Plotting a book scares a lot of authors. Developing characters and planning a book outline intimidates a lot of writers as well. But, honestly, none of these things are scary. They’re fun. Really. The key to plotting a book, or planning a book outline, if that is how you prefer to think of it, is … [Read more…]
What is The Hero’s Journey? It depends on who you ask. To a writer, it’s a plotting method. To fans of mythology and folklore, it’s a narrative pattern that human storytellers have followed since we had human storytellers. Which brings us back to why writers use it so much as a plotting method. What is … [Read more…]
by Elisabeth Sharp McKetta I’ve long had good luck dividing writing into distinct stages and forcing them not to mingle: first there is the brainstorm stage (usually takes place on hikes or in the shower, but occasionally in the middle of the night when I wake to feed the baby). Second there is the compost … [Read more…]