Tag: how to write fiction

The Log-Line: Can You Pitch Your ENTIRE Story in ONE Sentence?

writing, log-line, story in a sentence

A log-line is a lifeline that will allow you to pitch a novel (or series) in ONE—YES ONE—sentence. The log-line is going to save you time, energy, and sanity (save the crazy for the fiction).

The Burning Desire: The Difference Between Magnificent & Maddening

The burning desire is the beating heart of all great stories. Without the burning desire, the story will fall apart faster than a reality star who’s lost her hair extensions.

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.

Creating a Story-Worthy Problem That Will Captivate an Audience

The story-worthy problem is the beating heart of all superlative fiction. Unfortunately, creating this central core can often be overlooked. This is particularly true for writers relying on school training. English teachers didn’t mind we used twenty-five metaphors on one page because their goal was to teach us how to properly use a metaphor…not how …

Continue reading

Enemy Without a Face: When Dealing With a Different Sort of ‘Villain’

plot twist, writing tips, Kristen Lamb, plot twist as literary device, writing fiction

The enemy without a face is probably the hardest sort for a new writer to wrap his around. For the record, humans don’t do so great with existentialism.