Bad decisions make the best stories. Fiction is about decent people—who mean well—doing selfish, foolish or downright dumb things.
Tag: conflict
Apr 16 2021
Change Matters: How to Write Stories that Grip Readers & Don’t Let Go
Stories always have to be about people and the ways the story problem forces them to change. Without that? We don’t yet have a sound story.
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Mar 23 2020
Ideas Collide: Powerful Storms are the Center of All Great Stories
Every story begins with ideas. Alas, stories can only be created when at least two vastly different ideas collide. The place where they meet is the BOOM, much like the weather. Storms erupt because two very different bodies of air meet…and don’t get along.
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Feb 12 2018
Conflict: Elixir of the Muse for Timeless Stories Readers Can’t Put Down
Conflict is the core ingredient required for story. It is the magical elixir with the raw power to transform a story we think we’ve heard a million times before into something wholly unique and mesmerizing. FYI, there are no new stories, only new ways of telling the same stories. Just getting that out of the …
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Nov 02 2017
Stories That Make Us Stabby: Mary Sue & Why Readers Hate Her
It’s me, Cait Reynolds, and I’m going to be brutal here. You’ve been warned. But, honestly, I get a little stabby when I encounter a Mary Sue in a book. Mary Sues are death to fiction, yet they’re more common than head lice in Kindergarten (and about as desirable). For the sake of time today, …
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International Association of Professional Writers & Editors
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