
How to Start Writing a Book
Welcome! And congratulations! If you’re reading this, you are about to begin a creative journey that can bring satisfaction and a deepening
If you’ve ever fallen in love with a character who jumped off the page and felt so alive that you...
Theme is a mysterious and often misunderstood term. Simply put, a theme is a unifying or dominant idea explored in...
Welcome! And congratulations! If you’re reading this, you are about to begin a creative journey that can bring satisfaction and...
Getting your screenplay format down right matters more than you might think. You could write the most brilliant story ever...
Crafting a compelling story comes with several responsibilities. You are in charge of creating the plot, the characters, the prose,...
Your story’s thematic statement is the central argument that drives your narrative. Writers sometimes obsess over their plot to the...
“No one is free until we are all free.”– Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for...
I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart,...
Write what you know. We’ve heard this so often. But what does it mean? Does it mean that if I...
Do you feel loyalty pulling at you in your story? Isn’t it interesting how guilt emerges when you speak your...
As human beings we tend to seek positive experiences, but as writers and storytellers we understand that the purpose of...

Welcome! And congratulations! If you’re reading this, you are about to begin a creative journey that can bring satisfaction and a deepening

Writer’s block can feel like a brick wall in your mind. The words stop flowing and the page seems impossible to fill.

All writing carries something of the writer within it, but few forms are as intimate as the stories we tell about our

Writing is an act of magic. Out of thin air you’ve conjured something and put it onto the page. People come up

“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”– Albert Allen Bartlett, physicist Whether it is

“No one is free until we are all free.”– Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for absolutes. Joe is a

I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart, and sometimes

As human beings we tend to seek positive experiences, but as writers and storytellers we understand that the purpose of story is

Do you feel loyalty pulling at you in your story? Isn’t it interesting how guilt emerges when you speak your truth? Why

Doubt exists in each of us much of the time. We are unsure about our futures, our relationships, our new tile in the bathroom, our car insurance, etc. Doubt is the cradle of conflict, both internal and external. In the heart of every character lives a dilemma. As you become curious about that dilemma, it will lead you to what is universal in your story.

When writers come to a dead stop there can be a tendency to panic. It’s important to remember that your idea of

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Years ago, I was on the phone with a prospective student, and he

“Where did that come from?” I believe there is something we writers are collectively seeking. We are all attempting to convey an

Writers frequently come to me and say: “I have three ideas. Which one should I write next?”In the 90-day workshops, one of

In every story, love is the mystery that is always on the table. In the beginning of your story, the question may

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein What do you feel passionate about? What is your

“Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs

Have you ever seen a dog waiting for their master at a window — their wet nose pressed against the glass, eyes
Welcome! And congratulations! If you’re reading this, you are about to begin a creative journey that can bring satisfaction and...
Writer’s block can feel like a brick wall in your mind. The words stop flowing and the page seems impossible...
All writing carries something of the writer within it, but few forms are as intimate as the stories we tell...
Writing is an act of magic. Out of thin air you’ve conjured something and put it onto the page. People...
“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.”– Albert Allen Bartlett, physicist Whether...
“No one is free until we are all free.”– Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for...
I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart,...
As human beings we tend to seek positive experiences, but as writers and storytellers we understand that the purpose of...
Do you feel loyalty pulling at you in your story? Isn’t it interesting how guilt emerges when you speak your...
When writers come to a dead stop there can be a tendency to panic. It’s important to remember that your...
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Years ago, I was on the phone with a prospective student,...
“Where did that come from?” I believe there is something we writers are collectively seeking. We are all attempting to...
Writers frequently come to me and say: “I have three ideas. Which one should I write next?”In the 90-day workshops,...
In every story, love is the mystery that is always on the table. In the beginning of your story, the...
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein What do you feel passionate about? What...
“Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the...
Have you ever seen a dog waiting for their master at a window — their wet nose pressed against the...