Writer Unleashed

Great stories often start with a trigger. One persistent image, a childhood memory, a family story, or a phone conversation you overhear on  the train ride to work. 

In this episode, we’ll explore sto…

How do you bring a textured, multi-dimensional sense of place to your story?

And why is it important?

Well, just as plot isn't separate from character, neither is place.

Place defines, reveals, and in …

Among all the POVs, 3rd person is arguably the most confusing.

Let's say you're writing in limited third from your main character's POV,  and there are points in the story where other characters do th…

How much exposition is too much? Should you begin your story with exposition? And how do you write exposition in a way that isn’t excessive, awkward, or dull?

In today’s episode, we'll talk about how …

Dialogue between characters is one of those things writers struggle mightily with.

You want the dialogue to sound like real life, but when you try to make it sound like a real conversation, it just so…

Each scene is your story in miniature, a story unto itself. 

And each follows the same 3 - Act structure.

So, in this episode, you'll learn the story arc of a scene.

We'll explore:

⇒ What information to…

In story, you should always be building emotions. 

But it’s challenging to get big emotions like grief, love, fear, and anger on the page.  Many writers exaggerate character emotion, turn to cliches, …

You asked, I answered.

In this episode, I’m answering 5 questions I hear over and over about character development.

Questions like:

• What makes a strong, memorable character?
• How do I give my character …

What separates published authors from aspiring authors? Do they have more talent? More time? 

Nope. 

They just approach writing with a different mental construct. 

In this episode, you'll learn 3 things…

What makes short stories different from novels? Aside from the obvious difference in length?

And what can novelists learn from short stories?

In this episode, I'm breaking down 3 structural elements …

Now that summer's officially over and we're on the cusp of Fall, what better time to rekindle or start a consistent writing practice?  

Call it a habit, routine, or ritual, but it's all about creating…

There comes a time when the story we're writing just isn't coming together as we envisioned.  Writing's become too  overwhelming and complicated.  So, we're tempted to quit. Quit the story. Or quit w…

As summer begins its exit, and Fall approaches, I curated 5 episodes to refresh your writing.

These are some of the most downloaded episodes. You'll get everything from plot and character development…

What's the difference between biography, autobiography,  memoir, the immersion story, and personal essay?

In this episode,  you'll learn about the possibilities available to you in the creative non-f…

How do you write the bad guy?

The villain. The antagonist. The one who makes life difficult for your protagonist?

How do you make this person believable and fascinating? Not just a stock cartoon charac…

Want to bring your manuscript closer to published, but don't want to drop thousands to hire an editor?

 In this episode, you'll learn to edit your story yourself. 

You'll get answers to common question…

Ever feel like no matter how much time you spend on your plot, your story’s just not coming together?

Maybe you're generally happy with your structure, but when you go to break down those story beats…

If I asked you what your story was about, could you sum it up in a few sentences and tell me all I need to know to want more?

Maybe you have too many ideas swimming around your head, and your story i…

What does an editor do precisely? How do you choose an editor you can trust with your manuscript?   How much do editors charge?  And is hiring one worth the investment? 

In this episode, I'm answering…

How do you tell the difference between genuinely bad writing and writing that's actually good... but you think it's bad because you're being over critical?

How do you manage not liking what you write …