creative writing
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Transcript: Has anyone else noticed how most writing advice is geared toward the negative? Posts and videos like “Fix Bad Writing” and “Why Your Characters SUCK” (the word suck almost always in all caps for some reason…). They paint this picture that if you aren’t writing in the exact way the writing advice suggests, then
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Transcript: Do you have too many story ideas and no clue which one to commit to? You’re definitely not alone. In fact, I received several comments and messages from my video “Turn Your Idea into a Novel” about what the heck you’re supposed to do if you have no clue which of your copious ideas
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Transcript: Have you ever had a great idea for a book… but no clue how to actually turn it into a full story? While many writers struggle with even coming up with ideas in the first place, there are many more who have amazing ideas that they just don’t know what to do with. If
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Transcript: On my classroom wall, I have a sign that reads “the expert in anything was once a beginner” to remind my students that we all have to start somewhere. And being new to anything, it’s inevitable that you will make mistakes —a lot of them. While many people who have surpassed the beginner stages
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Consistency is not my strong suit. In fact, posting a video nearly every week for almost a year on this channel comes as a major surprise to me (and possibly others). I just enjoy talking into the void of a camera lens that much, I guess. But for the life of me, I just can’t
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Transcript: The number of times writing teachers, critique partners, or coaches tell a writer to “show, don’t tell” without any explanation is way too high. It’s a problem because it gets treated like a magical cure-all for your writing. If you just show and never tell, all your writing problems will disappear, right? While it’s
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Even though we learn to talk well before we learn to write, writing dialogue can prove to be quite a challenge for many writers. If you’ve spent most of your life writing academically or professionally and are just now diving into creative writing and storytelling, dialogue can often feel impossible to master. But don’t worry,
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In the first video of my series, “Unpacking Common Writing Advice,” I dive into the phrase “Write What You Know.” This often-repeated advice is frequently misunderstood—either taken too literally or leaving writers, especially those in speculative fiction, scratching their heads. What does it actually mean, and how can you apply it to your writing without…
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Transcript: At the risk of sounding like Chef Gusteau in Ratatouille, I believe everyone can and should write a novel. A lot of people would probably tell me I’m crazy for saying that, but I still stand by it. Now, I’m not saying you need to show it to anyone or try to publish it.
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I have been struggling the past month or so with working through writer’s block. When I was younger, I thought writer’s block was just an excuse people gave themselves for being lazy, but over the past few years, I have had several instances of writer’s block that have taken months and months of productive writing
C. Sloan Lewis | Your Virtual Writing Coach 