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Transcript: It’s Halloween — that magical time of year when villains, monsters, and mischief-makers get to take center stage. And honestly? They deserve it because a story is only as good as the force standing in its hero’s way. Without Darth Vader, there’s no Luke Skywalker. Without Maleficent, there’s no Sleeping Beauty. Without Regina George,…
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Transcript: Why do some heroes instantly grab us while others leave us bored, just waiting for something to happen? Think about Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Katniss in The Hunger Games, or even Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Instead of just following their stories, we feel like we’re living them. Today,…
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After having participated in the event since 2011, it was heartbreaking to learn earlier this year that National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) went under. A lot of reasons led to the collapse of this organization, so I won’t get into it here, but it was still a sad moment. NaNoWriMo had been the experience that…
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Transcript: Today, I want to talk about gatekeeping, something all of us have experienced and many of us have inflicted upon one another. Because honestly, the level of toxicity oozing into creative spaces because of gatekeeping has gotten out of hand. So today, we’re going to explore what gatekeeping is, what it looks like at…
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Transcript: Too slow, and you lose your reader. Too fast, and they’re left confused, flipping back pages like, Wait—how did we get here? Let’s fix your pacing. Pacing is one of the most under-discussed, but absolutely vital, parts of story craft. You can have gorgeous prose, complex characters, and high stakes, but if the story…
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Transcript: “Show, don’t tell! Show, don’t tell!” You’ve probably heard it shouted a thousand times in writing advice circles. Maybe even in all caps: “SHOW DON’T TELL!” But here’s the thing: most people who throw that line around don’t actually explain what it means, or when you’re supposed to use it. So instead of nagging…
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Transcript: Past tense is classic. Present tense feels urgent. Which one is right for your story? It’s like the difference between hearing “Once upon a time…” and “This is happening right now.” Both can work, but each gives the reader a completely different experience. And yes, there are wrong ways to use them. I’ve read…
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Transcript: Have you ever started writing a story, only to realize halfway through that something feels…off? Maybe the characters feel distant, or your world just isn’t coming alive on the page. Quite frequently, the issue isn’t your plot or your characters—it’s your point of view. Today, we are going to be breaking down all the…
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Transcript: In the age of “it’s not that deep” and anti-intellectualism running rampant on social media, let’s talk about theme in storytelling. And we don’t have to get super philosophical or nitpicky about details to do that. I know, I know—when you hear “theme,” you might flash back to high school English class, where it…
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Transcript: Pop quiz! What is the most important thing a story needs? It’s not strong characters, intriguing settings, or a fantastical concept. It’s conflict, the drama, the stakes, the throwdowns, the heartbreaks. We need to make our characters struggle, even suffer, and we do that through conflict. Here’s the deal: that really cool character you…
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C. Sloan Lewis | Your Virtual Writing Coach 