
How Do I Begin?
“How do I begin?” The process of story creation is mysterious. Where do your story ideas come from? From where do your
Literary agents serve as the link between writers and the publishing houses that print and market their books. They’re often...
Internal dialogue does more than let you know what a character is thinking. It shows you what that character cannot...
Flashbacks act as a sort of Swiss army knife. You can use them in multiple ways — to foreshadow coming...
Just as your characters each have a distinct voice, every writing style carries its own purpose, logic, and effect. Knowing...
If you want to become a better writer, flash fiction is a powerful way to strengthen your storytelling muscles. Flash...
There’s a particular kind of courage in writing about the world as it actually is. Although our imaginations can take...
Coming of age is never easy. You might have been the popular kid in school, armed with academic excellence, physical...
Occasionally, tucked somewhere between an introduction, epigraph, and dedication, a book might have a prologue. This is the story before...
The first time you experienced the magic of storytelling, odds are it was a personal story you heard in first...
Picking a perspective is like choosing your weapon before a gladiator match; it limits and defines your style of approach....
Magical realism invites the impossible into the ordinary. This genre asks us to accept the fantastical without question. The supernatural...
Third person omniscient POV offers writers the rare power to see into every mind and move freely across the landscape...

“How do I begin?” The process of story creation is mysterious. Where do your story ideas come from? From where do your

Our idea of the story is never the whole story. The act of writing a novel, memoir, or screenplay is a way

Humor connects us. It makes us care. I don’t mean one-liners. Humor is not about jokes, but it is about human behavior.

Every writer hears the old song: “Write what you know.” This can be misunderstood. The fact is, we don’t write what we

Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process. It already

“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn to it.

Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We learn how

There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years. Every once in a while after

“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that arise, not

Every writer struggles with getting the story from imagination to the page. The first-time novelist confronts the special challenge of having never

I work with many first-time novelists, screenwriters, and memoirists, and the question of voice always comes up. “Do you think I have

“Prose is architecture, not interior design.” – Ernest Hemingway Our words are in service to our story. When we get too flashy with

I used to be amazed at the madness of my mind. One day, I think my writing is brilliant, and the next

Humans are full of paradoxes. We only love to the extent that we hate. We are constantly changing our minds, constantly renegotiating

Proximity Do our characters have to be two thousand miles apart, or three miles apart? If we are trying to convey a

Forward, he cried From the rear And the front ranks died. Pink Floyd (Us and Them) We can tell a whole

“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.” – Albert Einstein The rewrite

(Image from Life is Beautiful, 1997) If you’re going to write a tragedy, infuse your story with humor. Humor pulls us towards the
“How do I begin?” The process of story creation is mysterious. Where do your story ideas come from? From where...
Our idea of the story is never the whole story. The act of writing a novel, memoir, or screenplay is...
Humor connects us. It makes us care. I don’t mean one-liners. Humor is not about jokes, but it is about...
Every writer hears the old song: “Write what you know.” This can be misunderstood. The fact is, we don’t write...
Always keep your ideal reader close by in your mind asking “Why?” Our subconscious is perfectly designed for this process....
“If you have a good ear for dialogue, you just can’t help thinking about the way people talk. You’re drawn...
Technique develops over time. By reading and writing, we absorb a sense of story structure, cadence, and rhythm. We...
There is nothing less funny than writing about humor. I was a standup comic for years. Every once in a...
“Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” – Alfred Hitchcock Story moves as the result of complications that...
Every writer struggles with getting the story from imagination to the page. The first-time novelist confronts the special challenge of...
I work with many first-time novelists, screenwriters, and memoirists, and the question of voice always comes up. “Do you think...
“Prose is architecture, not interior design.” – Ernest Hemingway Our words are in service to our story. When we get...
I used to be amazed at the madness of my mind. One day, I think my writing is brilliant, and...
Humans are full of paradoxes. We only love to the extent that we hate. We are constantly changing our minds,...
Proximity Do our characters have to be two thousand miles apart, or three miles apart? If we are trying to...
Forward, he cried From the rear And the front ranks died. Pink Floyd (Us and Them) We can tell...
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.” – Albert Einstein...
(Image from Life is Beautiful, 1997) If you’re going to write a tragedy, infuse your story with humor. Humor pulls...