Writer Unleashed

In story, you should always be building emotions.  But it’s challenging to get big emotions like grief, love, fear, and anger on the page.  Many writers exaggerate character emotion, turn to cliches, or don't convey enough emotion.  The trick is not to  tell us how your character feels, but to evoke emotion in your reader.  We want readers to feel with our characters. But how do you do that?...

You asked, I answered. In this episode, I’m answering 5 questions I hear over and over about character development. Questions like: What makes a strong, memorable character? How do I give my character more depth?  How can I make readers care for my characters? How do you decide whether or not to eliminate a character from a story? What is the proper way to write my character's thoughts? These...

What separates published authors from aspiring authors? Do they have more talent? More time?  Nope.  They just approach writing with a different mental construct.  In this episode, you'll learn 3 things published authors do differently.  We'll cover:  Why talent isn't enough, and what you need to cultivate instead; 3 mistakes aspiring writers make that eventually stop them in their...

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...

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 navi...

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 w...

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 Story Ep...

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 similar...

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 d...

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 st...

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...

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 li...

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...

How do you tell the difference between genuinely bad writing and writing that's actually good... but you think it's bad because you're being over critical? How do you manage not liking what you write because you know you can do better? And so you end up not writing anything. What about when you want abandon your dreams of becoming an author because you re-read your work and you hate...

Why do readers read?  Is it just for entertainment? To escape everyday life? Or is there a deeper need? What is it about story that keeps us captivated from beginning to end? It helps to understand why stories are so impactful and precisely what readers are hungry for when they turn to a book. In this episode we’re going to explore what your reader is actually responding to when he forgets about t...

We're often instructed to hook readers in our opening paragraphs by enticing them with story questions.  All good.  But you can't really plant questions in the beginning without knowing how your story will ultimately end.  There's a link between your story's beginning and its end.  So the best way to hook your reader is to start with the end in mind.  This creates two things re...

Lots of writers believe you can't deeply develop character until you know what happens on the plot level.  But this is backwards.  Ultimately, what moves your story forward is your protagonist's reactions, choices, and actions.  Not the external events that activate those reactions.  Your plot doesn't just need structural coherence.  It needs emotional and psychological coherence. S...

Call it your hero.  Or your MC.  But all stories need one main protagonist.  When we don’t know who your main character is, we have no one to root for.  Why is picking one character to focus on a good idea? We need to know who we’re experiencing your story through. Your protagonist is the portal.  It's how we hook into your story from the first page to the last. In this episode, you'll l...

Writer Unleashed is coming up on its 2-Year Anniversary! So in the spirit of celebration,  I'm giving you a 5-episode playlist to help you wherever you are in your writing process right now.  N arrowing down the list to just five was not easy breezy. I sifted through nearly 100 episodes, and I poured everything I've got into creating each and every one of them for you. But I drilled down...

What does it take to make major breakthroughs in your writing consistently?  How do you put yourself into an optimal state of creativity every time you sit down to write? When it comes to mastering your story, you need to be in a flow state. When you’re in flow, your creativity,  your output, the quality of your writing is turbo-charged.  You make more progress in half the time.  But flow isn&apos...

Still not grasping the art of show, don't tell? That's because it's never fully explained.  So writers show too little, or too soon, or they show poorly. Often, they don't show at all. In this episode, you'll ll get clear on what showing is, what telling is, and 4 effective ways to show like a pro.  Episode Website Links mentioned in this episode: Episode 69: How to Create...

Plotters plot and pantsers wander.  One approach isn't better than the other. They're just different impulses. But both are equally futile. Pantsers  can wander aimlessly ad infinitum, and plotters often focus only on plot at the outset. Which is why they still get stuck in the messy middle. What both plotters and pantsers get wrong  is how to bring story elements together to focus their...

Many writers have fixed ideas about the best ways to write and finish a story. But they don’t work for every writer.  And in many instances, they don’t even work for the writers who swear by them.  So in this episode, I'm going to challenge 3 common rules I hear over and over, and give you a different perspective to try on. Episode Website Links mentioned in this episode: Episode 11: How to M...

There’s no shortage of writing advice. Especially in the online space. Google is not the best gatekeeper. And some FB groups  are doling out conflicting advice, canned advice,  bad advice. Writers hear the same advice so often, a lot of them have come to regard them as the only way to craft a story.  But these are often half baked ideas that are keeping you from moving forward. They’re taking you...

We all hit a block at some point in the writing process, even the best of us. Accomplished writers know how to navigate that impasse, to notice when and why they're getting blocked, so that they can move through it. But so many writers get stuck there, and they can't move forward. In this episode, we'll explore five reasons you may be experiencing writer's block. And you'l...