A Perspective on Why We Write… or Should Write: a Guest Post by The World’s Strongest Librarian
I’m happy to host Josh Hanagarne here on Storyfix, and not just because he posted a guest article from me earlier this week. Frankly, mine was a fluff piece offered in good fun, while his is a gift of perspective we would all be wise to absorb. This guy has it figured out — combine […]
The Three Dimensions of Character Development
Somewhere along the writing road you’ve surely read – and if you haven’t you will – a critic describe a protagonist in a story as one dimensional. Or worse, an agent to whom you’ve submitted your work. The implication here is that there are other dimensions to explore as we develop our characters. But what […]
What We Can Learn from Episodic Television
(Check out my guest blog today on The World’s Strongest Librarian, a very cool website by Josh Hanagarne, who is the world’s strongest – and tallest – librarian.) A genius plotting technique straight out of primetime drama. Long ago I was giving a screenwriting workshop at a facility that was also hosting a novel writing workshop […]
Turn Your Manuscript into a Visual Masterpiece
You may have noticed – I hope you have – that both of my ebooks are now dressed up with significantly upgraded covers. When I first published these I struggled with finding a resource for designing professional and compelling covers. There are plenty of do-it-yourself solutions out there, but almost all require high-end desktop publishing […]
Seven Key Values to Maintain As You Write Your Romance
Romance? It’s the most misunderstood and undervalued of the genres. Why? Because it’s all relationships and it’s character-driven. And those are the toughest things to write about. Blowing up a terrorist training camp? Piece of cake in comparison to winning the hardened heart of a cyncial hunk. Or hunkess. Your call. If there’s a love angle, […]
Writing and the Laws of Motion
A Guest Post by Patti Stafford of The Stafford Scribe You may be asking yourself how the Laws of Motion can apply to writing. It’s a legitimate question, and a very good one. Hopefully I can shed some light on the matter. Whether or not you realize it, physics applies to every aspect of life—life […]
Putting the “High” in your High Concept Story Idea
(Quick note… check out the new covers for my two ebooks! Also, watch for two more ebooks coming here soon, one on character development, the other an expansion of my recent series on Getting Your Bad Self Published. Thanks… now, on to today’s post…) In our discussions about the conceptual essence of our stories, I […]
For Your Consideration: Questions at the Heart of Your Story Idea
How Do We Know If Our Story Concept Is Good Enough? Earlier this week I posted an article entitled “The Most Important Storytelling Challenge of Them All.” A few passionately articulated comments ensued, one of which I posted as a guest blog because of its value-add. And then there came another wave of very enlightened […]
The Heart of the Story — A Guest Post from Bruce H. Johnson
Yesterday I offered up a rather long-winded rant on the importance of understanding the core idea of our stories, and how that understanding bestows the power to push the story to a higher level of effectiveness and reader resonance. The post generated some fascinating responses (click HERE t0 read the post if you missed it, […]
The Most Important Storytelling Challenge of Them All
Sometimes the blank page mocks me. I face it many times each week in the creation of these posts, and each time I ask myself, what can I say that might make a difference? How can I help my readers reach their writing goals today? Sometimes it feels like this daily calling sends me, and […]