Writer Fuel: Make the Most of Writing Resources

Writer Fuel: Make the Most of Writing Resources

I’ve been thinking a lot about all the writing resources that are out there on the web—both free and not free. This got me wondering: “How do we manage it all? How do we tell what’s good from what’s not? And how do we know our time and money will be well spent?” In other… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Spring Cleaning - Get Your Manuscript Organized

Writer Fuel: Spring Cleaning – Get Your Manuscript Organized

Over the past few months, I’ve shared some 3-Act analyses of various different movies, books, and stories. These analyses have included things like the book Pride and Prejudice, the movie Die Hard, and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” It can be useful to look at examples of the three-act structure in action, but… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of The Hunger Games

Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of The Hunger Games

For the last few months, we’ve been doing three-act analyses of various books and films. We examined Pride and Prejudice, the movie Die Hard, and Kate Chopin’s fabulous story “The Story of an Hour.” Today I thought I’d do an analysis of one of my favorite books: The Hunger Games. This book (along with Pride… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Understanding Tropes and Genre Conventions

Writer Fuel: Understanding Tropes and Genre Conventions

“Where do you get your ideas?” People are always curious how writers can come up with unique new stories, especially when those writers are producing books at a fast clip. This is especially true when writing genre fiction, where tropes and genre conventions are prevalent. How do you keep from repeating yourself? How do you… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Craft a Compelling Main Character

Writer Fuel: Craft a Compelling Main Character

Whether you’re brand new to writing or have been working at it for quite some time, you know how important it is to craft a compelling main character who propels the story forward. I’ve been working with writers for well over a decade and over that time I’ve seen again and again just how crucial… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Set Goals the DIY MFA Way

Writer Fuel: Set Goals the DIY MFA Way

Today I wanted to talk about a process I go through every winter season to set goals and break them down into manageable pieces. Every year, during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I take some time out with my journal and iPad in hand, and I map out my coming year. Mapping Out… Read more »

Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of Die Hard

Writer Fuel: Three-Act Analysis of Die Hard

We’re back with another 3-act structure analysis. Last time I did one of these, it was a deep dive into Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. But three-act structure doesn’t just apply to books written hundreds of years ago. To underscore that point, I thought I’d switch things up and do a three-act analysis of… Read more »