One of the most challenging parts of the creative process is what many writers lovingly call B.I.C. (backside in chair). But productivity isn’t just about getting to the desk and cranking out the words. Many of us often struggle with distractions and all sorts of interruptions so that even if we are able to get… Read more »
Backstory is an essential part of writing. It puts elements of the main narrative into context, helping us understand characters’ motivations and the history of the world or setting. It gives us a better sense for character relationships and also helps us understand why certain objects, events, or institutions are important. There are primarily eight… Read more »
I recently introduced my daughter to my all-time favorite Broadway musical: Les Miserables. In fairness, we could not see the actual show because it’s no longer on Broadway, so we watched the film adaptation (which is a poor imitation at best, let’s be real). It was enough to get her hooked on the show. This… Read more »
Time management is one of the most misunderstood concepts because most people think it’s all about watching the clock and saving time. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. You see, watching the clock is not time management, it’s punctuality. Similarly, saving time is efficiency, which is different from time management. After all, you could… Read more »
Today we’re doing a three-act analysis on one of the most beloved Christmas stories: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. While Dickens wrote many books examining the divide between rich and poor, I find A Christmas Carol the most compelling. Even with its compressed scope as a novella, it gives us a depth of character… Read more »
“Read with purpose” is one of the three pillars of DIY MFA, but it’s often the most overlooked. It’s easy to see how writing and community can contribute to our literary development, but sometimes reading can fall by the wayside. Today I wanted to talk about the importance of reading with purpose, what exactly it… Read more »
This time I thought I’d do an analysis of Murder, She Wrote, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s about Jessica Fletcher, a retired schoolteacher-turned-mystery-author who goes around solving murders. Some of those murders take place in her beloved hometown of Cabot Cove, while others occur when she… Read more »
For some writers, point of view (POV) comes naturally. They hear their character’s voice in their head and know exactly whose perspective the story needs to be in. For other writers, POV can be a minefield where it’s impossible to know which point of view to choose. In fact, it might feel like you have… Read more »
I’ve been doing these three-act analyses for many months now, and it recently occurred to me that I hadn’t yet tried the model out on allegorical fiction. This is why today I thought I’d do an analysis of Animal Farm by George Orwell. Not familiar with the three-act structure? No worries. Read this article for… Read more »
I’ll admit, at first I was skeptical about dictation. To be honest, the idea kind of intimidated me. But after taking a Dictation Boot Camp led by my friend Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, I decided to give it a try. In fact, I’m actually doing it right now as I write this Writer Fuel. I think… Read more »
