by Stephanie Dethlefs | Aug 9, 2022 | First Draft, Planning your book, Reading for Writers, writing craft, writing life
We all know that writers should also be avid readers. But do you know what it looks like to actually study a book to see what makes it work? In this episode, we’re exploring what it means to read like a writer by using a “mentor text” to study specific craft...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Jul 5, 2022 | Audience, Character Development, First Draft, Planning your book, Revision
Your protagonist is not just bouncing from one event to another. They are changing as a result of those events. In this episode, we dig into your protagonist’s arc of emotional change, both why it matters and how to establish it. Text version: Hello writers! Here is...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | Jun 13, 2022 | Audience, First Draft, Planning your book, Revision
Have you ever read or heard a story that left you uninterested or unengaged or just plain bored? A trap that novelists can easily fall into is that of not knowing (or not sharing) what the novel is really about. In this episode we are exploring what questions to ask...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 24, 2022 | Accountability, Inner critic, Mindset, writing life
What does your commitment to writing a novel look like? This is what we’ll revisit with this past episode. Without commitment, it won’t get done. But what does that really mean? Let’s explore what commitment is and how to evaluate your own (with zero...
by Stephanie Dethlefs | May 17, 2022 | First Draft, Planning your book
Knowing where your novel starts and ends provides structure, efficiency and focus within your novel-writing journey. In this episode, we explore three strategies for making these early decisions in a way that feels true and right for your story. Transcript: Hello...
