There are elegant ways to transition from one scene and chapter to the next. One way is to use tight cause and effect. Another is to let the last line of one chapter determine the first line of the next. Or, smoothly ground the reader in time and place while immediately connecting the reader emotionally to the point of view character. But ... I digress. The point of this post is not to teach – a role I instinctively fall into. Rather, I’m here to announce that after years of writing about plot …
Plot Planner as a Story Vision Board
A vision board holds images you find inspirational and that represent visions of your goals. It’s a place to put drawings, magazine pictures, photos, quotes—anything that gives you a jolt of joy. What if you could create that same sort of magic for your story? A place where you could visualize and imagine your story and feel inspired to write. Where your actions and beliefs begin to align with your goals and intentions. You can. Think of a plot planner as a vision board for your story. Plot …
15 Tips to Create a Compelling Plot for Your Story
In scanning past workshops I've done for the Society of Children Book Writers to come up with a blurb for the presentation I've been invited to share with the Los Angeles Chapter, I ran across 15 Tips to Create a Compelling Plot for Your Story (from back in the days of Blockbuster Plots Pure & Simple - now known as Writing Blockbuster Plots) I thought you might find helpful. 15 Plot Tips Plot is a series of dramatic action scenes moving a character(s) toward emotional maturity and/or …
Drawing from Your Life to Create Fiction
Join me this Friday, March 25th at 11am when I discuss drawing from your life to create fiction with the National Association of Memoir Writers. Fiction or Memoir My experience writing fiction and helping writers with plot taught me that memoir writers aren’t the only ones who draw from life to create their stories. All writers do. Write what you know to capture the exact right details, riveting drama, and insightful emotion. At first anyway. Overtime, the more stories we write the less the …
Courage Needs Confidence to Succeed
Years ago I was fortunate enough to hear Maya Angelou speak in person. One of the things she said that day has stayed with me: “Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” Courage with Doubt To go forth toward your goals and dreams with courage is ideal, especially so when paired with confidence. Problems arise when you courageously go forth while dragging your doubts, insecurities, and fears of failure along with …
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