Helping Writers Become Authors

Imagine you walk into a candy shop, but what you discover inside isn’t candy but rather display after display of subplots.

If there’s a magic ingredient in writing, it’s story subtext.

Negative Character Arcs explore what happens when a character encounters a story’s thematic Truth but cannot—or will not—fully integrate it.

In childhood, stories are always about exactly what they appear: “See Spot.

Flat Character Arcs present one of the most interesting paradoxes in character development: How do you write a compelling character arc for a protagonist who already knows the story’s thematic Truth and doesn’t need to fundamentally change?

In a story, we can think of character arc as the “engine of change” that creates transformative movement in the plot.

Let me ask you a question: If I ask you to identify your writing weaknesses for me, how does that make you feel about your writing right now?

The qualities that most set apart “okay” writers from great writers are subtlety and subtext.

In the mood for a free online writing conference this week?

Quick!

For years, in my book Creating Character Arcs and elsewhere, I’ve taught the Lie the Character Believes as the central premise of character arc.

A flawed character becomes likable when audiences trust the character’s honesty more than they judge the character’s mistakes.

What is a story?

Multiple POVs—should you use them or should you not?

A hill I will die on: we need heroic stories.