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.
Tag: story
May 13 2020
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 …
May 16 2018
Want to Stand Apart from Countless Other Books? Write a Better Story
Last time, I brought up a subject I never believed would warrant discussing—cockygate. I wish this was the first time a writer did something epically misguided to gain advantage. Some drama to sell their ‘story.’ But, I’ve been around too long. Seen too much. Yes, I was there for the BIG BANG (dot.com implosion). I also …
Jul 05 2017
Writing Totally On Fleek YA
It’s Cait again! The coup might be over, but I have now assumed squatters rights on Kristen’s blog. The fun part is that you never know when I’m going to pop up and come at you with stuff that is unusual, unsettling, and occasionally unnatural. Today, I’m going to talk about writing young adult (YA) …
Aug 27 2012
Great Characters–The Beating Heart of Great Fiction
Today we are going to talk about character, but I want you guys to breathe and relax. Give yourselves permission to not know everything. Art is not one of those things that we take a few lessons and “graduate” as experts. True artists never stop learning. We read, take classes, and always push ourselves to …