And bright!
Author: Sarah Lovett
Opposing Forces
You must open your story to duality and opposition. You must explore all sides of the dramatic question through your characters, search all nooks and crannies for the elixir–your protagonist is only as strong as the forces of opposition.
That crazy writer…
When you are writing a book, you must learn to listen very closely for what editor Tom Jenks calls the heartbeat of the story. Sometimes you may confuse your own heartbeat with the narrative heartbeat. If you allow your emotional highs and lows to push you around–they may also end up pushing around your prose. Your anxiety, exhaustion, or mania may show up on the page. It’s not that you shouldn’t use your own experience to connect with characters–you should. Your fears and the fears of your protagonist are the same when it comes to their deepest nature. Your shared …
Asimov’s Inspiration
“If my doctor told me I only had six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.” Isaac Asimov
Unplugged
Absolutely Do Not Let Fear Stop You From Writing Your Stories
“I don’t think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won’t be good at it.” Anne Lamott
“Tell your story by introducing the disequilibrium in your character’s internal, external, and interpersonal world in the right order and with the right timing for this specific story.” Steven James
“There is No Greater Agony…”
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou
Don’t Be a Writer
“Don’t be a writer. Be writing.” William Faulkner
Scared to Write Your Book? Let Your Fears Be Your Guides to Success
Afraid of writing your book because…? Go ahead and jot down a list of your worst fears. Scared of dying? Scared of failing? Scared of finding out you can’t write your way out of a paper bag? (Who needs to do that, anyway?) Scared of hurting others with your words? Scared of contaminating the world with darkness? Scared you’ll find out you’re a monster? Scared you’re just too scared to do anything? Fears. We all have them. You can’t put them in a bottle and cork it. You can’t reason with them. But you can shift your relationship to your …