It drives me crazy when things are left unfinished, including story endings. An excellent story ending includes many things. It is not simply the plot but also character resolutions and thematic finality. Tying up loose ends leaves me with closure and emotional...
“You’re very creative.” You said it before to someone. Probably several people have said it to you. People collectively think of creativity as something we are born with. That’s probably partly true. But no matter how well I was born to shoot basketball hoops, if I...
Because I’ve had some decent success writing for children, I often get asked about various aspects of writing for that demographic. It’s a fun demographic. I love seeing younger people excited to read. As a writer, I always try to envision my reader when I’m writing,...
I am, at heart, a writer and an entrepreneur. One of the best things I have found for both aspects of my work is creating clear mission and vision statements. You might say my vision and mission is to be a full-time writer. That’s not enough. You might say my vision...
I have never created or written a board game before except for little awkward things I drew on paper pre-adult. I’ve been asked to write one. Because I know about board games? No. Because I’m a writer and, throughout my career, I’ve been asked to write some crazy...
Great beginnings hook readers, but before them, they hook agents, editors, publishers, script readers, directors, actors, producers, and studios. When you think of great beginnings, one of the best ways to start your story is with a strong and memorable protagonist....
Hollywood has an allure, and I am often asked, in my consulting work and at conferences such as Bouchercon and Killer Nashville, “How do I get my book turned into a film?” The first answer to the question is straightforward but not always easy to accept. Do you have a...
Writing, unlike many other professions, is a self-employed endeavor. This unique aspect of our craft necessitates cultivating writing accountability for self-discipline and productivity. Every day, the responsibility is solely yours. It would be best to find...
We just finished an election season. Thank God that’s over. It never ceases to amaze me that many elections are held around the premise that someone else will fix our problems. They are not. Ever? Never. We fix our own problems. Bringing this home to writers, it's...
I’m all about reading, but I’m also all about writing. Answers are not necessarily found in self-help books, in fixing everything that “is wrong with you,” or staring out the window thinking about how things could be better. Sometimes, our self-reflection seems...