Every week I explore a new topic around writing, reading, and the wonderful world of storytelling! With nearly ten years of experience working with writers, students, and creatives, I want to put what I have learned and the topics I love to teach out into a broader audience. I hope I can help you become a more confident writer and nurture your love of storytelling.
Reading has always been a labor of love for me. Dyslexia doesn’t help, but I developed more of an appreciation for reading when I home schooled my 3 children. It opened the door for an increased understanding of unique vocabulary words, descriptive use of words, and styles of how different authors write. But now that I’m in “my golden years”, and not being “forced” to read because of a curriculum, I’m enjoying reading more. But, I do agree with you, reading is hard. Thanks for the encouragement to keep reading!😊
Great video on perspective. One of my favorite series to watch is “This is Us” and the writers of the series did such a great job of giving perspective from different characters’s points of view. It allowed the viewer to see both sides of an issue and even be sympathetic towards BOTH! That’s tricky, but they did it so well!
I started watching that show, and you're right! A great sign of a strong author is getting you to see both sides of an arguement or perspective because it allows you to figure out what you truly think about a topic :)
Wow! So many things to consider! Good to know that in the writing industry the “squeaky wheel” gets the “Black List!” Stay off of that one! Thanks for a great video series on “How to Write Fiction” I can’t wait to see what’s next!
That is a great point to include! Yes, once you have a traditionally published book, the following books are waaaay easier to publish. Not so much with indie publishing.
I have to agree that reading a draft out loud is uncomfortable. But just that advice alone is helpful in catching underdeveloped details, missed key words you thought were typed in, and strengthening the understanding what you’re trying to convey to the reader! All great advice! Thanks again!
I’m so glad you told us that you rewrote your WHOLE novel and that you read all your writing out loud. That’s a lot! So often I think the readers are not aware of the WORK that goes into what it takes to polish a piece and make it come alive. My POV: you’re a GREAT teacher and author! Thanks for the tips!
Interesting that dialogue can be a story within a story, revealing even more details about the person’s character qualities, experiences and motivations. “Show don’t tell” is a great concept that definitely makes the story more intriguing. I’m learning so much from you!
I’m not sure how much the readers of well written literature understand about “world building” and all the details that the writer develops to paint an accurate picture of what’s being portrayed. As a reader, it’s taken for granted that the writer is going to give us the information we need to know, but how interesting it is to view it from the writer’s point of view too! I agree with you that “information dumping” is overwhelming and too much to swallow all at once. Your idea of letting characters and their qualities/quirks “unfold” as the story progresses makes it feel more natural. After all, that’s how we approach friendships; getting to know people over time.😊
Plot development is like a music piece that crescendos and heightens with excitement! It’s the same with a great novel. I appreciate the pictograph. It’s a great visual instead of using the traditional outline with words. It’s easier for me to remember a visual illustration, but that’s just me. 😊
It's an excellent book. However, the author's promise that the trilogy was already completed and would be released on a schedule of one book annually turned out to be wildly untrue. Now, more than a decade later we're still waiting for the final book and there's scant evidence that it will ever be released.
I’m so excited about hearing the next 2 chapters as well! There’s nothing like hearing the author read their own artful story as it’s intended to be heard! Glad I’m a subscriber! Thanks!
Question: Can your followers HOPE for further readings from your book? This was a REAL treat! Thank you for taking the time to share SOUL CHILD with us! To be continued?😏
@@susiehallstrom944 Yes! I'm planning on putting the first 3 chapters on here, and I'll see if people are interested in hearing more on RU-vid after that :)
My husband and I are reading your book, Soul Child, out loud to each other and you’ve done an excellent job at character development. You paint a picture in the mind’s eye with all the details you just discussed. I’m not a writer, but your encouragement and direction in writing well certainly inspire me.😊
First! I agree that all great stories are character driven. We are all bound to our perspective and one of the great things about reading is that we can experience worlds from the perspectives of other people. However, if the characters holding those perspectives are disingenuous, unbelievable, or just straight boring, any reader will have a much harder time engaging with the world through that undesirable perspective. If you want your reader to appreciate your world, you must give them a character whose perspective they also appreciate, even if the character and their perspective is flawed.
The idea of “brainstorming” is great. People, companies, corporations have done this for years, but it involves several people at one time contributing. I like your idea, and the written example you gave, of a writer brainstorming on paper and jotting things down. Asking yourself questions is another great prompt. We ask other people questions to get to know them better, why not of ourselves as writers when we’re trying to develop things like plot and character!? You’re helping to develop writers and visionaries as they spill ideas onto paper! Thanks!
Like anything we want to excel at, it’s important to find someone who’s “ahead” of us in experience AND who is trustworthy in their critique based on our personal goals. I like the idea of forming your own writing group if you can’t find one. There’s nothing like building a group based on common goals, positive feedback and honesty.
I never thought of “guide lines” for specific genres of writing, but it does make sense. It’s also freeing to know that you can write without completely “knowing” what genre you’re headed towards. That can certainly make the journey more exciting. 😊
I didn’t realize that a game could be so inspirational! Are there any other games you can suggest to your fellow writers that can help with creativity, character development and storytelling? Thanks for your video!
Not bad. A couple of points. 1. Many people do not give any feedback, period. They may be too polite or too inexperienced, for example. And then there are people like me. 2. Once you have written a text, you can probably think of a book or story that it reminds you of it (but probably does a better job). For example, I noticed that Rosy is my Relative by Durrell does a better job of building anticipation. So, now I am going back once again, but looking specifically at how he does it so that maybe I can do something similar. 3. You like audio books and your book is not available for free. So, how about reading the first couple or few chapters as an audiobook on your channel. Then we can all see whether we like your style and want to buy the book and also whether you take your own advice. Good luck
Thank you for all the insight! I definitely want to get part of the audiobook on here for free and hope to have at least the first chapter up by the end of the month. Thanks for the support!
Allowing writing messes along the way is just like a toddler trying to learn to eat! M-E-S-S-Y! But all gets better with time. Thanks for reminding new writers the freedom to be messy is alright!
What great advice. There’s value in all 10 writing tips. I especially enjoyed the tip on honing in on descriptive writing and how to practice it. Clearly, you’ve mastered this one! It’s obvious in your book,The Soul Child, starting on page one! 😊
Thanks for the overview and covering FAQs. It’s nice to know what to say to other people when they ask ME questions about the new book I’m reading. I want to be able to boost your work and pique their interest. Keep up the good work!
Great question! I keep all the clocks I buy when they break because I don't want to throw them away. I have a couple more I need to add to the wall haha
I like the terminology of “course correction”. I think that allows a certain amount of grace, not only for you, but those who are more Type A, and believe they have to have it “all together” before starting! Thanks for being so encouraging!😊
You are absolutely AMAZING! This is quite a journey you are on and you have our support. You are great at SO MANY things. I have no doubt that you’ll figure out the marketing of your new book and all the books to follow. Looking forward to your next video.
