As a mostly pantser who desperately wanted to be a plotter, outlines have long been my nemesis. I was so envious of people who would just know a whole story upfront without going through the trouble of writing the whole thing wrong multiple times. But after nearly 5 years of warring with outlines, I finally… Continue reading Outlines Are Lighthouses, Not Destinations

In the grand tradition of Writer’s Block Party, this week’s post is about a topic that I’m in the midst of trying to master for myself. And what better way to think through a writing concept than to write about it? We have talked a lot about plotting before–what is plot, how we structure it,… Continue reading Writing Subplots

Beginnings are hard because there are so many elements to introduce. You have to consider character dynamics, point of view, pacing, world building, voice, narrative flow–and it’s incredibly hard to figure out how to balance all those aspects in a cohesive, clear, and engaging manner. While there’s no easy formula to crafting the perfect beginning,… Continue reading 3 Questions To Ask Yourself For A Stronger First Chapter

For this week’s post, I wanted to talk a little bit about everyone’s favorite feel-good show–Queer Eye. Specifically, I wanted to dig into why Queer Eye is so successful, and what that can teach us about the art of storytelling. If you haven’t seen the show, the basic premise is this: every episode, the “Fab… Continue reading What Queer Eye Teaches Us About Storytelling