaac Newton While exploring the nature of the “want” in your […]
Why Do We Write?
Why do we write? There is nothing logical about wanting to be a writer. The lives of artists can be awful, despairing, […]
How Do You Identify the Dilemma in Your Story?
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma from which all tensions and conflicts arise. How do you identify the dilemma […]
What is Genius?
What is genius? I don’t like it when people use the term genius, primarily because I think they misuse the word. I […]
Begin Your Story
There are as many ways to begin your story as there are ways to procrastinate. Beginning to write your book or screenplay […]
Using Your Credo to Create Story Conflict
(Image from And Justice for All, 1979) You can’t have story without conflict. As writers, it is important to investigate and become […]
Make it Dramatic
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that arise, not […]
Everything You Need to Know is Within
“If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act.” – Billy Wilder The purpose […]
Act One: Maintaining Tension
“A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to […]
The End of the Story Informs the Beginning
In Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he states: “Begin with the end in mind.” For first-time writers, […]
Shedding the Idea for Truth in Writing
It’s not just first-time novelists or screenwriters that struggle with getting their story from the imagination to the page. Every writer struggles […]
Writing Act Three: Our Hero Accepts the Reality of Their Situation
It can be frightening and exhilarating to realize that our story is bigger than we are, that in fact, it does not […]
Writing Despite Fear of Criticism
In 2017, Gustavo Dudamel became the youngest conductor of a major orchestra of his time. I remember an L.A. Times journalist urged […]
Finding Your Writing Voice
I work with many first-time novelists, screenwriters, and memoirists, and the question of voice always comes up. “Do you think I have […]
