Tag: Creativity
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Story Obstacle #3: Your Story’s Too Confusing
Have you ever tried to tell a story and found that the chain of events you were trying to describe was so full of zig zags and dead ends that, instead of a coherent narrative, you ended up with a confusing anecdote? Did anyone ever ask you to tell them how you accomplished something only…
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What is Line Editing?
In a previous post, I wrote about the dev (developmental) editing process, during which the dev editor works with the author to shape the ideas and structure for a book or story. Now I’m going to tell you a little about line editing. Line editing? Sometimes called substantive editing, line editing is the gratifying but…
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Story Obstacle #2: Wishing Your story Was Different.
Last week, I identified Obstacle #1 to storytelling: believing that your story doesn’t matter. Here’s Obstacle #2: wishing your story was different. Both obstacles can arise when you believe that your experiences haven’t been impressive enough, your suffering great enough, or your life interesting enough. But you might also wish your story was different when…
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Story Obstacle #1 of 10: Thinking Your Story Doesn’t Matter
The people who attend my storytelling workshops come from a diversity of backgrounds. Some are comfortable speaking in public, some are not. Some are naturally talkative while others are accustomed to staying in the background. But, unless they’re already experienced storytellers, they all face obstacles in the form of beliefs which limit their creativity and…
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Things A Writer Needs
If you’re considering writing your first book, you may be wondering what you’ll need to get started and what you’ll need to keep going. Here’s a short(ish) list of the things I recommend to clients at various stages of their writing journeys, whether they’re starting out, smack in the middle, or have finally finished that…
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Miami Vice: The Movie Colin Farrell Forgot He Made
In the summer of 2022, I watched Michael Mann’s 2006 Miami Vice more than ten times; I had an obsessive need to spend time with the characters which I couldn’t explain…
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5 Things To Watch, Read, and Talk About In The Week Ahead
Roxane Gay’s got a Substack called The Audacity, which she describes as “writing that boldly disregards normal restraints.” Every week she publishes recommendations for books, journalisms, and culture in a newsletter called The Roundup. In addition to writing brilliantly, it is clear that Roxane Gay spends a lot of time reading and watching TikTok. Human…
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