National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). For those who aren’t yet familiar with NaNoWriMo, it is a yearly challenge to write 50K words in thirty days. It’s a fantastic introduction into writing as a profession, because writing as a profession differs vastly from writing for a hobby. NaNoWriMo is held during the first …
Category: Kristen Lamb
Oct 10 2018
And now, for something a little different…
We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging to bring you…well, you’ll see. This won’t be a typical blog post, partly because Kristen is multi-tasking (trying to fight off a cold and pack for a trip while dealing with car issues), and partly because I have my hands full getting ready to teach The Creature Feature class …
Oct 03 2018
The Perfect Enemy: How “Perfect” Destroys Perfectly Good Stories
Perfect is the crystal meth of the soul. We know perfect is bad for us, that we should avoid it because it is impossible to attain. Yet, when we fail to remain vigilant, perfect’s promising high lures us in. Perfect whispers in our ear that we’re in total control and can stop any time we …
Sep 19 2018
Fatal Flaws: Why Your Story is Falling Apart & How to Fix It
Recently I blogged about the log-line, how it’s an incredible diagnostic tool for spotting flaws in a story idea. The brilliance of the log-line is the simplicity. As an editor/writing coach, I can zero in on a story’s every strength and spot every flaw with a single glance at the log-line. How? Because the log-line …
Sep 14 2018
Time as a Literary Device: Flashbacks vs. Non-Linear Structure
Time is one of many tools we authors can use when crafting a story. This said, bending time takes training and skill because it’s one of the toughest techniques to pull off well. Even those who bend time masterfully will have their fair share of critics because most audiences are accustomed to linear structure. This …