Hi, I’m Lindsey. I love helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. I teach people how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips.
Find Your Voice! 🤩
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Hi All writers struggle with finding their voice. There is no magic button you can push to figure it out. The only way is to keep writing. Write a lot. The more you write, the more your own voice will come out. You will gradually find your voice, your author brand, and your favorite genres. On the latest episode of The Screenwriting Life podcast, they had two Austin Film Festival (AFF) winning screenwriters on Alex Convery and Tate Hanyok. Hanyok said that the first two years she started writing, she entered every screenplay contest she could find. At the end of two years, she had a bunch of scripts in different genres to sell and use as writing samples. She was a stronger writer and had found her voice. I love this idea! It gives you writing prompts as what contests are looking for and structure with a deadline. Fiction writers can try this approach too. Try writing a short story in five different genres. You could use the same writing prompt for each one or try a different idea. It's a great way to explore genres and work on your craft. You can publish those stories either on a website, a Patreon, a newsletter, or as a book. My Current ObsessionInstagram creator @producer.patrick is my current favorite obsession. He posts short videos every day detailing entertainment news and how it's impacting the Hollywood community. He smartly dissects and explains the painful evolution the entertainment business is going through. My favorite thing about him is despite the news that he is reporting, he is still positive. Today he took a break from news to give a pep talk. I want to help all of you through this crazy transition. This is why I always say learn new things, keep writing, and find new ways to make money off your ideas. Let’s multiply our revenue streams! Book NookDid you know that when you check e-books out from the library, authors earn money? You can get an ebook for free from your local library and authors get paid per checkout! It's a wonderful way to support your favorite authors if you're on a budget. Checking out ebooks and getting them onto your devices is easy. Most places you can get a library card online. Go to your library’s website and search the catalog for the book you are interested in. Click on digital copies and check it out. On my on-line library, there is a button after you check out the book that says read on my Kindle and it autoloads it. Or using the app Libby, you can check out digital books and audio books from your local library and read them on your phone or tablet and send them to your Kindle, Kobo ereader, or Nook. Even cooler, on the Kobo devices you can browse Libby and check out books. My book, How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel, is available on Libby! Writing Contest:The EmilyThe League of Romance Writers annual romantic fiction contest, The Emily, is open for submissions until Oct. 2! Submit the first 6,000 words of your novel. The subgenres accepted are contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, romantic suspense, historical, YA, novel with romantic elements. Please let me know if you win! I will be at the conference/awards banquet Feb. 28 - March 1, 2025! Check out last week's newsletter for two other fiction contests. Writing CraftA wonderful discussion of Save the Cat moments in television and books: Wish I’d Known Then: Jessica Firpi on Writing Compelling Save the Cat Moments In Case You Missed ItTry New Things to Boost Your Creativity and Confidence The Fairy Tale Fix: How to Unstick Your Story Cheers, Lindsey Thanks for reading! You can share this article here. Was this week's newsletter useful? Help me to improve! Click on a link to vote: 👍Super! - 😐 Meh - 👎 Not my jam |
Hi I'm Lindsey Hughes
Hi, I’m Lindsey. I love helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. I teach people how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips.
Hi Reader, My biggest obsession is Mahjong. I started playing in February with a group of friends, and now we meet every week. What's the connection between Mahjong and creativity? A lot! Learning new skills rewires your brain. You’re forming new neural pathways, making your brain stronger and sharper. Think of it like working out at the gym—except instead of biceps, you’re flexing that beautiful brain of yours. A brain that’s in tip-top shape helps you think outside the box, make wild...
Hi Reader, Do you ever come up with a big idea but find yourself stuck figuring out the story around it? You’ve got the world, but where are the characters? Or maybe you have an amazing protagonist, but no conflict to throw them into. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Every storyteller hits this roadblock. My favorite way to power through it? A little something I call the Fairy Tale Fix. The Magic of Once Upon a Time In the enchanting land of fairy tales, every story starts with these classic...
Hi Reader, I was lucky enough this past week to go to a screening of the new movie Reagan. Biopics are tricky because a person's life doesn't follow a three act structure. Telling someone's story from birth to death is a lot of territory to cover. The writer and director of Reagan’s challenge was to whittle down lots of wonderful anecdotes and make them a cohesive story. This got me thinking about different ways to approach a biopic. The Outside Narrator – Reagan by Howard Klausner One...