We all have secrets - you do and I do. And let's face it, we work hard to not let them get out. But at the same time, when we get a whiff of another person's secret, it sparks our curiously. We are natural information-gatherers and so usually want to know what it is. Altruistically, we think … [Read more...] about Does Your Character Have a Secret?
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Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Estranged Parent and Child
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Estranged Parent and Child
The Anonymous Road
One of the things I love most about being an author is the opportunity to read books from people I personally know. I have read fabulous books by authors whom readers have yet to discover, and despite efforts with marketing, despite amazing blurbs from bestselling authors, despite an enviable … [Read more...] about The Anonymous Road
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Professional and Client
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Professional and Client
Power Up Individual Scenes with a Scene Tracker
One of the most powerful tools in a writer’s toolkit is a scene tracker, also known as a scene map. Whether you’re drafting or you’re looking to revise a finished draft, there is no better way to simultaneously evaluate the efficacy of individual scenes and your story’s full internal and … [Read more...] about Power Up Individual Scenes with a Scene Tracker
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Best Friends
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Best Friends
Setting Yourself up for Success Before You Write a Single Word
As a lifelong student of storytelling, most of my posts are about the craft. After all, knowing how to best develop our story vision and put it on the page? Kind of a big deal. But there’s an important step to writing that we need to think about before all that structure, characterization and … [Read more...] about Setting Yourself up for Success Before You Write a Single Word
Balancing Your Cast of Characters
It's no secret that side characters can be amazing in their own right. Great side characters feel like real people--even if the focus isn't on them. They have lives that exist beyond the scope of the protagonist. When they seem to exist only to help or exacerbate the protagonist, they lack … [Read more...] about Balancing Your Cast of Characters
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: In-laws
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it's important to craft them carefully. But characters don't usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they'll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: In-laws
How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character
We've all read stories where our breath slows, the world falls away, and the page disappears. We're somewhere else, a place that isn't real, yet is. We're with people who don't exist, yet somehow do. We see what they see. Feel what they feel. We are in the moment, captive, compelled, not just … [Read more...] about How to Write Emotion Well: Know Your Character
Using TikTok to Sell Books
Because marketing is a challenge for many authors, Angela and I talk quite a bit about it, sharing tips on how to grow audiences on various platforms. One we don't use is TikTok, and, frankly, we'd have no idea how to find readers there. Thankfully, Dominika Pin—a teen author with an impressive … [Read more...] about Using TikTok to Sell Books
Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Caregiver and Client
Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive … [Read more...] about Relationship Thesaurus Entry: Caregiver and Client