Why Figments & Fables?

Being a writer means developing the figments of your imagination into new fables for readers. It’s a journey and a commitment. The path can be difficult, but the journey is never dull.

It begins with curiosity. What if? And then what?

Research fills in the details, but imagination powers the plot.

Characters come to life with a hard look at human nature and motivation.

Figments & Fables delves into what it’s like being a writer, the various aspects of the craft of writing, and tips for running a freelance business.

Grab a cup of tea and settle in. There’s lots to learn.

Read Blogs by Category

The Writer's Life

Choosing the life of a writer takes determination. This career path demands a lot. If you need inspiration or motivation, better habits, or other tips related to the realities of being a writer, then this is the place for you.

The Craft of Writing

Writing takes a lot of skills. The blogs in this section focus on the elements of craft, from story to grammar, exposition to tension, and so much more.

Building a Career

Knowing how to write is only part of making a career as a writer. This section explores the fundamentals of having a successful freelance career.

Featured Blogs

Generate More Story Ideas without the Stress: Proven Methods & Why They Work, Part I of III

All writers live by the power of their story ideas. How are yours? Do you struggle to come up with ideas? Or do you hit a wall when you try to develop them into something useable?

How to Write a Treatment for Scripts and Screenplays

A treatment is a summary of your script or screenplay idea. They are used for a variety of purposes, but mostly to pitch an idea and approach for a film or video. Writers typically use treatments for corporate work, influencer scripts, YouTubers, documentary films, short runs, and other quick pitches. They are the fastest way to convey your idea for visual or audio formats.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Series Bible for Television and Novels, Part II of III

Learn what to include in your writer’s Series Pitch Bible for television and novels. What to include and why. How to format it and where to find samples. Part II of III.

Story Problems: Four Major Issues Writers Face, Part III of III

The final story issue in our series concerns inconsistencies in your story, series, and world. In other words, contradicting facts in your story’s canon.

Story Problems: Four Major Issues Writers Face, Part II of III

Mary Sues are perfect in whatever they do. They possess skills at an unusually high level with little or no effort required to acquire those talents. They never have to try and never fail. They are the “chosen ones” or the best at what they need to excel in their world or story. They are beloved by all for no obvious reason. They are simply desired. They are attractive, but lack personality in most cases. But they do have power even if they don’t have to work to achieve their goal.

Story Problems: Four Major Issues Writers Face, Part I of III

Identifying and avoiding story-related issues in your writing that weaken the experience and characters. While the following list is not exhaustive, it does reflect some of the most glaring issues facing stories today. Ignore them at your peril. Three are character based and the final issue affects every aspect of story. This is part one of a three-part series. More to come.

Three Big Plot Problems and How to Fix Them, Part II of II

There are many ways a plot can go astray, but plot armor, deus ex machina, and plot holes are the most common. So why would you ever want to use these devices? And if you do, how do you use them correctly?

Three Big Plot Problems and How to Fix Them, Part I of II

There are many ways a script or novel can go astray. Today, we’re going to review three big plotting issues that face writers: plot armor, deus ex machina, and plot holes. All three fall squarely in the writer’s hands.

Concept vs. Premise vs. Story, Part II of II

In the first part of this series, we looked at the definitions and purposes of concept, premise and story. Now let’s look at how to build a good premise and break down one of the previous examples to see how the author built a stronger story from her concept and premise.

Concept vs. Premise vs. Story, Part I of II

Concept, premise and story are not the same things. Confusing them or using them interchangeably is a common mistake, but one that weakens writing. In this two-part series, we’ll explore what each of these terms means and how to use each technique to build stronger stories.

How to Succeed in Your Writing and Freelance Business in 2022 (Part IV of IV)

The final blog in this series focuses on how to achieve your goals as a freelance writer of self-directed work (articles, blogs and such) and as a novelist.

How to Succeed in Your Writing and Freelance Business in 2022 (Part III of IV)

Explore strategies and tactics for finding client-based work in this third installment in the series on finding new work in 2022. We’ll finish up the series next week with a blog focusing on strategies and tactics for freelance writers (articles, blogs, etc) and those writing novels or nonfiction books.
Taking on clients is a great way to boost your business. Not only does it open up your potential sources of income, but clients offer a variety of benefits to any freelance business.

How to Succeed in Your Writing and Freelance Business in 2022 (Part II of IV)

What are you goals in 2022? What do you need to do to reach them? This series looks at the questions you need to ask and answer to achieve your vision. It looks at questions like, how many words do you want to write? How many clients do you need? How many assignments? How much will you need to charge to make it?

How to Succeed in Your Writing and Freelance Business in 2022 (Part I of IV)

Success looks different these days. Our world has changed these past couple of years and freelancing has become more common and more competitive. Standing out as a freelance writer or author has become a bit harder. How will you succeed?

This series looks at setting yourself up for success in the new year. January is the perfect time to set a course for the months ahead. It’s typically a slow period for freelancing and the weather invites introspection and planning.

End of Year Tasks for Freelance & Professional Writers (Part 3 of 3)

Finish out the year with our list of year-end tasks designed specifically for freelance writers.

End of Year Tasks for Freelance & Professional Writers (Part 2 of 3)

Finish the year strong by doing a series of year-end tasks designed to help you analyze how you did last year and set you up for a more successful year in 2022.

End of Year Tasks for Freelance & Professional Writers (Part 1 of 3)

Time has flown this year and it is time again to close out another year of writing.

This is a great time to take stock of where you are with your writing and get organized for the year to come. Finish our your freelance writing year with a few year-end tasks. Below you will find part one of our three-part series on steps writers and small businesses should take to finish out a year for better success in the new one.

Gifts for Writers 2021

Gift ideas for the writer and reader in your life, even if that’s you. Here is the 2021 holiday gift guide from Figments & Fables.

NaNoWriMo: The Halfway Point—How Are You Doing?

We are halfway through November, which means, if you are doing NaNoWriMo (writing a novel during the National Novel Writing Month of November), you should have at least 25,000 words on the page by now. How are you doing? Ahead of schedule? Behind? Hopelessly flailing or flying along?

Finding the Theme of Your Story: And Why It Matters

Themes enhance stories, making them more meaningful. It’s theme that makes a story linger in your memory. It’s theme that provides the touchstone for what happens. It’s what informs everything that follows the opening sequence. Themes matter to the story and your writing. But most of all, theme matters to your characters.

Rejection: It’s Okay to Feel the Pain

Writers get rejected. It’s part of the job. But the frequency with which it happens doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

Recently I threw my name into consideration for a contract position I wanted. It would have meant a significant cut in my rate, but an increase in my quality of life. I would have been writing about a topic that would have brought me joy. It was a job I also would have excelled at doing. But therein lies the problem—I was overqualified and too expensive. Or maybe they just didn’t like my pitch or tone or samples. Who knows? I never heard. It was one of those situations where you apply and hear crickets.

16 Ways to Open a Script: The Opening Scene (Part 2 of 2)

The first moments of your script or novel matter. They set up what is to follow and hook the audience. Or they don’t.

The best film openings establish tone, settings, and character. They establish context for what will follow or establish expectations that will be thwarted later on. They do more than simply open the film. They start the story and grab the audience.

16 Ways to Open a Script: Opening Scenes

How you start your script or screenplay matters. These opening scenes establish an expectation and either appeal or repel an audience. What a film shows in the first five minutes is critical to how an audience will react, how engaged they become, and how long they will sit watching your story unfold.

The opening shot is your chance to hook them. It’s the first exchange of information. The first connection. How you approach that is everything.

What You Read…Does It Matter?

Does it matter whether you fill your head with the classics or modern books? Manga or SciFi/Fantasy? Romance or nonfiction? The top 100 books by NPR or the Rory Gilmore Challenge? Does what you read matter as much as the fact that you are reading?

Care and Feeding of a Client (Part 2 of 2)

Part one of this blog covered the first five tips for caring for your clients as a freelance writer.

Clients are essential to running a successful freelance business. They keep the lights on and the dream alive. It pays to learn how to care for those relationships.

Care and Feeding of a Client (Part 1 of 2)

Freelance writers need clients. They are the lifeblood of a strong freelance business. They pay the bills and keep the dream alive. As such, it pays to take care of them and nurture those relationships.

For the purpose of this article, I will lump editors and publishers (both traditional and online) in with clients. The tips below work for anyone who hires you to write for them.

Scenes: How to Strengthen Yours and Make Them the Heart of Your Story

Scenes make up stories. They are the building blocks that form narrative. As writers, we stack scenes together to tell a particular tale. How we write, build, and stack those scenes matters.

15 Tricks for Proofreading Your Work

You’ve finished your project and hit send. Then you notice an error. It’s the worst feeling when you find the mistake after submission. Those tiny errors haunt writers, which is why proofreading is an essential step for everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written an email, presentation or novel. It needs to be error-free.

Start of School: How a Box of Pencils Inspires Better Writing and Renewed Passion for Freelancing

The sight of school supplies lined up in boxes in colorful store displays brings back memories. There is something magical seeing those pencils sharpened and ready to write new words and stories. It’s a writer’s dream. Even when I was a grade school student, I loved the colors and feel of pencils. Later, I became obsessed with pens and have boxes of them stashed in my office supply closet.

They contain possibilities. Words still unwritten. Stories begging to be released.

The Five Phases of Big Picture Editing

Editing can be fun, but it also can be tough. It’s an emotional phase of the writing process that can batter a writer’s spirit. Not all of the time. There will be projects that are easy to write and edit, but I’m not talking about those projects today. Today I’m talking about those larger beasts that tear at a writer’s soul. The projects that make us question whether we can write and why we want to do this in the first place. Those projects are the ones that test our resolve to write.

Top 12 Tips for Critiquing Someone Else’s Work

I am often asked to critique my friends’ work. I consider it an occupational hazard. Of course, I also offer manuscript critiques as part of my business. I enjoy doing them, but recognize they can present a few challenges and always proceed with caution.

What I Carry: Inside a Writer’s Go Bag

Summer is fading, even if the heat persists. It’s back-to-school time and the sales of pens, paper, and notebooks are calling to me as they always do.

The Throughline: What It Is, Why You Need One, and How Do You Create One? (Part 2 of 2)

In the last blog we defined throughlines, loglines and taglines. Now let’s look closer at throughlines—the most important of the three.

The Throughline: What Is It, Why You Need One, and How Do You Create One? (Part 1 of 2)

The throughline is a single thread that winds through your story and off which everything else hangs. It drives the writing and organizes the plot, action and character development. The throughline is the main motivation driving the protagonist toward the ending. It is what holds your story together so it can be a story instead of a random collection of anecdotes and scenes. A good throughline is how you propel your story forward in a way that makes sense.

Three Questions to Ask Yourself If You Want to Be a Writer

Lots of people talk about writing and being a writer. They dream about book signings and being famous, the photo on the back of the cover, the money. What few do is embrace what it takes to get there. The hard days/nights of work and the roller coaster of emotions that are inevitable. Even fewer actually sit down and write.

If you want to be one of this small group, ask yourself these three questions:

12 Non-Writing Fields Writers Should Study

Studying is an eternal state of being for writers. It’s our lifeblood–how we hone our craft and add depth to our work. As Gary Paulson says, “If you want to be a good writer, you’ve got to read like a wolf eats.” I believe that applies to studying too.

9 More Signs of Amateur Writing and How to Fix Them (Part 2 of 2)

The last blog outlined nine signs of amateur writing and how to fix them. This blog continues that list with another nine ways new writers show their inexperience.

Here is the second set of nine signs of amateur writers and how to fix them:

9 Signs of Amateur Writing & How to Fix Them (Part 1 of 2)

Writing is a skill. It takes time to master. That doesn’t mean you can’t earn a living writing before you achieve an expert level, but you will need to refine your skills to have a career.

Here are 9 signs of amateur writing and how to avoid them:

Interrogating Your Characters: How Asking Questions Will Lead to Stronger Writing (Part 2 of 2)

In Part I of this series, we examined some ways to dig deeper into your characters’ motivation and figure out their stakes in the plot. Now let’s go even farther by asking your characters:

Interrogating Your Characters: How Asking Questions Will Lead to Stronger Stories (Part 1 of 2)

The only thing that matters in fiction is why. Why does what is happening matter to the protagonist and other characters? Why should we care? It’s not enough for things to happen to your characters. You have to know what it means to each of them and how it affects their lives. This means you need to know what makes your characters tick. Why they make the choices they do. Why they react the way they do. Why they don’t just walk away.

Habits Writers Should Embrace

There are many habits a writer should develop. These are just a few. Let’s call them my top 15.

Opening Lines (Part 2 of 2)

In the last blog, we discussed what first lines of stories need to include. Now we’ll look at ways you can improve your opening lines.

Opening Lines (Part 1 of 2)

First sentences are paramount to stories. They are the first impression. The hook by which readers are tempted to continue on instead of tossing the book back on the shelf so they can keep looking. They are a portal to the story itself.

Why Storytelling Matters in Business: Another Market Segment for Writers

Life is emotional. So is business, whether you want to admit it or not. Sure, you might not be able to cry at your desk everyday or throw temper tantrums in the break room, but emotions do come into play in business.

Organizations use emotion to make you care about their products, services, and causes. They use it as a form of persuasion, which is the art of making you desire something you might not otherwise.

Breaking Through the Resistance: A Writer’s Constant Challenge (Part 2 of 2)

Not writing happens more than writing. Staring at the blank page. Struggling to get motivation to put words on the screen. We have all felt that way. It’s common. Its cause? Resistance.

Resistance keeps writers from writing. It stands in the way of every type of creative endeavor, whether its a painter who isn’t wielding her brush or a writer avoiding the page. It is the single biggest challenge in creating things that are whole and realized and finished.

Fighting Against Resistance: A Writer’s Constant Challenge (Part 1 of 2)

Stephen Pressfield wrote in his book The War of Art that “it’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is resistance.”

He is not wrong.

Adapting The Rule of Six for Novelists (Part 2 of 2)

In part one of this series, we talked about how and why film editor Walter Murch’s famous Rule of Six works equally well for novelists. Now let’s break down each of the six rules:

Adapting The Rule of Six for Novelists (Part 1 of 2)

The Rule of Six is a list of the six most important types of cuts a film editor should make, according to famed film editor Walter Murch in his book, In the Blink of an Eye. Though written for film editors, his suggestions make sense for novelists too.

Elevating Your Writing No Matter the Form (Part 2 of 2)

Writing should inspire, motivate, educate, illuminate, inform, persuade, and engage. To do this, it has to rise above the basics and become something more.

In the first part in this series, we explored two introductions used in the television series The West Wing as an example of how to elevate writing from the barely functional to an art. Now let’s break down some practical steps you can take to elevate your writing.

Ten ways to improve your writing:

Elevating Your Writing No Matter the Form (Part 1 of 2)

The term “writing” covers a wide range of acts. There is the Great American Novel and direct mail flyers. Ad copy and speeches. Screenplays and novels. Radio scripts and web content. Being able to put words on a page takes many forms, not all of them lofty or noble. Sometimes all you need is a well-crafted email or text. That is the wonder of writing and human communication. It comes in all forms.

No, the problem is not with the form writing takes, but with the mindset many writers have when faced with what many consider “pedestrian” work. Their minds become pedestrian, bland, complacent, and it doesn’t have to be that way. You can elevate your writing no matter what form it takes, whether it’s the opening of your manuscript or a simple introduction. Here’s an example of what I mean.

Timing, Pacing, & Tension: What Are They and How Are They Different? (Part 3 of 3)

A story’s tension comes from its rhythm, timing, and pacing, which is what keeps a reader glued to the page and an audience in their seats. Let’s break down why that is.

Timing, Pacing, & Tension: What Are They and How Are They Different? (Part 2 of 3)

Pacing is often confused with timing, and understandably so. They do overlap in some ways. But while timing is the placement of a scene within the overall story, as we learned in last week’s blog, pacing deals with the modulation of the overall work. In other words, pacing is the speed at which the story unfolds.

Timing, Pacing, & Tension: What Are They and How Are They Different? (Part 1 of 3)

Everyone knows that comedy is all about timing. A joke succeeds when the punch line is delivered at just the right moment. As they say, “Timing is everything.” But what does that mean in terms of writing a novel or longer form of storytelling? How do you manage timing? And how does it differ from duration and pacing? How does it influence tension? Those are the questions we are going to tackle in this short series.

Writing the Emotional Arc (Part 2 of 2)

A story hinges on the inciting incident—the event that pushes a protagonist outside of her status quo and forces her to move in a new direction. The inciting incident presents a choice: to stay and deal with the new circumstances or to move beyond what’s comfortable to go after what the protagonist really wants, facing new challenges along the way. It really isn’t a choice since it wouldn’t be much of a story if the protagonist stayed where she was. Thus, the inciting incident starts the journey.

Writing the Emotional Arc (Part 1 of 2)

The point of any story is to engage the audience or reader. It’s why the hook is so important; it’s the part of the story that grabs the readers’ attention and makes them want to know what happens next. But the ultimate goal is to make your readers’ care about what they are reading or watching.

Finding Work as a Freelance Writer

This past year has been a tough one for everyone. The lockdowns have torn up our economy and caused many creatives to lose their livelihoods. Contracts dried up, assignments faltered, and paychecks disappeared. But there is hope.

Life as a freelancer has its challenges, now more than ever, which is why it helps to be creative in finding solutions. Now is not the time to stick to the usual.

Work is out there. Here are a dozen places to try to find it:

Location Scouting—What Writers Can Learn from Filmmakers

One of the first steps in pre-production, after developing a treatment and writing the screenplay, is figuring out where you can shoot the script. Where can you get those beautiful establishing shots and find sets to bring the story to life? Where in the world can you find places that look like what’s described in the screenplay or novel it is based upon?

Research: Looking Beyond the Surface

Research should reveal more than simple fact. It can offer insights into a time period, an event, a moment. It can reveal hidden depths. The trick is to use these insights to create more textured and layered characters.

Research: Determining How Much You Need

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book on Research for Writers:

There are different levels of research: cursory understanding, basic competence, proficiency and mastery.

Writing for Free: Is It Ever a Good Idea? (Part 2 of 2)

This two-part series began with the reasons you might choose to write for free. The key word in that sentence was choose. It is fine if it is your decision to provide your talents to a project without payment. But that is not always the case.

Here Are Some Reasons When It Does Not Make Sense to Write for Free:

Writing for Free: Is It Ever a Good Idea?

There is a pervasive idea in freelancing that writing for free is a legitimate avenue to finding paying work. In downturn economies and tough times, like trying to find work during a pandemic, taking any assignment sounds better than turning one down, even if the assignment is on spec or without pay. Don’t fall prey to this idea. It is false.

12 Steps for Freelancers to Start the Year Off Right

It’s a new year, finally, and, despite coming off a rocky year, there is room for hope and anticipation for the year ahead. This pandemic will pass and life will resume. It always does. Eventually.

Work will resume too. I know many of us (me included) took a beating last year, losing contracts, work, and facing grim prospects. But this too will change. All you need is patience and some preparation so you’re ready to grab opportunities as they appear. And they will appear. Trust me.

A New Year’s Message for Writers

There is no question this has been a tough year for us all. The pandemic. The riots. The unrest. The economic uncertainty. The losses. There have been so many pressures and demands with little relief in sight.

Common Reasons for Not Writing: No Focus (Part 4 of 4)

This series on writing obstacles has looked at three of the four main excuses writers use for not putting words on the page: no energy, no motivation, and no ideas. In our final installment, we’re going to look at lack of focus.

Common Reasons for Not Writing: No Ideas (Part 3 of 4)

This time, we’re focusing on a lack of ideas. This is a big reason why some people stop writing. It’s simply because they can’t think of what to write next. Here are some tricks to get around that:

Common Reasons for Not Writing: No Motivation (Part 2 of 4)

This series is exploring the many reasons writers come up with for not writing and the four main reasons for those excuses: no energy, no motivation, no ideas and no focus.

Today we are looking at a lack of motivation and offering tips to help boost yours:

Write Faster (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, we talked about ways to write faster. The blog was filled with tips and tricks to get those 50k words for NaNoWriMo down more quickly. Though the tricks will work for any project at any time.

Writing faster is a valuable skill. As a professional writer, I know the faster I am able to write, the more I can produce, which means more money. Of course, faster can’t be more important than good, when it comes to clients. When it comes to first drafts, the words matter more. Get them down as fast as possible. You can worry about the quality later.

Write Faster (Part 1 of 2)

With NaNoWriMo in full swing, writing faster is a valuable skill. The good news is that it isn’t that hard to rack up words a bit faster than you usually do. Here is the first round of tips to get closer to that 50k word goal.

Tips for Participating in NaNoWriMo (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, we talked about strategies to take on NaNoWriMo, now let’s get into specific strategies you can use to up that word count.

Tips for Participating in NaNoWriMo (Part 1 of 2)

If you are one of many writers who have signed on to do this year’s NaNoWriMo, you are in luck. Here are my top tips for doing it right:

Choosing to Do NaNoWriMo: Seven Reasons to Join

Next month is NaNoWriMo: the National Novel Writing Month. It’s a time when writers around the world hunker down to write 50 thousand words on a novel in a single month. It’s not a small endeavor. So why do it?

Here are my top seven benefits to you from choosing to join NaNoWriMo:

Rules of Writing: What You Need to Know

There are no rules.

Just kidding. Of course there are rules. There are rules of grammar, plot, structure, etiquette and all manner of other aspects of writing and publishing. The problem is there isn’t one, single set of rules. There are many.

Rejection—You’re In Good Company (Part 3 of 3)

In this series on rejection, we’ve looked at how to handle the disappointment and reason behind rejections. Now let’s get a little bit of perspective.

Every writer gets rejected. Every one. Even the best.

Rejection—Why It Happens (Part 2 of 3)

In the first blog of this series, we talked about how to handle rejection. Now let’s look at why rejections happen…and they are going to happen.

Rejection—16 Tips for How to Handle It as a Writer (Part 1 of 3)

Rejection is part of a writer’s life no matter if you are writing books, scripts, speeches or blogs. Every writer has been rejected at some point in letters, emails, texts, phone calls and in person. And it never gets easier.

Finding Time to Write

It doesn’t matter if we’re always at home now or not, it’s always hard to find time to write. There are too many distractions: paying work, family, home improvement projects, laundry, dishes, dinner, Netflix, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, piles of books. So many lovely excuses keeping you from the page. Heck, that blank page is often enough to prompt bouts of irrational cleaning. Anything instead of doing the work.

It’s not always about finding the time. It’s about creating the right mindset so you want to write and then carving out time to do just that.

Writing Breaks Are Healthy (Part 2 of 2)

Writing breaks are healthy for every writer. That’s why Figments & Fables is on a two-week break. We will be back next week with new content. Until we return, we invite you to revisit some older blogs:

Writing Breaks Are Healthy (Part 1 of 2)

Coming up with ideas, researching them and then writing useful blogs takes time and energy. For the past few years, I have poured myself into this task without taking any breaks. But the time has come. Figments & Fables will be on break for the next two weeks. While we are away, check out some of our blog series (I will post the first link in each series):

How to Recognize Good Writing

When is good writing good writing? Is it a sentence or paragraph that hooks the reader? It is laud the ability to craft a gorgeous sentence no matter what? Or does noticing that great passage distract from the reading experience?


I think we can all agree there are books that amaze us with their prose and those that challenge us with their awkward phrasing and clunky pacing. It’s a question of quality. We know what works and what doesn’t on a visceral level. But how do we define it? And, more importantly, how do we make sure we’re on the right side of that line with our writing?

Getting Freelance Writing Jobs Even During COVID-19 (Part 3 of 3)

In the first two blogs of this three-part series, we talked about what to prepare to do a marketing push and how to find new clients. Now we’re going to look at what to do during the in-between bits—between your preparation and your initial pitches.

Not Landing Jobs

Getting Freelance Writing Jobs Even During COVID-19 (Part 2 of 3)

In the first part of this blog series on finding freelance work, we talked about things you should do before you begin your marketing and sales pitches. Now we’ll look at concrete actions you can take to find work.

Getting Freelance Writing Jobs Even During COVID-19 (Part 1 of 3)

Writers find work in a variety of ways, dictated mostly by experience level and type of writing. In the nonfiction world, this may mean publications, blogs, websites, corporations, nonprofits, agencies, production houses, and more. This makes it more difficult to answer the question: how do I find work, especially during a pandemic when so many are out of work or are operating at lower capacity? Even given these challenges, there are ways to boost your chances, no matter your skill set or level.

A Bit of a Word Rant


Like the rest of the pandemic-trapped world, I’m at home social distancing and watching way too much HGTV. It has inspired me to launch a few home improvement projects and write this blog, which is admittedly more of a rant. Sorry. Though I think I do make some good points about using the right word and why that’s important, so please read through the rant to the end. It gets better. And thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

Top Ten Bits of Advice for Aspiring Writers (Part 2 of 2)

A continuation of the first part. Five more bits of advice for aspiring writers.

Top Ten Bits of Advice for Aspiring Writers (Part 1 of 2)

1. Write, It’s As Easy As That
This will end your “aspirations” and make you an actual writer. The fact is you are either writing or you are not writing. There is no in-between.

The Power of Storytelling

In this world of quarantine and social distancing, the only escape we have left is story-based. Whether you choose to open a book, lose yourself in a movie, or tackle the latest video game story mode, it is the story that draws us in and lets us forget about our worries for a while.

Top 12 Mistakes I’ve Made in My Career

Being a freelance writer is a tough gig. Not because of the writing, though that has its own difficulties, but because of the business side of things. Through the many years I’ve been doing this, I have learned some tough lessons. Here are my top 12:

12 Truths About Writing

There are so many blogs out there about writing and they all offer advice. Some of them contain sound advice and some are so vague they barely count as helpful. My intent at Figments & Fables is to share advice and tips that will help someone have a real career, whether in fiction or nonfiction. If I ever stray in this goal, feel free to nudge me back on course.

Writing Is Easy, Right?

We all know that writing is easy, “All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed” according to Ernest Hemingway. And that is true to a point. But it isn’t the whole truth. Writing is easy and hard, but it’s also exciting, creative, playful, and relaxing. It feeds the soul and can be magical.

Wants vs. Needs (Part 4 of 4)

Abraham Maslow identified human needs in his Hierarchy of Needs (as described in the last blog). But later in his career, he expanded his hierarchy to include Cognitive and Aesthetic Needs (both of which fall under Esteem Needs) and Transcendence Needs that served as the final level—the level to which we all aspire once our Deficiency Needs are met.

Wants vs. Needs (Part 3 of 4)

The first two parts of this series focused on using wants and needs to develop characters and laid out the basics of wants vs. needs. Now we’re ready to take a deeper look at needs and the human condition, which will help write better characters.

Wants vs. Needs (Part 2 of 4)

In the first blog in this series, we explored what wants and needs are in their most basic form. Now we’ll look at how they can be used to design plot and characters. [Warning: This blog includes spoilers for some novels, so if you have not read the books or seen the movies, be forewarned.]

Character Wants vs. Needs (Part 1 of 4)

Stories are about character. Sure, you can have an action film with little more than special effects and plot (think Transformers), but those kinds of stories have little emotional impact. They are fun while you’re watching them, but they don’t linger. They don’t make the audience think. Or feel. For those reactions, you need characters who want things and need things.

Wants and Needs are two elements that drive stories. They determine plot and character. Story and resolution.

Introducing Characters (Part 4 of 4)

This is the final blog in the How to Introduce a Character series. In the first three blogs, we touched on the basics, tips on how to introduce characters, and examples from both films and books. This blog will complete the examples and ways to introduce a character, whether main or side.

Introducing Characters (Part 3 of 4)

In the previous two blogs, we looked at some basic advice and criteria for introducing characters—the lifeblood of any story. Now we’re going to go deeper and look at various examples of the ways in which you can bring your character to life the first time you introduce them to your reader. As you can imagine, this is a huge topic, so these examples will be broken into two blogs to finish out this series on character introductions. Now to begin…

Ways to introduce characters:

Introducing Characters (Part 2 of 4)

The first blog of this series laid the foundation for character introductions. Now we’re going to go deeper into ways to introduce characters. The final two blogs in this series will explore each type of introduction with specific examples and explanations.

Bringing your characters to life begins with the introduction, no matter whether it’s in fiction or film, it’s how you choose to begin that matters. There are many options:

Introducing Characters (Part 1 of 4)

Characters make stories. They are why we read. They are how we escape into someone else’s life, experience trials foreign to our own. They provide inspiration to keep going during struggles. Getting to know them helps us learn and feel. They change us.

Characters are why we care. They are why we keep turning pages and stay glued to the screen.

Resources for Writers (for general use and during COVID-19)

Never before has the Internet been so important. Heaven help us if wifi goes down. We might not make it.

Sequestered in our homes, it’s books, movies, and streaming content that keeps us going. That is, when we’re not working out, cooking or obsessing about flour, yeast or paper products. But even YouTube can let us down now and then. Our feeds get gunked up with cat videos and before we know it, we’re down the rabbit hole never to be seen again.

Well, here are some links to help you stay on track, even if you are still sitting on the couch:

Why Writing Is Important, Especially Now

I was talking with someone recently who was despondent because she felt her writing no longer held meaning in light of what was happening in the world around us. I understand how someone might feel like that. We’re not on the front lines. We’re not putting our lives at risk sitting in front of a blank page. It’s an easy assumption to make, but an erroneous one.

Writing in a Time of Coronavirus

Across the country, we are hunkering in our houses, apartments, condos, and yurts hiding from an invisible pathogen intent on causing harm. We’re closed off from others, forced into an isolated existence. The kids are home. Shops closed. Parks cordoned off. It feels like a different world than it did a month ago and it looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

As writers, it is up to us to capture this time in words. It’s time to keep a journal. Take a moment each day to write down what is happening and how it makes you feel. Take the shock, worry, anxiety, anger, fear, compassion, sadness and grief we all feel and commit them to the page. Describe what is happening—all of it. The boredom, the loneliness, and the obsession for toilet paper. These are the parts of the pandemic that are human. They are the emotions that define this time. It is also where you will find story and character.

Tips for Working from Home (Part 2 of 2)

In the last blog, I shared tips for working at home. In this age of COVID-19, more people are self-isolating and working from home than ever before. But it’s nothing new for freelance and independent writers. We always work from home, but that doesn’t make it easy, especially at first.

After two decades, I have come up with some tips for making the transition from a traditional work environment to a solo venture. Look for the first set of tips in the previous blog. Here are the rest of my tips for surviving a work-at-home situation:

Tips for Working from Home (Part 1 of 2)

COVID-19 has changed the way the world works. People are self-isolating and working from home in vast numbers. But working from home is nothing new for freelance and independent writers. We always work from home, or a cafe, a plane, the park. It’s part of the job description.

After two decades, I have come up with some tips for making the transition from a traditional work environment to a solo venture a bit easier. Here are my best tips for surviving a work-at-home situation:

Writing Lessons: Learning the Craft

There’s so much info available about writing—blogs, videos, classes, lectures, workshops, conferences, books. It’s easier now than ever to learn more about the craft and that’s amazing. It’s essential to work on your skills, to learn how grammar, structure and mechanics work in writing, and how to improve the other elements of good fiction and creative nonfiction.

But (there had to be a but, right?)…

My Top 12 Truths about Writing

There are so many blogs out there about writing and they all offer advice. Some of them contain sound advice and some are so vague they barely count as helpful. My intent is to share advice and tips that will help someone have a real career in this business, whether in fiction or nonfiction. If I ever stray in this goal, feel free to nudge me back on course.

Discipline for Writers: Practical Habits to Develop (Part 4 of 4)

Discipline is key to succeeding as a writer. This series has explored why discipline matters, how to embrace a discipline mindset and offered tips for developing discipline by focusing on you and your habits. This blog finished the series by looking at external things you can do to develop better a writing discipline.

Discipline for Writers: Tips for Handling Emotional & Physical Barriers (Part 3 of 4)

There are reasons why discipline is difficult for creative people. We tend to be free spirits who eschew structure. The very act of creating is rebellious. It’s a breaking free of the rules and expectations. It’s a more untethered life than the typical nine-to-five affords. It is at its heart an emotional act. On the other hand, discipline is based in thought and rationale. It’s not surprising these two opposites clash. But there are ways to change that.

Discipline for Writers: Changing Your Mindset (Part 2 of 4)

Habits are mental. They are choices you make every day—choices that require discipline. Yes, that D word that carries some negative connotations. But though discipline isn’t easy to develop, it is far from a dirty word. Rather it is a commitment. Dedication to a dream combined with the will to execute.

This blog will focus on ways to embrace discipline as a writer.

Discipline for Writers: Why It Matters (Part 1 of 4)

Writing is a creative pursuit. It isn’t like traditional, non-creative, jobs where you punch a clock and pick up a paycheck. There’s no boss to report to or inbox to tackle. It’s less structured than all that. And not. Not if you want to survive.

Tricks to Help Writers Stop Procrastinating

We’ve all been there—desperately searching for any task to be completed other than writing. There’s nothing like staring at a blank page to make laundry, cleaning the bathroom, mopping or taking out the trash look so good.

Meet procrastination—the habit that keeps writers from writing. It’s what forces us down the rabbit hole of YouTube and what has us launching Netflix instead of working on our pages. It’s why we flee from that insistent cursor that waits for words to pour from our fingers.

Resolutions for Writers (Part 2 of 2)

’Tis the season for resolutions. In Part I of this two-part series, we talked about ways to learn, stretch your skills, connect, be kind to yourself and commit to reading and writing in the new year. Below are more resolutions to take up in your pursuit of writing.

Resolutions for Writers (Part 1 of 2)

Every year, millions set resolutions for the coming year. Months, weeks, days, and sometimes even hours, later those resolutions fail. There is something in our minds that rebel against change, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try forming new habits. In fact, it is that resistance that demands we keep trying.

The New Year for Figments & Fables: Changes Coming

Happy New Year! 2020 is going to be a great year. Big changes are coming to Figments & Fables this year.

For years, I have posted blogs about the craft of writing, from nonfiction to fiction to the business of writing. I love sharing my experience and tips with everyone and will continue to do that, but in an expanded way.

NaNo: Now What? (Part 4 of 4)

This month we’ve been focusing on what to do now that NaNoWriMo is over. This four-part series has covered the initial steps of revision, editing on a larger scale, and drilling down to the sentence level edits. Now it’s time for the last bit of advice before you can send your story out into the world.

General Advice:

NaNo: Now What? (Part 3 of 4)

NaNoWriMo is finished, but you aren’t. This four-part series covers what you need to do next. The first blog tackled the initial steps of revision. The second focused on editing on a larger scale. Now we’re going small, moving on to the sentence level.

Sentence Level:
There are a host of elements to check at the sentence level.

NaNo: Now What? (Part 2 of 4)

NaNoWriMo is over. So what now? This series lays out a game plan for revising your manuscript. The first blog covered the initial steps to take. Now we’re moving on to editing, starting large and moving toward the smaller details as we go. The final blog will cover the final steps of manuscript preparation.

NaNo: Now What? (Part 1 of 4)

You’ve made it. It’s finally December and NaNoWriMo is over. You did it. Or you did something. It doesn’t matter whether you reached your goal or fell a bit short. Just because NaNoWriMo is done doesn’t mean you are. There are still many things left to do if you want to turn your words into something finished.

Gifts for the Writer in Your Life–Even if That’s You

The holiday season is a great time to give writing- and reading-related gifts. Here is a quick list of ideas.

Writing Rules & Instincts

There’s a writing axiom that states everyone should learn the rules before they break them. I happen to agree with this rule. But I also believe in breaking rules. It’s a tenuous position for a blogger who focuses on how to write. Today’s blog is about what I truly believe.

Trust your instincts.

Tension: Breaking Down Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The past few blogs we’ve focused on complications, tension and raising the stakes. Now we’re going to look at how that plays out by breaking down a fairy tale. We’ll begin with Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The story typically starts out with the bears discovering their porridge is too hot and deciding to go for a walk, leaving their home unoccupied. I say typically starts out because there are many versions of this tale, each with its own quirks and variances. But let’s work with this opening as the hook. Talking bears who live in a house and eat porridge. Check. I want to read that.

Tension: Raising the Stakes

This blog examines the types of stakes you can use to raise tension to its highest levels.

A good place to begin is with some questions:

What happens if the protagonist fails?
What is at stake? Personally? Publicly? Morally?
Why can’t your protagonist just walk away?

Adding Tension to Your Story

Tension is a key element in storytelling. It’s that strain and uncertainty that hooks the reader. What’s making that creaking sound? Will the hero save the world? Can the kidnapped boy escape before the villain returns? Will the heroine ever recover from the spell the witch cast or is she doomed forever?

Putting your characters in peril pulls your reader into the story and makes it interesting. When there’s no tension, stories can feel flat or boring. But how do you add tension to a story?

Succeed at NaNoWriMo: Tips for During NaNoWriMo (Part 2 of 2)

Part one of this two-part series focused on tips you can use before NaNoWriMo begins. This part looks at what to do during NaNoWriMo to increase your odds of succeeding, though the tips work equally well for writing a first draft any time.

How to Succeed at NaNoWriMo (Part 1 of 2)

It’s almost November when hundreds of thousands of writers will take on the challenge of writing 50k words in a single month. It’s not a small undertaking, but one that is easier if you have a plan.

Exposition Explained

Exposition is the part that holds stories together, the bit that introduces information the reader needs to know to understand the plot. It’s the detail that cannot be contained within dialogue or action. Exposition is why a story makes sense.

Pocket Writing and NaNoWriMo

It’s October and writers everywhere are scrambling to prepare for NaNoWriMo—that one month when dreamers put pen to paper and write. Fifty thousand words in thirty days. It’s a glorious, exhausting plunge into writing that I highly recommend trying.

The trick to NaNoWriMo is to take the motivation you feel during November and experience it throughout the year when it’s back to just you and your words. No fellow writers feeling the pressure. No write-ins or all-nighters with like-minded folks. No common goal for the month.

Five Ways to Establish Context in Your Story (Part 2 of 2)

Context is everything in stories and in life. In the last blog, we explored the relationship between context and complication. This time, we’re going to examine the ways to establish context within your story.

There are two ways in which context affects story—the context of the plot (or event, in the case of nonfiction) and the context of character.

Using Context and Complication to Strengthen Your Story (Part 1 of 2)

Context is the foundation for everything. It colors perception and fact. It changes minds and tugs on emotion. Without context, a story is nothing more than an anecdote floating in space.


Context provides the background, backstory, setting and structure that holds the details of a story together and gives the reader the framework necessary to understand. Without this, the reader cannot know how to feel.

It’s Complicated (Part 2 of 2)

The first part of this two-part series covered the importance of complications and how to test whether the complications you are are adding are within the framework of your story. In this blog, we’re going to look at the different kinds of complications typically found in stories.

There are many ways to add complications in your story. In a romance novel, it might be rival or obstacle that keeps the two main characters apart. In a mystery, it could be a serial killer or a lack of clues. In SciFi, it might be an alien invasion or a dystopian world that oppresses its citizens. The list is limited only by your imagination.

It’s Complicated (Part 1 of 2)

I don’t know many people who don’t lean in when they hear that phrase. “It’s complicated.” Two words that hold the power to intrigue and pique curiosity. They make us click to find out more. They prompt questions and promise a bevy of details. “It’s complicated” might not be a great way to live, but it sure is a good way to tell a story.

Complications make stories. As writers, we understand this. It’s why we cram complications into our stories and keep shoving until our characters can’t take it anymore…and then we add more.

Writing Supplies—Pens and Paper, Oh My!

I have a problem. I love pens. I own boxes of pens that I rarely use or even look at, but am loathe to throw away, minimalism be damned. They’re pens. It’s like asking me to get rid of books—it’s not going to happen even if they threaten to bury me alive. There is something visceral at work here—the potential of so many words yet to be written. They are there, hovering out of sight, waiting on inspiration. Pens hold that potential. The paper awaits their brilliance. All that’s needed is me.

September rolls around and the sales begin and I find myself grabbing pens and tossing them in my cart. I have to collect them all—pens, pads of paper, highlighters, pencils, erasers. They call to me. Loudly.

The thing is there may be a reason for that temptation.

Sensory Writing: Taste (Part 6 of 6)

Taste is directly linked to smell. It, like smell, also happens within the body. We have to take in the food in order to taste it. Taste cannot happen passively. It is an active act, a decision. We drink the wine, eat the pizza, and savor the chocolate. As it’s linked to smell, I am going to limit my commentary, but I highly encourage you to include taste in your work.

Sensory Writing: Smell (Part 5 of 6)

Experts say that smell is the sense most closely related to memory. The one that can transport us in time. It is also the sense I am least able to discuss. I was born without the sense of smell (congenital anosmia). I have not smelled anything in my life. Never will (so please do not ask me to smell things, especially things like ammonia. Been there—done that—can’t smell it).

Sensory Writing: Touch (Part 4 of 6)

When we’re young, we learn about the world through touch. We put dirt in our mouths, Run our toes through the grass. Embed our hands into the dog’s shiny coat. As we grow, we learn not to touch dirty things and to keep our hands out of our mouths, but we never lose that desire to touch our world—to run our hands over objects of our desire.

Sensory Writing: Sound (Part 3 of 6)

Hearing is a physical reaction within the eardrum. A vibration that carries meaning. Everything your character hears should do the same. It should resound within the story or characters.

Sensory Writing: Sight (Part 2 of 6)

Welcome to the Sense Series. The first part was an overview of sensory writing. Now we’ll tackle one sense per week. First up: Sight.

Sight is the most common sense used in writing and the most important. Visual words and phrases bring that world to life. Through words, we recreate the world around us or invent an entirely new world for our reader.

Sensory Writing (Part 1 of 6)

We experience the world through our senses, through what we see, hear, touch, taste and smell. It’s our senses that define our existence, which is why it is imperative to incorporate sensory writing into your work.

Senses take a flat world and transforms it into a fully realized one with depth, texture and vibrancy. All five senses should be integrated into your description somewhere. If your story takes place in the woods, you might talk about the dappled lighting, moist ground, and sounds of the birds and animals moving about. It might smell of wet Earth or decomposing leaves. If your story takes place in a bakery, I would hope there would be talk of scents and tastes—touches of vanilla and chocolate and the feel of warm cookies straight from the oven. The goal is to offer details about your world through the five senses, not just sight and sounds, which are the most easily accessed and obvious.

Truth in Story and Setting

As writers, we create the circumstances and context for our characters. We create the world. The setting. The characters themselves. Then we offer it all to our readers with an unspoken promise that the story and characters will be worth their time. This promise is an acknowledgment that we will do our research and write a story that is not full of errors, factual, grammatical or otherwise.

Setting and Set Dressing (Part 3 of 3)

Setting is more than the broad location and time. It is everything contained within that space—the items and props that your characters handle and face.

Setting and Set Dressing (Part 2 of 3)

Setting is an essential element in any story. It provides context and a space for your characters. When wielded properly, it can do more than simply list what your characters can see. It can support every other aspect of your writing.

The last blog covered the basics of setting. Now it’s time to explore ways to use setting to its best advantage.

Setting and Set Dressing (Part 1 of 3)

Story requires place to make it come alive. Writing setting is much like the job of a set designer for the stage or screen. The trick is to discover ways to bring your setting to life. This may mean describing a building, a forest, a living room or some other place where your characters can move about their lives. This is setting. It includes everything from location to descriptions of the dishes on the kitchen table.

Living a Freelance Life

Living a freelance life has its advantages and disadvantages. Sure, you can write in your pajamas, but you can also be left waiting by the mailbox waiting for that check to arrive so you can pay your mortgage. But you get to be in control of your work and your life.

The benefits will vary depending on the person. What I find an advantage someone else may not, but here is how I see it:

Show Versus Tell: The Case for Showing

Show versus Tell is an age old battle for writers. Deciding when to show your world to your readers and when to tell them facts is a balancing act. Good writing requires both styles. In the last blog, we covered when to tell. This blog focuses on showing—the powerhouse of writing.

Showing gives your reader a more immersive experience. It’s the difference between reading a newspaper article and a novel. One gives the facts with a sprinkling of details and description. The other invites the reader to experience the story along with the character. It’s engaging.

Show Versus Tell: The Case for Telling

Every writer has learned the first rule of writing: “Show don’t tell.” It is the preeminent bit of advice for writers of all levels and yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and confusing rules. Sure, it’s easy to understand why you shouldn’t tell your story from start to end like a person at the party who keeps saying, “…and then we…” with no end to the boredom. But it is not so easy to figure out what telling is versus showing. Sometimes they seem a lot alike. It all depends on how you write. The truth is good writing combines both showing and telling.

Flat or Static Character Arcs

There are three main types of character arcs: positive, negative and flat/static. This is the third of three blogs that will analyze these types of character arcs. (Warning: spoilers ahead.)

Negative Character Arc

There are three main types of character arcs: positive, negative and flat/static. This is the second of three blogs that will analyze these types of character arcs. (Warning: spoilers ahead.)

Positive Character Arcs

There are three main types of character arcs: positive, negative and flat/static. This is the first of three blogs that will analyze the three types. First up: Positive arcs. Caution: Spoilers ahead.

Character Arc: Steps for Developing the Arc (Part 3 of 3)

This is the final blog in a short series about developing a character arc. The first blog defined the character arc and its importance. The second discussed how to begin developing that arc. This final blog offers concrete steps to take to create a fully developed character:

Writing a character is like giving birth to a fully grown person. You are in charge of making them from how they look, walk, speak, act and everything else that comprises a person. Here are some tips to bring them to life:

Character Arc: Developing the Arc (Part 2 of 3)


Characters need to be a fully realized, complex people with virtues and flaws. They need convictions and fears, hopes and worries, and skills to help and hurt their progress. Most importantly, they need to change. This is the crux of character development. But how do you do that?

Character Arcs (Part 1 of 3)

When we read a story, we want to get pulled into the lives of the characters on the page, to connect and engage. We want to struggle with them. Fall in love. Experience everything they do. We want to see them change. That’s how their journey becomes ours.

It doesn’t matter how amazing a setting or world is if there is no character for us to identify with or rail against. It’s the characters who pull us into and through the story. Characters who prevail and share their triumphs and failures with us. Ideally, these characters change somewhere between the beginning and the end.

The course of a character’s story is called a character arc.

Story Stealers



Story is everything. It’s the prime initiative. The raison d’être. Nothing should subjugate it. Nothing be held higher or given more attention. Sounds simple, right? Not so much.

I recently read a story that had amazing detail, setting, and concept, but the author spent so much time pushing her agenda she lost the thread of the story. It was lost among the message. It didn’t help that she presented her story in a fractured timeline, destroying any chance for tension. The characters were subservient to the setting. The setting used mostly as evidence in proving her cause. It was a missed opportunity. The book could have been great. It had all the elements, but needed editing and a strong hand.

There are steps you can take to ensure your story remains at the forefront. The biggest is to understand the big ways you can go off track. Here are some things have a tendency to take over:

Writers: Fact and Fiction

Several years ago a friend graduated from FLETC (the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center). Naturally, I gave her a refresher course in case she forgot her training, namely all the films I could find that included Secret Service agents. Guarding Tess. In the Line of Fire. Dave. Imagine my surprise when she said none of them were accurate.

The fact is Hollywood gets most things wrong in this world, but no more so than when they portray the life of a writer.

7 Questions to Ask Your Character: The Stanislavski System

Studying acting is a great way to learn how to create characters as a writer. In my last blog, I wrote about what I’ve learned from acting. In this blog, I am going to delve into the Stanislavski System of acting.

Constantin Stanislavski is recognized as the father of modern theater. He created a system of acting that dug deeper into the emotions of the actor and the work. He created a series of seven questions to help actors approach a character. I have listed those questions below with tips for how writers might use these questions to create better characters.

18 Lessons for Writers from Acting: Bringing Characters to Life

In many ways, I learned more about writing from my music and drama classes than I did from my writing classes. I learned about rhythm, cadence and flow from music. How to build tension and action to a crescendo in the work and then how to release it for a satisfying ending. Those are the building blocks of music theory. I learned how to explore character, motivation and emotion in my acting classes. All of those are valuable lessons for a writer.

My writing classes taught me the craft, but music and acting taught me how to add depth and bring those mechanics to life.

Write What You Feel

Every writer has heard the advice to write what you know, and it is good advice to a point. It’s impossible to write about things you don’t understand. But the problem with this advice is that writers can learn. We can research and pick up the facts. We can break down a problem and find experts to explain the mechanics of how things work. Heck, we can even watch documentaries to see how things came about and how to videos to see it in action. What we cannot do is know how those situations feel without understanding the emotions associated with it. We can’t find the story behind things if we can’t empathize with it.

When to Quit Writing…and When Not To

Writing is hard. Words don’t flow out easily and land on the page as genius. They need to be selected, ordered, rearranged, swapped, lined up and perfected. Most times they are not cooperative companions though. They are like the unruly child who doesn’t recognize the word “no” even when yelled and accompanied with hands held face out.

There is a reason so many talk about writing instead of doing it. The trick to making it as a writer is not quitting when it gets tough.

Why Do You Want to Write: Not the Best Reasons (part 2 of 2)

Last week, I covered some great reasons to pursue writing as a career. But there are as many bad reasons to write.

Here are some of the wrong reasons to go down this path:

Why Do You Want to Write? Reasons to Write (Part 1 of 2)

After offering a series debunking popular myths about writers and writing (insert links), it’s time to look at why you want to write because what motivates you to sit down and write will determine your success and career.

There are so many people who talk about becoming a writer. They share ideas and talk about writing, but only a few actually do it. Even fewer finish. The ones who do succeed are those who write for the right reason.

Not all reasons are equal. Here is my breakdown of some of the right reasons to write. In my next blog, I will cover some of the “wrong” reasons.

Writing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction (part 4 of 4)

Getting published is a dream for most writers. It’s the dream of putting your work out there and building an audience. But for as many as make it, there are just as many myths working against those who have not.

Here are the top myths about publishing:

Writing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction (Part 3 of 4)

In this series, we’ve covered myths about Writing and Writers. But even with the many myths about writing and writers, there are even more about the potential barriers to writing and some commonly held myths that are plain annoying.

Here are some myths that prevent some people from pursuing their writing:

Writing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction (Part 2 of 4)

There are as many myths about who writers are as people as there are about the process of writing. It’s sort of amazing the popularly-held beliefs about who writers are. Below are some of the top myths about writers. To read the Myths of Writing, read part 1 of this series. Part III and IV will follow this blog.

Warning: This list may get a bit personal as I’ve had each of these “myths” lobbied at me at some point in my career.

Writing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction (Part 1 of 4)

Most writing myths fall into four basic categories: writing, writers, obstacles to writing, and publishing. In this four-part series, I will share the popular myths from each category and debunk them.

My Writing Process: 20 Steps to Finished

Clients often ask me about my process, wanting to know how I am going to spend my time on their project. It’s not an easy answer. I approach every project differently depending on what I’m writing. A script is different than a speech, which is different from an article or blog. There is no one answer. But there are basic steps in common.

On Sabbatical

Figments & Fables is on sabbatical. It will return in mid-September 2022.

Generate More Story Ideas without the Stress: Proven Methods & Why They Work, Part III of III

In the final blog in this series on generating ideas, explore more exercises and tips for tapping into your unconscious and shaking loose story ideas.

Generate More Story Ideas without the Stress: Proven Methods & Why They Work, Part II of III

Writers need ideas to write. We explored this concept in the first blog of this series. The final two blogs contain methods to generate ideas.

Your brain needs encouragement to forge connections and form ideas. You can do this by tapping into different methods that foster ideas and imagination. Some ideas come from what you surround yourself with and how you feed your imagination. Others arrive only with a bit of encouragement.

Apologies

Figments & Fables will return next week with the continuation of the series on Generating Ideas. Please forgive the delay.

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