Prologue: Deconstructing “The Hunger Games”

It’s been a while since I’ve done a thorough story deconstruction on this website.  I can’t think of a better lab rat than the iconic bestseller “The Hunger Games” for this project, which provides us with a glowing example of each of the six core competencies in play, as well as the underlying story physics that […]

An Insightful Question from a Storyfix Reader

And hopefully, an answer that will empower you. I make a lot of noise (both in my book and here) about “mission-driven” storytelling.  Especially “mission-driven” scene development. The bottom line is this: every scene should have an expositional mission.  Meaning, it delivers one piece of story that propells the narrative forward.  Think of your story as a puzzle… that […]

Staple This To Your Forehead

All writing tips are not created equal.  Or, among us writers, equally. Some are so huge, so obvious, that they don’t resonate.  This one is like that.  Nobody is above it.  Which means, if you missed it, you’ve missed the point. As someone who reads unpublished manuscripts for a living, and seen the results of this […]

Genre Mash-Up — a Guest Post by Art Holcomb

NOTE: have a couple of quickie things for you (below) following another killer post from Art. by Art Holcomb I love a good mash up story . . . You know the type, where the author has taken two or more genres or storylines and has crushed them together in a way that they, while still […]

6 Ways Novelists Can Use Target Marketing — a Guest Post from Jan Bear

“Once upon a time, there was a little girl who always wore a red riding hood. . . .” It’s a familiar story, and it’s been told a million ways. If you’ve got a group of writer friends, you could make a parlor game of it: Tell it as a board book for a 3-year-old. […]

3 Questions You Must Ask Your Characters — A Guest Post by C. S. Lakin

Do you talk to your characters? Should you? If you’re going to write a truly believable novel, then you need to know your characters to the core of their souls. And the best way to get to their core is to ask them three simple questions. Leon Surmelian in his book (written forty years ago) […]

Addendum to Newsletter –

Budgeting for a Home Renovation Whether you plan to renovate a house before moving in or are preparing to remodel your current abode, we know budgeting for a home renovation can be a tough process. First, you’ll need to determine what it is you really need versus what you simply want. Next, you’ll have to […]

What I Just Learned from a Room Full of Romance Writers

Always wanted to write a headline like that. Not everybody appreciates Romance novels.  Not everybody reads Romance novels.  That said, more people DO read Romance novels than any other single genre out there.  A genre that continues to grow.  A genre with more passionate readers and writers than any other. Which means, we should all […]