For writers, ideas are the primal matter. No ideas, no stories. But sometimes trying to figure out how to find your best ideas is like catching butterflies. They flit in; they flit out. If we aren’t paying attention, sometimes we don’t even recognize that they’ve been there. Even when we do stop short in awe […]
November 30, 2020 by 96 Comments PodcastWhat Is Dreamzoning? (7 Steps to Finding New Story Ideas)
Every writer knows a thing or two about daydreaming. But what about dreamzoning? What’s that—and how can it help you cultivate inspiration for your storytelling? Put simplistically, dreamzoning is basically just daydreaming on steroids. It’s purposeful, focused daydreaming. It’s intense. It’s fun. And if you’re a writer, it’s the mother lode of all story ideas. […]
April 27, 2020 by 69 Comments Writing Life15 Productive Tasks You Can Still Do Even When You Don’t Feel Like Writing
Don’t feel like writing right now? Or maybe you don’t have the time? Or maybe you’re just blocked as all get out at the moment? Whatever the case, there’s no reason you can’t still use what time and motivation you do have to feel productive about your writing—because “writing” is really about a whole lot […]
July 23, 2018 by 63 Comments Writing Inspiration4 Steps for How to Turn an Idea Into a Story That Rocks
Ah, ideas. To a writer, is there any sweeter word? But as we quickly learn whenever we try to trap those ideas on paper, the real magic trick is figuring out how to turn an idea into a story that first works and then rocks. Bar none, my favorite part of the writing process is […]
October 24, 2016 by 48 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Find and Fill All Your Plot Holes (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 4)
What is the single most important job of an outline for NaNoWriMo—or any other book at any other time of the year? We might come up with lots of answers, but they all tend to boil down to just this one: avoiding plot holes. I hate plot holes. They drive me bazooey. There you are, […]
