2017 -- the year of finishing... Join me. Time to finish writing your novel! With several novels and a couple of non-fiction books in the works, I plotted a plan for the year. Quickly I found that the project I moved to the top of the list was more difficult and draining that I had anticipated. Taking that as a sign and wanting to follow the energy, I've decided instead to resurrect a novel I started in 2013. Finish Writing Your Novel One Prompt at a Time Way back when, I began …
Plot Your Story Scene-by-Scene to Emotionally Engage Your Readers
The following is a handout I used for a plot workshop -- Plot Your Story Scene-by-Scene to Emotionally Engage Your Readers -- for Middle Grade and Young Adult writers. The points serve writers of all genres and for all ages. Tapping into the ancient structure of the Universal Story leads to enduring stories. Plot springs from character in conflict. Readers emotionally connect through tension shown in scene. Apply the energy of the Universal Story to the character emotional transformational …
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Writing is Not for the Faint-Hearted
Writing is not for the faint-hearted. So, where does that leave writers who are timid, doubtful, nervous, and afraid? I recently received emails from two writers. One writer wants to give up. The other writer is in tears. Both writers -- one writing a memoir and the other a novel -- feel challenged beyond their abilities. Both convey a sensitivity that could be perceived as being faint-hearted. Are they doomed? Faint-hearted Take Heart Creative writing and writing a story with a plot are …
What Determines Success or Failure?
By now in life you've likely experienced the elation of personal success and the crush of failure. In the best fiction and most successful films, you feel those same sensations for the characters. You cheer when they succeed. You mourn when they fail. So, what determines success or failure? If you judge solely on your feelings, you may go wrong. But emotions don't lie, you say. Yes, often they do. Emotions can flair up based on other people's judgements -- reviews, comments, praise, criticism, …
Memoir or Fiction?
I recently received an email from a writer who is writing a Christian book that is personal. She is unsure how to write it -- as Memoir or Fiction? Several years ago, Adair Lara wrote a great article for Writers Digest that continues to be relevant today addressing this very issue: 10 Ways to Tell if Your Story Should be a Memoir or a Novel. Memoir or Fiction? Beyond her advice and the insights from highly successful novelists and memoirists Adair shares in her piece, I'd like to stress -- …
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