Writer Unleashed

Is your writing group holding you back? Inhibiting for you? Confusing you? Making you doubt yourself? Or is it supporting you to grow?  On today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore 4 ways your writing group may be grid-locking you, and the 5 most important things to look for in a writing tribe. 

Or should I just wing it, flying blind? I get this question a LOT. And while there 's no one-size-fits all approach to the creative process, the outline first approach can stifle most writers and gridlock their stories. So why the urge to outline?  An outline is safe. Knowable. Certain. Having that road map should produce our best stories, then, right? Well, not exactly. On today's episo...

Inspiration is a mysterious, mercurial force. Sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesn’t. But what if we could summon inspiration at will? If each time we sat down to write, we could reach that magic zone where the words flowed freely onto the page? What if there were some particular rituals, or triggers to that special consciousness that guaranteed an unstoppable, no-holds-barred writing session...

How do you nudge your way into a story? How do you generate ideas? Do you start with a childhood memory? A vintage photograph? An overheard conversation? We all have our own way in. And our creative processes are as singular as fingerprints. On today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’ll explore 4 steps so you can generate story ideas on tap. You'll learn: The art of scratching for a small ide...

I used to live for the rush of that first draft. And dread revision. The more I tried to revise the more lost in the mess of my draft I'd become. That's because I didn't understand what revision was, or how to do it. Fast forward to today. I not only have control over my revision process, it's hands down my favorite part of writing. So, what changed? My misconceptions about the...

In order to nail down a solid, productive writing practice, to reach the level of mastery that ultimately leads to publication, you need to be in a state of flow. But how do we find flow in our writing when we’re not in the mood to write?  And how do we stay in a state of flow?  On today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’ll talk about: How to anchor yourself in your work so that you can reach and...

Happiness may be great in real life. But it’s fatal in story. Few things numb readers more than characters surrounded by birdsong and puppies who aren’t risking something deeply important. There’s no payoff when everything works out all hunky-dory. Or when the outcome is as simple as a character getting what he wants. Or not. Readers are hungry for danger.  We’re just hardwired that way. We want d...

We want to move our readers emotionally. We want them to feel our character’s joy, pain, and everything in between.  But one of the surest ways to sever the reader’s emotional connection is to be overly direct about how a character feels.  In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’re going to break down 4 techniques to get the greatest emotional payoff from your scenes.  We'll explore: The b...

A flashback moves readers back in time. It interrupts the flow of the story to catch up on what happened before page 1.  But when writers overuse flashbacks, readers grow impatient. They lose interest in, or even forget, what’s happening in the “now” of the story. Yes, we should explore our story’s past. But at some point in revision, we need to reign the past in. We need to select and shape only...

Time is finite. It’s not a renewable resource. We have so much crammed into our day - our jobs, our kids, our spouses, our homes.  And even if we do find pockets of time to write, we’re flat out stonkered by the time we get to our keyboard. Because, here’s the thing. Writing requires clean focus. We need to be firing on all cylinders. It’s not just about finding the hours to write, it’s the qualit...

You hear it all the time - Find your voice! Publishers say they're looking for "fresh new voices." But what does writer's voice mean, exactly? In today's episode, we'll explore: What writer's voice is How you can encourage your voice to come out and play.  Excerpts from stories by Meghan Daum and Ernest Hemingway to get a fix on what makes their voices distinct f...

Why is it so damn hard to keep a writing routine?  In today’s episode, of Writer Unleashed, I’ll give you 3 strategies backed by science to break through your barriers so you can start and keep a consistent, thriving writing practice. 

A plot outline provides a blueprint. It’s safe, known territory. It would seem then that knowing where our story is going before we write should produce our best stories. But this is far from the truth. Today, we’re going to talk about why too much focus on plot can make your story dead on arrival. We’ll also talk about the difference between story and plot. Nope, they’re not the same thing. But y...

"Show, don't tell" is a common writing mantra. And while it's solid advice, it gives telling the short shrift. Sometimes it's better to show and sometimes it's better to tell. You can't do one or the other arbitrarily.  In this episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore when to show and when to tell, and how to blend both showing and telling to their best-co...

If you’re like me, there comes that moment when you loathe what you’ve written. You read what poured out on the page in a meteor shower of inspiration. And then everything that felt glittering and brilliant just yesterday now feels trite. Flat. Messy. Implausible. We read our favorite books and think, Jeez, I’ll never write like that. My work’s no good. I’m no good. This is our inner spoiler talki...

What’s your story about?  In other words, what's your plot? What happens? If you’re anything like me, you trip over this question. You find it hard to sum up your story in an elevator pitch. That’s because it's the wrong question to ask.  In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, I’ll give you 3 questions to help you get clear on, not only what your story is about, but why your story matte...

You only have a matter of seconds to hook your reader into your story. Start too soon or too late, give away too much or too little, and your reader moves onto another book or hops on Netflix.  So, how do you craft a story opening that pulls readers in and keeps them wanting more?  In today's episode, we'll explore 3 story opening techniques that captivate. 

How do you keep writing after your work's been criticized? In today's podcast, I'm going to share 5 mindset shifts to help you not only survive harsh feedback, but come back writing stronger than ever.  

You've heard it before - "Write what you know." Sounds simple. But writing what you know is deceptively complex. And when you take it at face value, it can restrict your story. In this episode, we're going to challenge this advice. We'll explore what it really means to write what you know. And I'll give you 3 ways to transform details of your life into powerful fictio...

If you want to create stories that pull readers in, if you want to deepen your craft, get unblocked, and write with unstoppable momentum, Writer Unleashed is for you. Each week, we'll explore techniques, mindsets, and inspiration for creating stories that readers can't resist. I'm Nanci Panuccio, a writer, editor, writing coach, and creator of the online course and this podcast, Wri...