Writer Unleashed

Present tense or past tense? How do you decide?

What are the advantages of present tense, and when is past tense a better option?

In this episode, I’m going to explore the pros and cons of present te…

One of the most important decisions you’re going to make about your story is its point of view.

Point of view is also one of the more complex story structures to master.  How do you show what's in ot…

Does your story need a prologue? Will it hurt your story? Should you remove or rewrite the one you’ve already written?

And how do you write a riveting prologue that gives just enough information so w…

How do you write flashback without overwhelming or interrupting your forward moving story? 

Can you have too many flashbacks?

Is it bad to write a flashback in the first chapter?

How do you switch betwe…

How do you make your story’s dialogue more realistic without writing too much dialogue? Or extraneous pass the meat and potatoes dialogue?

How do you avoid having the dialogue sound stiff or cliche? H…

There's an implicit, central dramatic question driving every compelling story.

Will Santiago catch a fish? (The Old Man and The Sea)
Will Clarice Starling catch Buffalo Bill? (Silence of the Lambs)
Did…

What should your first chapter do?  What does it need to accomplish? And what are common ways writers get their first chapter wrong?

In this episode, we'll talk about the primary aims of your first c…

What's the one thing stopping writers from bringing their story to the finish line?

Fear.

Maybe you fear visibility and the expectations and judgements you’ll open yourself up to.  

Then there's the fea…

In this episode, I'm sharing takeaway ideas on the writing craft from 6 Writer Unleashed episodes.

I'll share:

• how to inject conflict and surprise in your opening sentence;
• the difference between plot …

When it comes to writing memoir, or even autobiographical fiction, writers often stay awake at night worrying about the possibility of being sued.

Writing about facts and events of our own lives will…

Every story since the beginning of time has involved conflict. 

Somebody wants something, goes out to get it, and has trouble getting it. That’s what story is in a nutshell.

Conflict is essential becau…

How do you write a great introduction for your story? An opening that draws a reader in, establishes the voice of your main character, and whets your reader’s appetite for more? 

Whether it’s an agent…

How do you  take an idea from its nebulous beginnings and turn it into a story?

You may have a feeling about what you want to write, but you don't know where to start. Or, you've already started writi…

 It's a new year.  Fresh start.  Clean slate.

So, let's talk about  promises we make to ourselves.

Write more consistently.
Finish the book.
Publish the book.
Sell x amount of copies.

Maybe you just wan…

First-person is a highly versatile point of view. And there's always an implied audience. In today's episode, we'll explore 3 varieties of first-person narration, with a focus on who the first-person…

For many writers, first-person narration comes naturally.  And for memoir writers, it's the only choice.

First-person has some advantages over third person.

But it comes with unique challenges.

In th…

In last week’s episode, we  talked about 3 foundational elements to explore before you outline. 

And in this episode, we’re going to start building that outline. I’m going to walk you through six step…

When it comes to structuring your story, there's no one-size-fits-all. Some writers wing it all the way, others craft meticulous outlines before they write. Both can produce stunning results.

But what…

How do we take our characters from their sketchy beginnings and make them come alive?

How do we make them convincing?

All writers struggle to make characters believable.

But much of what readers come…