Category Archives: Resident Writing Coach
Story Goals: Are They Slowing Your Story’s Pace?
If we’ve spent any time learning about story craft, we know the importance of goals in our story. They affect every aspect of our story: Stories are about a problem to solve—a goal. Characters striving for something are more compelling. … Continue reading
Stay Thirsty
I love a good ad campaign. When I started running a small publishing business years ago, I had to teach myself advertising and marketing. I read some classics on the subject, such as How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor … Continue reading
Contrasting and Condensing Characters: Two Sides to One Coin
Good characterization is an enigma: it happens in the minutia, with the details we choose for our cast members, but it also happens on the macro level, with how we put those details together. I’d like to share two techniques … Continue reading
Saggy Middle? Use Conflict to Nip and Tuck It
When I get a new story idea, I fly into the start of it with as much gusto as a kid in a candy store. I’m filled with the buzz of ‘newness’ and the anticipation of where the story might … Continue reading
Story Structure in a Flash
Story structure can sometimes be difficult to wrap our minds around; there are so many different structures, all with different terminology and slightly different meanings. But today I’m going to hopefully simplify things by covering how I view story structure—in … Continue reading
How Should I Publish My Book?
Do you aspire to write a book and be a published author one day? If so, you are not alone. According to Joseph Epstein, author, essayist, short-story writer, and editor, “81 percent of Americans feel that they have a book … Continue reading
Plot, Inner Change, Evocative Writing—What Really Rivets Readers?
Here’s a counterintuitive fact: Writers spend way too much time obsessing about “the writing.” They sweat over the words, the technique, the language, the flow, the use of metaphor, and hey, are there enough sensory details? Fact: In and of … Continue reading
The Emotionally Intelligent Writer
I’m a psychologist, so I like to believe there are a set of characteristics that can predict author success. Sure, like any subset of the population—and I’m going to define ‘successful authors’ as those who generate a full-time income from … Continue reading
Goal-Oriented Storytelling: Novelty
In the first post of my four-part series, I introduced ANTS, my framework for helping storytellers make strategic choices that increase reader engagement. ANTS stands for the effects a storyteller should seek to cultivate in their story: attachment, novelty, tension, and satisfaction. … Continue reading
Layering Character for Believable Fiction
Layering: the deepest, richest, most compelling aspect of character We hear a lot of talk about “layering” as a storytelling device. The more layers a character has, the more complex and individual they are, allowing authors to sidestep cliché and create … Continue reading