I’m a bestselling author you’ve never heard of, an invisible man. While ghostwriting, I’ve collaborated with New York Times bestsellers, concepting and writing stories that have reached audiences worldwide and topped sales charts. It’s been a unique gig, and some of my friends don’t understand why anyone would work in the shadows. But in a culture where […]
March 27, 2015 by 27 Comments Writing InspirationThe Secret of Getting Your Writing Unstuck
Whenever I get stuck writing, whether it be in the pre-writing stage or in the middle of a draft, my go-to tool for getting unstuck is the free write. Take a look at how you too can use free writing to get your writing unstuck! What Is a Free Write? A free write is what I’d […]
March 18, 2015 by 34 Comments Writer's Help3 Myths Holding You Back From Your Best Writing
The odds are, if you publish your best writing, you want people to read your work. Seems like a reasonable assumption. I mean, if we don’t care if anyone’s reading our work, then we should stick to personal journals hidden under our pillows. You can hide your work if you want to, and if you […]
February 13, 2015 by 28 Comments Plotting Your Novel4 Reasons You Might Be Missing Out on Your Best Plot Ideas
Are you missing some of your best plot ideas? Some writers tell me they find it easy to create characters and story worlds, but struggle to create enough plot. What they often don’t realize is they already have significant and rather good plot material–if only they knew where to look. Here are four places where […]
February 11, 2015 by 45 Comments Writing InspirationThe Single Best Trick for Originality in Your Fiction
This week’s video shares the most important question you can ask yourself about originality in your fiction and how to access it in every single scene. Video Transcript: Originality is an important quality test for fiction—although perhaps not quite as much as we like to make out. Pulitzer-winner Willa Cather tells us, There are […]
January 29, 2015 by 16 Comments Writing LifeGet Rid of Writing Distractions and Master Motivation!
The dreaded word is uttered: Procrastination. How can writers defeat such a loathsome monster? Want to hear a little secret? Procrastination is the scapegoat of much larger problems. You can break down procrastination into a couple key problem areas. The two major ones are writing distractions and lack of motivation. That’s right. Most of your procrastination problems come down to […]
June 29, 2014 by 75 Comments Writing LifeWhy Every Story You Write Is a Guaranteed Failure
Why is depression so often associated with writers? I mean, seriously, it’s become a morbid joke how many classic authors were alcoholics and committed suicide. But it’s really no joke. Very few of you are going to escape those bouts of frustrated depression in which you’re sure every story you write is a guaranteed failure. […]
May 30, 2014 by 43 Comments Writing InspirationCome Up With a Killer Story Concept–Before You Start Writing
Readers only ever see the words of the novel. They have no insight into the planning process, how the story concept came about, or the number of ideas and subplots that may have been taken out of the novel or replaced. But when you sit down to write a novel, don’t make the mistake of thinking the only work […]
March 14, 2014 by 21 Comments Writing InspirationWhat Is the Zhong–and How Can It Help You Write Better Novels?
There’s a legend that Hemingway once was egged on at a bar to write a six-word story on a napkin. His friends said he couldn’t do it, and they offered a bet to see it happen. Hemingway grabbed a napkin and jotted: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Then he passed it around to his […]
February 28, 2014 by 32 Comments Writing LifeThe 5 Reasons Writers Write
It’s the Oscars. Allow yourself a dream: the biopic of your life as a writer is up for awards! The story follows the usual arc: obstacles, hard work, rejection, struggle, followed by the joy of publication, astronomical sales, Oprah, the Costa-Booker-Nobel Literary grand slam. And now the film with its twelve Oscar nominations. What excerpt […]
