Neil LaBute on Rewriting
#WritingAdviceWednesday – Never say in words what you can say with action
Continue readingStick To It – Reward Yourself
Nick Schenk scored big with Gran Torino after over ten years of struggle, rejection and near-misses. How does someone– anyone– keep motivated in the face of impossible odds, daunting circumstances and a crushing lack of validation. Here’s how.
Continue readingLive, Love, and Write – Happy New Year
As we look forward to the tremendous shifts and changes this coming year will bring in technology, finance, entertainment and politics let us fully and completely embrace the indomitable and unconquerable force of love in our work.
Continue readingWriting Routine
I discovered a great website that discusses how various writers and artists approach their work and organize their day. Below is a discussion of the simple method Anthony Trollope used to write forty-nine novels in thirty-five years!
Continue readingSubtext – Unspoken Communication
The subtext of a scene is the underlying emotion that changes or alters the meaning of the words spoken or the actions taken. Or it is what is “under the skin of a character.” Or it is what is under the surface of what a character says or does.
Continue readingEinstein and Writing
#ThinkpieceThursday – Einsten’s concise quotes are invaluable and timeless.
Continue readingCreating a New Character: Backstory
#MondayMusings – What is your character’s backstory?
Continue readingCreating a New Character – Fear
It’s important to look at the ways the character is most worried about failing others and becoming unloved or unlovable. This often is traceable back to the character’s own childhood fears. These early fears powerfully stay with us and color our adult lives.
Continue readingFear in Politics, Life, and Storytelling
In my Character Map workshops I talk a lot about fear. This article from the Huffington Post makes a clear statements about fear in politics, everyday life and storytelling. It is a wonderful summary of the discussion of fear I have with my workshop participants.
Continue readingEquinoxe Germany
I’ve been at beautiful Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps. http://www.schloss-elmau.de/ It was a fabulous setting for the recent Equinoxe Germany workshop.
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