A lot of people think world-building only applies to fantasy, where you have elaborate maps of sprawling kingdoms. Or maybe they think it applies to sci-fi or historical fiction, where you have to bring to life all the intricacies of the story’s world. Whether you write something “world heavy,” or your story’s world is a… Read more »
In my last post, The Three-Act Structure, I talked about how this storytelling framework works. Today, I thought I would do a three-act analysis of Pride and Prejudice, one of my favorite books of all time. Spoiler Alert! Obviously, we can’t talk about the structure of a book without mentioning the ending and giving away… Read more »
Many writers have a love-hate relationship with the three-act structure. On one hand, it gives us a foundation for storytelling so we know exactly what pieces go where. On the other hand, it can feel a bit constraining, especially if we’re writing a character-driven story where there isn’t such a clear plot. To understand the… Read more »
For the past year, lawyer-hubby, the nerdlings and I have been living in a temporary location as our home gets renovated. We hit some bumps in the road and only now, eleven months after moving out, are we finally able to start making any progress on the construction. This got me thinking about how home… Read more »
In my last post, I talked about why I started DIY MFA and how to create your own do-it-yourself, MFA-style education. Today, I wanted to take a few moments to share the story of how DIY MFA got started. As you’ll find, the month of September has a special significance to DIY MFA. Of course,… Read more »
Writing—and reading—dialogue is one of my favorite things. I love how it allows the story to zip along, plus it makes me feel extra-smart because I read it so much faster than regular prose. I love how I can hear the characters’ voices in my head as though they are real people. I love how… Read more »
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about writing-life balance, and what it looks like to live an author life. This topic has been on my mind because I’ve been secretly working on a new project for DIY MFA. This project is a free event that we’re planning for this Fall where I’m interviewing a bunch… Read more »
Before we dive in, I have a short warning. What I’m about to share here is not a glowing, rose-colored-glasses view of being an author, but the sometimes-tough realities of the publishing business. If you’re living blissfully in denial—and that denial helps keep you motivated—keep doing that! Seriously, if not knowing the cold, hard numbers… Read more »
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about endings, in particular the denouement. The denouement is that “sigh of relief” that happens after the climax, that extra scene or two (or many) that allows the story to wrap up and come to a satisfying conclusion. It got me wondering why we even need a denouement. After… Read more »
I’ve been thinking about supporting characters a lot lately. These are the unsung heroes of storytelling, and yet they are often misunderstood. We might call them “side” characters or “secondary” characters as if they play second fiddle to our main character, but the truth is they play a very specific purpose in the story. You… Read more »
