Writer Unleashed

How much backstory does your story need? And how much backstory does your reader need?

Learn what backstory is important for you to know as the author, and what backstory belongs on the page.

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• The two things you need to get clear on when it comes to backstory
• The importance of crafting backstory that adapts to your story 
• The actor's technique to developing character through backstory
• How to decide what backstory is significant to your storyline and to your readers

Explore Your Character's Backstory with  Your FREE Character Questionnaire Here

Also Listen To:
Episode 12: Four Ways to Write Effective Flashbacks

The way to engage your readers and keep them absorbed sentence by sentence is to draw them into the tactile world of your story and evoke their sensations.

Not the fact that it's raining, as E.L. Doctorow said. But the feeling of being rained upon.

So, how do we evoke our readers' sensations?

That's what we'll dive into in today's episode.

On today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore:

• Why readers respond to sensory detail.
• How to select the right details for your scenes.
• How to evoke sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells. 

Want to write more, write better, and fast-track your path to publication? Check out the Emerging Writers Academy.

Does your story need an antagonist?

The short answer is yes.

But to avoid the formulaic good vs. bad story, there are deeper questions to unwrap.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore:

• Why the standard definition of antagonist may be limiting your story
• The 2 most important questions to ask when developing antagonists
• What we mean by conflict
• A more nuanced and compelling approach to creating antagonists. 

Want to go deeper into the soul of your character and defy stereotype? Grab your FREE Character Questionnaire here.

And if you want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me, join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

Every character you include, no matter how minor, or however brief their appearance, must serve the story you're telling.  Nobody should be in a scene for mere decoration or as a prop. 

There are no minor characters. 

Every character in your story needs to be made use of or let go of. 

In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll talk about how to craft minor characters who have a major impact. And I’ll give you some examples to drive it all home.

While you're here, do you have your FREE Character Questionnaire? Grab it here.

And if you want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me, join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

What is theme?  And why does it matter to your story? 

In today’s episode of  Writer Unleashed, we’ll talk about what theme is, what it isn’t, and how to arrive at yours. 

We'll explore:

• The common definition of theme that's keeping your story on the surface
• How to avoid off-the-rack themes that  have no impact on readers
• How to create a useful thematic statement that focuses and unifies your story
• The best way to arrive at your story's theme

To help you explore your themes, download your FREE 9 Story Starters PDF right here.

Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

If your first sentence is a dud, chances are readers won't give you a second chance.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore 5 elements that will hook your readers from the get-go and keep them wanting more. We'll peek under the hood of some great hook sentences from the masters, and unpack what makes each one irresistible.

We'll explore how to:

• Withhold to create suspense
• Raise expectations and  curiosity
• Juxtapose details to create tension
• Set your story in motion

And to help your practice crafting hook sentences, download your FREE Guide, 9 Story Starters right here.

Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

Is your plot broken? 

First, what is a broken plot? 

It's when you start out with one conflict but lose confidence in your ability to move that conflict forward through a series of actions. So you shift to another conflict or even a third.

And pretty soon, readers are disoriented because they don't know where to focus. That's because there's more than one story happening.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore:

• The 3 things you need to get clear on to fix or avoid a broken plot
• The essence of plot
• What conflict is and what it isn't
• The relationship between plot and conflict
• And 5 questions to help  you stay anchored in your story's main throughline

Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

Just because you're basing characters on real people doesn't make them believable or interesting. It's far more important for your story to work than it is for it to be true.

And even when people are portrayed realistically, they still might read as stereotypes.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll go over 5 techniques to transform real people into fascinating characters who stay with the reader long after the story ends.

We'll explore: 

• How to imagine your way into what you don't know about a person 
• Why focusing on what you find most intriguing about a person  can be the main ingredient, and even help shape your story
• The composite technique to character creation 
• How to find the right details to firmly embed this person in the mind of your reader
• The actor's technique to getting into the soul of your character

Grab your FREE 13 Questions to Deepen Character here.

Also listen to:

Episode 26: Writing About Someone You Know - Is Your Story Worth It?

Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

Are you a memoir writer? Or a fiction writer? A novelist? Or short story writer?

Lots of people have a story to tell. But some are still flying blind after years, even decades of trying to nail down their story and elevate it to a publishable caliber.

If that sounds like you,  you may be focusing on the content of your story rather than its form. 

And form drives content.

On today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore: 

• The difference between writing a novel, memoir, or short  story
• The similarities between the forms
• What makes each form distinct,  and
• How to find the ideal form for your story

Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join. 

In the theater of our mind, our story is a multi-dimensional, techno-color, high-def world teeming with life. But inevitably, in our early attempts to transfer that vision onto the page, that world disintegrates.

It’s where a lot of writers get lost. 

Or stop writing altogether.

In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore how writers like Ann Patchett and Ta-Nehisi Coates get past this very struggle.

We'll explore:

• Why there's no such thing as failure (unless you stop writing)
• The 3 stages of artistic development
• The Mozart myth
• What mastery is and how to move steadily towards it
  
  Take my FREE 6-day audio class on how to break through the most common writing mindset barriers
  
  Want to connect with more like-minded writers and with me?  Join us on our private Facebook Group where I answer your most burning writing questions. It's totally free to join.