Writer Unleashed

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 of short stories, along with an example of how it's done.  If you're writing short stories, you'll learn how to organize and shape your material. And if you're writing a novel or memoir, you're  going to get tons of value from this, too.  Because we'll be talking about how to  articulate and build conflict as an organizing structure. This will help you shape chapters and scenes. Most important, this episode will help you learn the economy of language. So you can write any story with more elegance, shape, and potency.Whether you aspire to write short stories or novels, you'll learn how to use repetition and variation to amplify your story’s conflict and theme.Episode Web PageNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 an ongoing and thriving relationship with your writing. The value of consistent practice is cumulative. You create space in your life to deepen your craft, expand your skills, and navigate challenges. In this episode, you'll learn how to:Harness your peak times to create and schedule focused time to write; Start seeing opportunities instead of obstacles; Manage expectations and honor the progress you're making; andFind meaning and purpose in your writing practice so you can go the distance, even if you don't write every day.Episode WebpageNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 writing altogether. But just because you're coming up against obstacles and setbacks, even if they feel insurmountable, that's no reason to quit. In fact, that's the worst time to quit. In this episode, we'll talk about what to do when you hit what Seth Godin calls, the dip. I'll give you 4 questions to ask yourself before you abandon ship.  And I'll help you decide what you should quit so you can go on to write an exceptional story. Episode WebPageNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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, show vs. tell, how to select story details, and how to stay motivated. Think of this as your end of summer playlist. Here you go:Episode 37: Three Questions to Ask Before You Plot Your StoryEpisode 22: Three Ways to Avoid Character StereotypeEpisode 81: Story Details: What to Leave In, What to Leave OutEpisode 90: Four Ways to Master Show, Don’t TellEpisode 29: How to Reignite Your Motivation To WriteEpisode Web PageNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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-fiction genre.  You'll get clear on what makes these forms alike and different,  and what elements you need to be aware of when  writing one or the other.  You'll learn: The similarities between creative non-fiction and fiction;The difference between autobiography and memoir;What literary journalism is, and how  the author is  the protagonist in the story;The two voices essential to memoir; andThe distinction between memoir and personal essay. Episode Web PageRate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts.“I love Writer Unleashed!” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show. This helps me support more writers — just like you —to bring the story burning in their imagination onto the page.  Click  here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!Not sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 character nobody believes in or cares about?One of the biggest pitfalls when writing villains -- aka, antagonists -- is over simplifying them.But your most troublesome character is just as important to develop as your protagonist. So you've got to get to know him or her as intimately as you know your main character. That means, you know your antagonist's deepest desires, fears, worldview, and motives.You want to explore who this person is as a human being.In this episode, we're exploring 5 secrets about your antagonist you should know. So that you can bring more texture, complexity and humanity to him or her. And  make even the most evil villain fascinating to your reader.Episode WebPageFree Resource mentioned in this episode:13 Questions to Deepen Your Character: Create Multi-Dimensional Characters Who Breathe On The Page and Defy StereotypeNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 questions like:Do I edit as I go? Or do I edit after the manuscript is done?How do I edit for coherence and continuity?Where do I begin?In this episode, I’m going to give you a  4-step strategy for self-editing your story.  We’re going step by step.From the big picture all the way down to the sentence level. This 4-step strategy works at every stage of the drafting process.You can use it with a finished manuscript. Or a work in progress.Because this process will keep your story focused and on track. You'll learn to evaluate: Story events as major actions, each with its own resolution;Chapters as self-contained, complete narrative units;Individual scenes and how they all fit in your overall story structure; andHow to look at paragraphs and sentences for power and progression.Episode Web PageAlso Listen To:Episode 99: How to Nail Down Your Story In 3 Simple SentencesEpisode 98: Should You Hire An Editor?Episode 68: How to Use Subplots to Amplify Your NovelNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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, all you find are a lot of plot holes. And now you’re overthinking everything, wondering how your characters and scenes work within your plot.In this episode I’m sharing  5 common plot problems and what you can do to fix them, or avoid them completely.  This will help you know what’s relevant in your story,  what you can cut, and what you can develop more deeply. We’ll explore:How to define your central story problem from which every other event will spin;How to build and intensify your plot;The internal change your character is forced to make, and why she/him resists it;The missing causal factor that moves your plot forward, and;How to up the ante so that your ending feels simultaneously surprising and inevitable. Episode WebsiteAlso Listen To: Episode 69: How to Create Plot Continuity With Character ThoughtNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 is running away from you. Either way, you have a hazy, rambling idea about what your story is all about. That's every story in its early stages. So, in this episode, I want to invite you to do a little exercise in nailing down your story idea in 3 sentences. You'll zero in on:Who your story's about, and what happens to set this person down a path she/he never saw coming;The trouble and complications that follow; andThe payoff or promise the reader can expect by the endBottom line? If you can drill your story down to a few clear, focused sentences, you can write a clear, focused story. This 3-sentence framework  will help you avoid bogging your story down with unnecessary digressions and clutter. You'll know what to keep in. And what to keep out. This will make your first drafts easier to write. Your works in progress easier to revise.  So you can build a story that's a great read.Episode WebsiteLink mentioned in this episode:Free 3-Act WorksheetNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

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 the most frequently asked questions I get about editors. I'll demystify the editing process. So you can make an informed, prudent decision on whether to invest in an editor or not.And you'll get an inside view on how to edit your own work.We'll cover:  The 3 phases of editing every book goes through.How much editors charge at each stage of the process.How to choose the best editor for you.How to offset editorial costs. When to hire an editor, and when to hold off.Episode WebpageLinks mentioned in this episode:Episode 20: Four Ways Your Writing Group Is Holding You Back (and What To Look For In Your Next Writing Tribe)FiverrUpworkNot sure if your idea has what it takes to become a powerful story? This free quick guide will help you uncover the heart of your idea in just three simple steps. You’ll walk away with a one-sentence premise you can build your entire book on, and the clarity and confidence to keep going.Download Your Quick Guide HereWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.