You have an idea for a story, and you’re anxious to start writing.So, what’s stopping you?I know, you need a cup of coffee. Not to mention what you haven’t yet figured out—plot points, conflict, and crises. How does the drama end? What’s it all about?They say you...
“Every story is an escape story.” I hold this bold idea in mind as I write a story. I’ve printed it up and taped it to the wall beside my computer. It serves as a story overview that acknowledges a fact of our human condition: We are all escaping...
So you want to know how to write funny? “People think it’s very hard to be funny but it’s an interesting thing—if you can do it, it’s not hard at all.” (Woody Allen) Well, excuuuuse me, but most of us can’t do it. Or, if we sometimes do it, we have no idea how we...
Editing a guest post A guest post by PJ Reece of PjReece.ca “Wow! This looks awesome, PJ.” That’s Mary Jaksch getting all excited in an email. I had sent her my newly hatched eBook called STORY STRUCTURE TO DIE FOR. Mary continues: “Do you want to write a guest...
Prose is architecture, not interior decorating.” ~ Ernest Hemingway A story works because of its architecture. By “works” I mean it stands up. It holds together. It’s true. Structure provides a framework for meaning. I wish I’d known that when I started writing....
