Inspiration From a Hurricane


Hi Reader,

I live in Houston, and we were hit by hurricane Beryl on Monday. Much of the city is still without power. Downed trees block major roads. Hurricanes always bring a lot of gratitude. Gratitude that my loved ones are safe; gratitude for power, especially air conditioning; and gratitude for the lineman who are working 24 hours a day to restore power.

Most of all, hurricanes leave me optimistic. Houstonians are resilient and caring. The minute the storm had passed, everyone was out in their yard picking up debris. Neighbors checked on each other. Folks with chainsaws chopped up everyone's branches. People took care of their elderly neighbors’ yards first. Houstonians fed each other and those with power open their doors to people needing to cool down and charge their phones.

We are at our very best when things are at their worst.

This incredible resilience got me thinking about our stories. For stories to be compelling we must put our characters through the worst to see them triumph by being the best. Look at your current project. Are you torturing your characters enough? Are they going through challenging, tough experiences that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat to see if they can overcome? What can you do to multiply your characters’ obstacles? Think of an extreme situation and make it worse. Is it time to put your hero in the middle of a hurricane, blizzard, or in a burning building?

What is the worst thing that could happen? Let me know what you come up with.


Excited to share the logo for my new publishing imprint, Pitch Master Press!

Stay tuned for news about my upcoming book!


This gadget, the Jackery Explorer, was a life saver for my three days without power. It is a giant charger. I keep it plugged in in case of emergency. I charged two cell phones twice and a computer and the power was only down to 72%!

In Case You Missed It

Prioritizing Freedom in Your Career

Unlocking the Power of Universal Fantasy

How to Reignite Your Creativity When You're Having a Bad Day

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.

Read more from Hi I'm Lindsey Hughes

Hi Reader, It’s Saturday afternoon. The weather is fine. The to-do list is not. And I’m standing in my kitchen, eyeing a deceptively small box. Inside it? A flat-packed wine rack with approximately 347 tiny screws, a vaguely smug Allen wrench, and instructions that may or may not be translated from ancient runes. Now, for some people, assembling furniture is no big deal. They thrive on it. They hear “some assembly required” and smile like it’s game night. I am not one of those people....

Hi Reader, Part 2 Continued from last week’s excerpt of Becca Syme on the BookFunnel Podcast More from Becca Syme on how to strengthen your outlook to deal with industry disruption. You got this! The Wheel Keeps Spinning "But there are so many things that motivate us that we do not understand and know. We think we're in charge of so many more of our choices than we really are. Roughly only 5% of our choices are under our control on a daily basis. We think it's so much closer to 100. And so...

Hi Reader, Excerpts from Becca Syme on the BookFunnel Podcast Recently Becca Syme was on the BookFunnel Podcast talking about how authors can ride the wave of disruption happening in the publishing industry. She calls it playing the rules of the game. I thought what she had to say was insightful and helpful, so I have excerpted some of the podcast here. What she says also applies to screenwriters and the entertainment industry. Disruption is never fun. I know some of you are struggling and I...