I am spending some time this month reading the award-winning and nominated science fiction and fantasy short stories (Hugo Awards, Nebula Awards, Locus Awards). I look at is as research for writing my own short stories in those genres. I realize as I read these stories that one of the things that makes them so…
Archives for February 2018
January 2018 Project Report
Welcome to my January 2018 Project Report. My goal with these monthly reports is to help other authors, entrepreneurs, leaders, or anyone else who wants to make an impact through their work. Each month I will share how I spent my time as an author and creative entrepreneur and the successes, failures, and lessons I’ve learned…
Lessons from a Day of Keeping Our Basement from flooding
I woke up at 5:00 a.m. this morning planning to write a very different lesson. I knew as soon as my foot hit the squishy floor that we were in for a long day. It’s almost 9:00 p.m. and I’m taking a break. Here are just a few things I learned today while trying to…
Shawn Coyne’s Five Elements of a Story
Every writer should read Shawn Coyne’s The Story Grid. Of the many things I gained from the book, the one take-away that stands out a few years later is his five elements of a story. I have used these five elements to write articles, tell stories in keynote speeches, and plan out short stories. Once…
Give Your Characters an Immediate Motivation
“When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away – even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.” Kurt Vonnegut (source) I’m still learning to write good…
