Don’t Squander the Power of Platonic RelationshipsJune 11, 2026Friendships don’t have to take the spotlight in your stories to play important roles in them; few manuscripts I work…
How AI Changes the GameMay 28, 2026If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. Oh, dear. AI shenanigans are once again…
The Problem with “Show, Don’t Tell”May 14, 2026If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. Ask anyone—even a nonwriter—about what good writing…
How to Be a Better Storyteller (A Margot Robbie Master Class)March 26, 2026When Margot Robbie held the SmartLess podcast hosts in the palm of her hand during a recent interview as she…
5 Ways to Create Story MomentumMarch 5, 2026If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. I often say that good story is…
The Art of Seeing Others DeeplyJanuary 29, 2026Not long ago I read David Brooks’s book How to Know a Person, and much of it is based on…
Deepen Character Goal and Motivation: The Longing and the LackJanuary 15, 2026Figuring out why your characters do what they do can be some of the hardest work of writing, and a…
Fixing Flat Characters and Flat StoriesDecember 18, 2025It’s tempting to think in terms of good or bad, clear-cut categorizations and blanket judgments; it’s tidy and orderly and…
Cohesion: The Key to Powerful StoryDecember 4, 2025A key issue I often see in stories that aren’t quite working as well as they could is that no…
How to Cook Up Original StoriesNovember 20, 2025I’ve never really developed cooking and baking as significant hobbies, despite my enjoyment of these crafts, because I’m mediocre at…
