Writer Unleashed

Why do readers read?  Is it just for entertainment? To escape everyday life? Or is there a deeper need?

What is it about story that keeps us captivated from beginning to end?

It helps to understand wh…

We're often instructed to hook readers in our opening paragraphs by enticing them with story questions. 

All good. 

But you can't really plant questions in the beginning without knowing how your story …

Lots of writers believe you can't deeply develop character until you know what happens on the plot level. 

But this is backwards. 

Ultimately, what moves your story forward is your protagonist's reacti…

Call it your hero.  Or your MC. 

But all stories need one main protagonist.  When we don’t know who your main character is, we have no one to root for. 

Why is picking one character to focus on a good …

Writer Unleashed is coming up on its 2-Year Anniversary!

So in the spirit of celebration,  I'm giving you a 5-episode playlist to help you wherever you are in your writing process right now. 

Narrowing…

What does it take to make major breakthroughs in your writing consistently? 

How do you put yourself into an optimal state of creativity every time you sit down to write?

When it comes to mastering you…

Still not grasping the art of show, don't tell? That's because it's never fully explained.  So writers show too little, or too soon, or they show poorly. Often, they don't show at all. In this episod…

Plotters plot and pantsers wander.  One approach isn't better than the other. They're just different impulses. But both are equally futile.

Pantsers  can wander aimlessly ad infinitum, and plotters o…

Many writers have fixed ideas about the best ways to write and finish a story. But they don’t work for every writer.  And in many instances, they don’t even work for the writers who swear by them.  S…

There’s no shortage of writing advice. Especially in the online space. Google is not the best gatekeeper. And some FB groups  are doling out conflicting advice, canned advice,  bad advice. Writers he…

We all hit a block at some point in the writing process, even the best of us. Accomplished writers know how to navigate that impasse, to notice when and why they're getting blocked, so that they can …

Between careers, kids, and everything else life throws our way, sometimes we have to step back from our writing. Sometimes for months. Sometimes for years.
So, how do you get back to your writing aft…

Rejection never feels good. And it can throw our entire identity as a writer into doubt. 

The question is…

How do you get your confidence back? So that you can get back to work?

In this episode, you'll …

Your story opening is your only chance to hook your reader.  So you want to start strong. It doesn’t matter if the middle of your story is brilliant. Or your second chapter is fantastic. It doesn't m…

What makes a piece of writing feel false? What makes it feel true?  Why does it move us? Or fail to? How do we drop readers directly into a character’s experience so that they become the character an…

Details are the lifeblood of your story.  And writing is all about the selection of those details. But how do you decide which details matter? 

When we sit down to write, we’re often bombarded with t…

What makes your story a page turner? What makes it so irresistible that readers devour every page? In today’s episode, we’re breaking down 4 tips to writing a page turner. Techniques that go beneath …

Scenes are the building blocks of your story.  But how do you craft scenes that draw us in every single time? That keep us turning the page?  In this episode you'll learn how to craft spellbinding sc…

Your first scene is crucial. It’s what sets your story in motion. It's where you keep your reader or lose em'.  So you want to craft this scene with intention.  In this episode, you'll learn 3 essent…

There’s no one size fits all way to write. Still, there’s no shortage of advice on how to do it.  But some advice can derail you for months, maybe years. Advice like reaching a certain word count per…