At the heart of every story lies a dilemma from which all tensions and conflicts arise. How do you identify the dilemma in your story? There are two ingredients: A powerful desire A false …
The Difference Between Journaling and Storytelling
The difference between journaling and storytelling is context. Journaling is simply documenting what happened. Storytelling involves illustrating the meaning of what happened. Our goal as storytellers …
Mastering the Outline
“One cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem.” – Albert Einstein Many writers resist creating an outline because they fear it will limit their …
What is Genius?
I don’t like it when people use the term genius, primarily because I think they misuse the word. I believe that genius is an aspect of our nature, rather than a character trait belonging to a select …
First-time Writer: Setting a Daily Word Count
Consistency is the key. Set a writing goal. Can you write 750 to 1000 words a day? If you can do that, you will have a first draft in around 90 days. Do you have a rough sense of how long you want …
The 90-Day Memoir – Intimacy Hangover
In the first day of The 90-Day Memoir workshop the writers often have some major insights and revelations. But it is the second day that things start to get interesting. Here’s an excerpt from my Day …
Begin Your Story
There are as many ways to begin your book or screenplay as there are ways to procrastinate. Beginning to write your story is easier than you think. All you have to do is sit down, get out a sheet of …
How I Got Married
This week, Mary-Beth and I celebrated our fourteenth wedding anniversary. Getting married was a terrifying leap for me; you might call it a transformative experience. And since the cornerstone of what …
Using Your Credo to Create Story Conflict
(Image from And Justice for All, 1979) As writers, it is important to investigate and become conscious of those things that we feel strongly about. Find those issues that inflame your passion. Be …
Writing Memoir
"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better." - Anne Lamott It’s funny how guilt emerges when you …