Hi Rock Stars! In recent years I’ve really tried to make an effort to develop my understanding of what makes good storytelling, whether it is in book form, movie, or even music. Storytelling is everywhere, and though catching the difference between a good story and a bad one can be second nature to most writers,… Continue reading How to Write a Logline
Hi Rockstars! It's been almost ten weeks since I began my agent querying process for Project Castle, my YA fantasy novel with a Venetian Carnival twist set in 1796 Italy. Since then, I've received my fair share of rejections and full manuscript requests (of which I'm still waiting to hear from). All in all, I've… Continue reading The Truth About the Querying Trenches
Hello, Rock Stars! Recently, I went through some feedback I received from an editor on the first 50 pages of my WIP. I also took a week off from any writing and simply read as much as I could. I managed to inhale four YA novels, and it was amazing to pick up on certain… Continue reading Editor’s Advice: Hook & Inciting Event
I still remember the first time I heard about The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby. A friend and writing buddy recommended it and I decided to check it out and give it a try. It's taken me practice to truly grasp and properly apply the techniques Truby… Continue reading 3 Lessons From a Master Storyteller
As writers, we’ve all heard this advise many times: Read. Read a lot. Then read some more. And when you’re done with that, keep reading. In the past, I always took this counsel at face value, attributing to logic that yes, to become a better writer, it made sense you had to read a lot. But… Continue reading Don’t Just Read. Read With Purpose
I will be the first one to admit that before last November I was never consistent enough in any of my previous NaNoWriMo years to even come close to the monthly goal of writing 50,000 words. So much so in fact, that in the past, I never even bothered logging in to my input my… Continue reading 4 Tips for NaNoWriMo Success
Melissa Muhlenkamp 