When All Else Fails… PLOT JUMPSTARTERS

When All Else Fails… PLOT JUMPSTARTERS

“When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.” –Raymond Chandler Whether you outline first or simply plunge in by the seat of your pants, there may come a time when you realize your story engine is failing and you need a jumpstart, fast,...
The Organizing Principle, for Fun and Profit

The Organizing Principle, for Fun and Profit

One of the most often overlooked tools in the storyteller’s toolbox is the organizing principle. All kinds of stories can benefit from organizing principles—from memoir and literary fiction to creative nonfiction and genre fiction. An organizing principle is not the...
Writing Good First Lines: Think Theme

Writing Good First Lines: Think Theme

First lines matter. For readers, they’re a welcome sign, the promise that they’re in for a satisfying reading experience. For agents and editors, they’re proof that you know how to open a story in a way that keeps readers reading. If you don’t nail those opening...
Top 10 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Mad Men

Top 10 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Mad Men

Go epic or go home. Ground your story in time and place. Let the girl who can’t find love find it right under her nose. When your heroine must choose one thing or another, let her figure out that there’s always a third option that may let her live her life...

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