If there’s one piece of writing “advice” that really gets our hackles up, it’s the idea that writers need to have a thick skin. A lot of us understand, at least objectively, that publishing our stories into the world will eventually result in some kind of rejection, whether it’s in [...]
We’ve all been there before. Something comes up in our life, we stop writing, and when we’re finally ready to open up our manuscript again, we are stuck. Returning back to the page is daunting. It’s overwhelming. It feels like we lost our flow. I can’t always remember what I did [...]
I have spent most of my years as a writer struggling with the blank page. I used to face horrible paralysis when I sat down to write new words. I would procrastinate. I would shame myself for procrastinating. I would procrastinate some more. Writing is a really vulnerable act and 99% [...]
Growing up, I was taught that being ambitious meant hustling. In my mind, hustling became synonymous to working hard. Ambitious meant you wanted to achieve big goals and accomplish big things. So therefore, if I truly wanted to achieve all the goals I’ve set for myself, hustling was the only [...]
As this article is being written, there’s so much going on— and has been going on—in the world. Meta illegally scraping books for AI, the end of the ceasefire in Palestine, and everything happening in the U.S. with DOGE. And that’s not to mention what’s been going on in our personal [...]
Writing a book is really difficult. It takes heart, energy, and lots of time. It's a process of personal creation that often takes deep courage to invite critique into, even when we know it's necessary. Often, when we're in the throes of a low moment of self doubt—whether it's because of [...]
With another year coming to a close, it is that time once again where our social media feeds peddle hustle-culture narratives driving us to set ambitious writing goals and lofty word counts.It can be overwhelming and draining.Often, the reason behind why people set goals stems from shame. We feel “I have [...]
Let’s play a game. Has this ever been you?. 👉🏻 felt guilty or anxious for taking a day (or week or month) off writing? 👉🏻 felt ashamed or worries what people would think if I had to push back a deadline? 👉🏻 pushed your body or brain to the limit [...]
As writers, we have to make choices constantly. From the big picture planning of what to include in a plot or character arc, to the pacing of chapters and scenes, all the way down to every word we write. Most of these choices (especially the smaller ones) are usually made with [...]
We’re told that perfectionism is a good thing. We’re told it’s a trait to brag about when we’re in a job interview to showcase just how hardworking and detail-oriented we are. We’ve been conditioned to believe that being a perfectionist equals success—and that all of our idols have gotten where they [...]
Great scenes build an exhilarating push and pull between a story’s plot and characters. Plot events drive characters to make choices, and their choices in turn shape future plot events. This wave of tension locks in readers, compelling them to read chapter after chapter. With the 15 key elements in this guide, you can claim this page-turning power as your own! We’ve included two analyzed, annotated scenes to show you how it all works.
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