Recently Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules circulated on the Internet. Being as the Pixar gave us great movies like Toy Story and Cars, I figure they might know what they’re doing. Another fun tidbit, my office – the turret tower – was designed and built by a Pixar artist. Fun huh? I feel a bit of connection with Pixar because of it. I picked rule number seven to discuss today. Here it is: #7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. Most writers start out with an idea. We see the beginning. We have an idea of the inciting incident and how it might move toward the middle of the book, but rarely do we know the ending […]
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Special Life Coach Blog Post: Your Declaration of Independence!
Two Hundred Thirty-six years ago, a group of individuals determined they wanted to live a life independently of the queen’s rule. They came up with a plan. Their resolve was so strong, they made bold statements such as, “give me liberty, or give me death!” The so believed in their dream, they were not deterred. Roadblocks were obliterated. Enemies were crushed and they gallantly fought for what they knew was their destiny. Their cry was freedom. Nothing stopped them and, when the last musket fired and the last redcoat retreated, the United States of America was born. I know you have a dream of being a published author… or at least a writer. You think of it often. That desire ignited a flame inside you. But something is holding you […]
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So You Want to be A Writer? Well, What Should You Write?
I love writing. I love words. I started doodling in a little girl’s diary when I was six years old. I read every night before bed all through elementary and junior high school. Biographies were my favorite. But I never focused my writing. I wrote from my heart about my life. Writing a set story was harder. Because it required discipline. As a journalism major, I had to learn to write within the rules or guidelines. I had to write factual and objective. Back in the ‘80s, journalist were taught to be objective. It was the pride of the profession. The discipline combined with my natural bent toward writing gave me confidence. I once told a colleague I could write about a pile of dirt if required. Yet when I […]
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When Things Heat Up, Part 4: The Humidity of Fear
If you live in Florida or other humid climate, you completely the feeling expressed in the title. As I’m writing this, the humidity in central Florida is 100%, and it’s not even raining. If you walk outside, your clothes and hair stick to your skin. Perspiration immediately pops out and you find it difficult to suck in a breath. It is all-consuming and agonizing. It’s still May and we’re already praying for November. Fear is a humid emotion. It engulfs you. Sticks to you. Makes you gasp for air. The things writers face in their journey are, without a doubt, frightening. And, just like a summer day in Florida, it begins early and gets worse as the day goes by. A storm brews on the horizon and there is nothing […]
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