Guest Post: Dave Monroe on… Story Coaching

A short, self-conscious intro from Larry: Here’s my morning: my wife and I go for a power walk.  I’m a little quiet, she asks why.  I tell her I’m mulling today’s NaNoWriMo post, and one other thing.  She asks what.  I tell her that one of my favorite Storyfix guys submitted a guest post, at […]

NaNoWriMo #23: Harness the Power of ‘Resentment’

Ever wonder what separates a great book from the pack?  The published from the unpublished? The question becomes perhaps more intriguing when you consider that, when it comes to modern commercial fiction (novels and movies), most stories unfold from pretty much the same architectural paradigm, imbued the requisite properties reaching for universal criteria. That fact […]

NaNoWriMo #22: Stare Down Your Limiting Beliefs

If you’ve noticed an element of “self-help” seminar in this series, you’re right.  Part of writing a novel — especially under the contrived constraints and faux sense of winning or losing that is NaNoWriMo — is indeed as much about how you think, what you believe to be true about yourself and about the writing […]

NaNoWriMo #21: Still Struggling with Your ‘Concept’?

Let there be peace of mind. First of all, nobody said this would be easy.  If you think you’re struggling now, at the planning stage, right there at square one, just imagine that it’s the middle of November and you still don’t have a viable concept in play.  That you’ve written about 20,000 words that […]

NaNoWriMo #20: To Edit or Not to Edit…

… that may not be the right question. Perhaps the most omnipresent, simplistic advice circling the NaNoWriMo world is this: don’t edit as you write.  Never hit the backspace key.  The implication is that you should just keep typing, madly, passionately, and hopefully with the right goal in mind. This advice is everywhere, endorsed by […]

NaNoWriMo #19: Center Yourself Within the ‘Big Picture’

You’ve got two Big Pictures to deal with come November.  One is the Big Picture of your story.  We’ve been working on that in this series.  Understanding the Big Picture of your story is the key to turning your NaNoWriMo effort into a viable, professional novel — a real novel — worthy of a future. […]

New Peer Review Fiction Ready for Your Feedback

A lot of new faces here on Storyfix — welcome, by the way! — and you may not be aware of one of the newest features of the site.  We offer a Peer Review page where authors can post their work, available to all for reading, and with an open invitation for your feedback (using the […]

NaNoWriMo #18: Don’t Confuse ‘Quirks’ With ‘Characterization’

We humans are the sum of what we present to the world.  We are ultimately defined by what we do, as much as how we are perceived, either by intention or omission.  Especially when there is something on the line, when courage or forgiveness or creativity or perception are involved. Certainly there are inner dialogue and demons… […]

NaNoWriMo #17: Learn From Others Who Have Been Down This Road

Today’s tip: read the comments below (click on COMMENTS to get ’em).  If you’re one of the first here, check back later when those comments arrive… after (please) reading the next paragraph. YOU ARE INVITED TO OFFER YOUR BEST NaNoWriMo ADVICE to other writers… here (add your comment to this post). There are many ways […]

NaNoWriMo #16: Consider an “Arena” Story

I’ve written about “arena” stories before (click HERE to go there).   Today’s tip is to consider incorporating the power of a compelling “arena” within your story concept, or as the centerpiece of it. Imagine a story about the flight crew of Air Force One… about Navy Seal Team Six… about morticians (like HBO’s hit, “Six […]