Daily Writing Plans

#### The routine that helps me meet my writing goals medium.com

Creating a Revision Plan

#### How I break down “revise a novel” into manageable steps medium.com

Writing a Novel Is Not Like Painting by Numbers

#### Books aren’t written word by word in order — so where do you start? medium.com

You Should Outline Your Book (But Outlining Might Not Mean What You Think)

#### Lessons from visual art to apply to writing a novel medium.com

When Planning a Story, Knowing Your Starting Point Is as Vital as Your Destination

#### It’s less spontaneous, but you’ll end up where you want to go medium.com

Breaking the Barrier to Entry for Revision: Narrow Your Focus

#### Why the first part of any round of revision is, for me, a list of don’ts medium.com

Is It Too Early to Prepare for NaNoWriMo?

#### Rule number 1 of NaNo: There are no rules medium.com

Creating Depth in Your Story World

#### Make it feel like your characters are talking to each other, not you medium.com

Four Levels of Adapting Public Domain Works

#### How can you take public domain and make it your own? medium.com

Preptober: How to Brainstorm

#### What do you actually need to write 50,000 words in a month? medium.com

Preptober: There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Idea

#### Letting go of your ego and learning to tell a story medium.com

Preptober: The Challenges of Your Premise

#### Why you should figure out what will make this story hard to write before you write it medium.com

Preptober: Beyond Questionnaires — The Four Aspects of Character You Must Know Before Writing

#### How to craft characters intentionally medium.com

Preptober: What Is a Beat Sheet?

#### A series on structure medium.com

Preptober: Save the Cat for Beginners

#### A series on structure medium.com

Preptober: Gwen Hayes’ Romancing the Beat

#### A series on structure medium.com

Preptober: Much Ado about Subplots

#### What are they? Do you need to plan them? How do they relate? medium.com

Are You Ready to Start Writing?

#### Planning your non-negotiables for a draft medium.com

Save the Cat Writes a YA Novel: A Review

#### Is it worth it if you have the original? What if you don’t? medium.com

You Wrote a Book (Draft). Now What?

#### How to approach your book after spending time away from it medium.com

I Got My Story’s Genre Wrong. Twice.

#### And how Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel helped me solve it medium.com

Molding Your First Chapter into a Preview of the Whole Book

#### Using the principle of miniatures for tight, intriguing storytelling that holds up on a re-read medium.com

Crafting Emotions with Arcs and Dominoes

#### Using feelings to lead a character toward change medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Easter Eggs

#### Leaving clues that don’t feel like clues medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Indirect Foreshadowing

#### Packing your novel with layers for a reader to uncover medium.com

Three Case Studies in Changing Your Mind When Writing

#### The rewrites of Beauty and the Beast, Hamilton, and Frozen medium.com

What I Learned about Writing Watching Painting Time Lapses

#### The magic happens after you’re 80% done medium.com

Four Levels of Adapting Public Domain Works

#### How can you take public domain and make it your own? medium.com

Write With Me: Much Ado about Agency

#### Adapting a classic for modern conventions medium.com

Preptober: What Is a Beat Sheet?

#### A series on structure medium.com

Preptober: Save the Cat for Beginners

#### A series on structure medium.com

Save the Cat Writes a YA Novel: A Review

#### Is it worth it if you have the original? What if you don’t? medium.com

Preptober: Gwen Hayes’ Romancing the Beat

#### A series on structure medium.com

Preptober: Much Ado about Subplots

#### What are they? Do you need to plan them? How do they relate? medium.com

When Writing Rules Get in the Way of a Good Story

#### Case studies in too much of a good thing medium.com

Workshop 2: Trying on Plots

#### An experiment in decision making when editing a novel medium.com

Two Kinds of Midpoint: Crafting a Compelling Trajectory for Your Story

#### Whether the midpoint is victory or defeat can serve as a guidepost for the whole middle medium.com

Edit with Me: Structure as Shortcut

#### How I used chiasm to solve a missing piece medium.com

Creating Characters in Concert

#### Designing the characters around your protagonist to contribute to their growth medium.com

Using Character to Create a World

#### A worldbuilding technique from John Truby medium.com

Creating Depth in Your Story World

#### Make it feel like your characters are talking to each other, not you medium.com

Write With Me: Much Ado about Agency

#### Adapting a classic for modern conventions medium.com

Preptober: Beyond Questionnaires — The Four Aspects of Character You Must Know Before Writing

#### How to craft characters intentionally medium.com

Workshop 3: Character Flaws in a Flat Arc

#### Avoiding a Mary Sue when rebuilding a character medium.com

What’s the Worst that Could Happen Is a Misguided Story Question

#### What to ask instead medium.com

The Emperor's New Groove: A Case Study in Unlikable Characters

#### The three techniques Disney used to make us root for Kuzco medium.com

The Dangers of Creating Likable Characters

#### Why likability should never be your focus when writing medium.com

Using Character to Create a World

#### A worldbuilding technique from John Truby medium.com

Realistic Dialogue Isn’t a Matter of Transcription

#### How to make dialogue that feels real medium.com

Add Tension and Believability with Contradiction

#### Build honesty with what your characters don’t say medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Callbacks

#### Or, why the simplest phrases elicit the biggest emotional responses medium.com

When Writing Rules Get in the Way of a Good Story

#### Case studies in too much of a good thing medium.com

Creating a Revision Plan

#### How I break down “revise a novel” into manageable steps medium.com

Breaking the Barrier to Entry for Revision: Narrow Your Focus

#### Why the first part of any round of revision is, for me, a list of don’ts medium.com

Molding Your First Chapter into a Preview of the Whole Book

#### Using the principle of miniatures for tight, intriguing storytelling that holds up on a re-read medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Callbacks

#### Or, why the simplest phrases elicit the biggest emotional responses medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Easter Eggs

#### Leaving clues that don’t feel like clues medium.com

Writing for the Re-Reader: Indirect Foreshadowing

#### Packing your novel with layers for a reader to uncover medium.com

When Writing Rules Get in the Way of a Good Story

#### Case studies in too much of a good thing medium.com

Taylor Swift Is a Mastermind at Subtext

#### You can be, too medium.com

Manuscript Evaluation: Part 1

#### How does an editor provide feedback on a book? medium.com

Manuscript Evaluation: Part 2

#### How does an editor provide feedback on a book? medium.com

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