Top Ten Storyfix.com Posts of 2012
First, though… I’d like to reflect on the year we’re tucking into bed. The Top 10 list follows, if that’s what you’d rather read. Globally, nationally, it was a tough, dark year. I’m not here to break that down, you know how it went. This is a writing website, so let’s talk about that. Our […]
CPR and Life Support for Your Part 2 Story Segment
Or… “How To Give Your Story a Better Middle” Get ready to go deep. This story structure stuff is hard. It’s also the key to getting your story published. So we must accept hard, and step into it with keen hunger for a competitive edge. Hard, because it’s like throwing a ball or singing a […]
The Tools We Choose to Use
I can’t not go there today. My wife is a painter. She reads a blog for painters by Robert Genn, who shows he’s an artist with words, as well. The following is from that blog – The Painter’s Keys – (you can see he’s already wielding words artfully), and his salutation indicates it’s for us, too. All […]
For my newsletter readers:
What a week. What a frustrating, crappy week. Best intentions… I sent out a newsletter with two free gifts. Happy Holidays to all. Turns out one of the links was broken (my fault), and (when fixed) both links were limited to 100 downloads a day (not my fault, other than selecting the wrong place to […]
Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Write a Scene. Any Scene.
One of the stories I was coaching this week had this little wrinkle: the main character’s quest was interrupted by a flashback scene showing the hero as a boy delivering newspapers, falling off his bike and being laughed at by a group of girls standing on the opposite corner. After that we were back in […]
The Secret To a Successful Concept
Here it is, right up front. No elaborate setup. Not even a needs-analysis as a lead-in. We’ll get to that once you know what a successful concept is… and what it isn’t. The secret of a successful concept is to move from the situational to the actionable. From a state-of-being to a call-to-action. From a […]
A Wannabe Writer or a Wannabe World Traveler?
A Guest Post by Nann Dunne For just a few minutes, instead of thinking of yourself as a wannabe writer, think of yourself as a wannabe world traveler. You’re standing in your hometown, smack-dab in the middle of Kansas City, Missouri, with a map in hand. You must decide which way to go to achieve […]
New: Two Affordable Story Coaching Options… That Can Put Your Story Over the Top
Today I’m launching a new story coaching package, this one even more affordable than the recent $100 service that was rolled out (with great success, for me and for the takers) a few months ago, and remains available. This new one, a high level conceptual analysis, is only $35. That’s not a misprint. And […]
When Muse and Plan Collaborate — One Writer’s Journey
Prologue (from Larry): What you’re about to read is a response to a recent Storyfix post about good vs. “bad” ideas. It’s from a guy whose mind, I’ve learned, is massively alive and deep in a “Life of Pi” sort of way, embracing ideas and integrating mental models into an interpretation of life and its […]
Two New Movies That Demonstrate Story Physics
Watch and learn. And have some popcorn while you’re at it. I saw two movies this weekend that made me itchy to get back to you with a strong recommendation. Not just because they’re excellent — they’re both in the thick of the emerging Oscar conversation — but because they have something to show you. […]