Balance the Map and the Magic: Outlining for Discovery Writers
Pantsing your novel? Learn how to blend structure with spontaneity using trail markers, breadcrumbs, and emotional anchors that won’t cage your creativity.
Your Creative Support System
No creative journey is truly solo. Whether you’re a writer, artist, or maker, building a strong creative support system can mean the difference between burnout and breakthrough. From the people who believe in your dreams to the space and tools that protect your process—every layer matters. Here’s how to recognize, build, and honor the support that fuels your creative work.
The Importance of Your “Why”
by Chad Grayson [This week author Chad Grayson shares wisdom of the importance of knowing Your WHY] Recently, someone asked a question on social media that made me think about my answer. The exact phrasing of the question is unimportant, but it went something like this: Given that I am not making enough money at […]
Strategic Authoring: Plan Like a Pro, Write Like a Rebel – Part 4
Assess, Adjust, and Build a Writing Life That Lasts Welcome to the final installment of the Strategic Authoring: Plan Like a Pro, Write Like a Rebel series! Over the past few posts, we’ve explored how to build a writing life that’s both intentional and creatively fulfilling. We started by identifying your why, defining what success […]
Our Brains on Story
Humans have been telling stories since we’ve had language — in fact, interesting things happen to the brains on story. Since our birth we have been inundated myths, legends, fairy tales, captivating novels and on a historical basis oral storytelling has expanded to print, plays, television shows, movies, video games…. It seems like what changes […]
Reeling in Your Reader: The Power of Writing Hooks
Captivating your reader’s attention and submerging them deep inside the story world is one of the universal goals for writing hooks. We want our readers to experience the heart hammering, gasping for breath, sitting at their seat’s edge wondering how in the midnight sky their beloved character is going to escape an impossible conundrum. And […]
Dos and Don’ts for Writing Viewpoint Voice
Many readers and editors state that a strong voice immediately draws them into a story, and one of the most important voices will come from your viewpoint character. But even when you’ve developed their personality and voice, it can still be tricky to actually get them on the page. Here are nine dos and don’ts […]
Understand and Implement Voice
In writing, voice happens at three levels: the author, the narrator, and the characters each have their own voices. While many editors and readers openly state they are hooked and reeled into a story by a strong voice, many writers struggle to understand let alone implement voice. Despite voice often being regarded as elusive, and […]
Fantasy and Our Modern World
Fantasy and Our Modern World: A Few Observations The first truly modern fantasy work was The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. That’s not a statement that very many critical theorists can dispute. But what is fantasy, and how did Tolkien make it “modern” and what does it mean for us today? Fantasy is […]
Religion in Fiction
Certain works of fiction are designed to appeal to readers with strong belief systems. But not all “religious fiction” need be religious.