Fix Your Internal Creative Marriage
For real creativity, get your conscious mind and your subconscious mind to work with each other, not against each other. Sonnet 116 Shakespeare (or perhaps [...]
The Originality Paradox
The harder you consciously strive to be original, the less likely you are to succeed. Don’t push it. Or sweat it. Striving is an act of [...]
‘Just,’ the word that steals power.
Watch out for ‘just ’in your work, in how you think about your work, and in how you discuss your work. It punctures everything. [...]
But What if my Mother Found Out?
For stories with depth, don’t keep your character’s choices within your personal fences. Dodge the inner censor. We all have an inner censor—the voice that [...]
Do. Understand. Do Better.
Are you a learn‑then‑do person? Or a do‑then‑learn person? Whichever you are, don’t stop writing. Pre-summary How do you get better at writing? When you’re [...]
Don’t Rescue your Characters
When we rescue our characters, we think we’re being kind to the characters, and to the audience, who we hope also love our characters. What we’re actually doing is [...]
Give your Subconscious a Playground
For each project, give yourself an imaginary playground in a secret Imagination Book. Messy, private, driven by freedom and obstacles. When you start a project, buy [...]
Paint your Minor Characters Boldly
Every minor character in your story is the central character in their own story, who just happened to stray into your story Don’t ‘bland’ your secondary [...]
