Fiction Writer's Toolshed: Practical Tools for Authors

This week's episode is my current best approach on getting into the water of writing, and a specific mentality while doing it. I'll also discuss a specific, sneaky kind of danger that catches-- and often KILLS-- more writers than the big scary projects ever do. There's a warning in here I really want you to hear, and some good old fashioned inspirational talk to get you writing. We need you. Ready...

This episode is for every writer who has ever stopped cold in the middle of a scene because they didn't know the perfect line, the perfect detail, the perfect plot turn, or the bravest thing the story was asking them to say. We're talking about what happens when a draft opens up a gap,  and how writers can keep moving instead of freezing at the edge. If you've ever felt stuck because you didn't kn...

Your favorite characters weren't born perfect-- and yours won't be either. In this diagnostic follow-up to "You're Strangling Link, Wolverine, and Mario," we look at the warning signs that you're trying to perfect your story before it has had a chance to exist. From getting stuck wit  Name Lock to hiding in the Lore Panic Room , polishing endlessly on the Page-One Treadmill , this episode gives yo...

Your favorite characters weren't born perfect. Wolverine, Mario, and Link all started as strange, rough, and surprisingly humble ideas before evolving into cultural icons over years-- sometimes decades. In this episode, we explore why modern creators often get trapped trying to perfect their work before anyone ever sees it, and how that fear can suffocate great ideas before they have the chance to...

Every writer knows the feeling: the cursor blinking, the page going nowhere, the project that started with such promise now collecting dust. In this episode of Fiction Writer's Toolshed, I sit down with Ramona Ausubel-- award-winning author and longtime teacher-- to talk about her new book Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page (a LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2026)....

In this episode, we go to a quiet corner of the toolshed, where I sit down with author J.A. Merkel to talk worldbuilding, long-term creative projects, and the ideas behind The Fourth Portal (1 book released) and  The Fall Gauntlet (3 books released, with 4 coming this summer). From early inspiration to publishing ambitious, interconnected stories-- this episode is all about what it really takes to...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=-  You're probably not stuck-- you're just not aware of what part of the journey you're on. In Part 2 of The Creation Funnel , I'll give you a full diagnostic of the 8 stages of making anything,...

You should try my Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it (it's free): https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- There's a moment on a long road trip where it feels like you should already be there… but you're not even halfway. Most writers quit in that moment. Not because they're incapable--...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- In this episode of Fiction Writer's Toolshed , we're talking about the moment before the work-- the hesitation, the resistance, and the quiet lie that you need to  feel like it before you begi...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- For a lot of writers, the novel has quietly become the default starting point. If you're serious about writing, the assumption often becomes: start planning your novel… or your trilogy… or you...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- A lot of writers are starving themselves creatively-- and they don't realize it. Not because they lack ideas. Not because they lack discipline. But because they aren't finishing things. In thi...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- When most writers start, writing feels light. It's curiosity. It's wonder. It's something you can't stop doing. But somewhere along the way, something shifts. Writing becomes measurable. It be...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- I struggled with separating the concepts of Fiction Farming vs. Fiction Cooking for a long time. And while it might sound strange, confusing those two modes may be quietly destroying more writ...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- This episode is the diagnostic follow-up to the 6 Pillars framework, but can also be useful on its own. For each pillar, I share a few signs it may be underdeveloped– and one practical thing y...

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- Craft matters– but it's not the whole picture. This episode introduces The 6 Elemental Pieces of Being a Fiction Writer , a framework for understanding why writers stall, burn out, or struggle...

Feeling paralyzed by what to write next?  This episode introduces the Mosaic Method–   a practical way to lower the stakes, keep writing, and make progress without committing to the "one perfect project." If choosing feels harder than writing, this tool is for you. Choosing what to write shouldn't feel like a branding decision– but for a lot of writers, it does. When your body of work is small, ev...

Today, I double down on the core idea behind the show: fiction writing is a craft made up of learnable, testable skill, and tell you a little bit about my background as a working writer. You'll also hear about two guiding principles that shape the show: The Current Best Approach:  treating every tool as provisional, adaptable, and open to change Showing how the sausage is made:  documenting the re...