Hi Reader, I made a book trailer! Check it out! You can make one too for your book or screenplay! As writers, we play with words. It's fun to play with images to tell our story. Now using AI tools, you can make the movie in your head. Don’t let AI Trigger You In my decades long career, nothing has triggered creatives more than generative AI. The only time I have I have received a death threat (from someone I know) was in response to a private e-mail over his reaction to a newsletter. He told...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, What If Every “No” Was a Good Thing? Stick with me. You pitched your story. You queried the agent. You posted the excerpt. And what you got back was… silence. Or worse, a “pass.” Cue the imposter syndrome orchestra. (Hello darkness, my old friend.) But wait! Before you spiral into a Netflix-and-regret marathon, let me offer you a spicy little reframe: A “no” isn’t the end of the road. It’s a neon arrow saying: “Not here, not yet—but keep going.” A No Means Someone Read It First...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Let’s face it—talking about your own work can feel just as awkward as showing someone your eighth-grade yearbook photo. (You know the one. With the braces and the unfortunate haircut.) But here’s the deal: people can’t read your brilliant screenplay or novel if they don’t know it exists. So how do you promote your work without feeling like a walking billboard or a pushy used car salesperson in a tweed blazer? Welcome to the first installment of Building Buzz a playful peek at ways...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, On Monday this newsletter was four years old! I can't believe how the time has flown and how much I have enjoyed writing for you and interacting with you. If you have been here since the beginning, thank you! If you are new here, welcome! Celebrate Happy Birthday GIF by Jessica Lau To celebrate, I have put together a list of my favorite podcasts, books, and tools. These are things I use in my own writing and publishing. Download the clickable list here. In the meantime, if you...
27 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, On Monday this newsletter will be four years old! I can't believe how the time has flown and how much I have enjoyed writing for you and interacting with you. If you have been here since the beginning, thank you! If you are new here, welcome! To celebrate, I have put together a list of my favorite podcasts, books, and tools. These are things I use in my own writing and publishing. Check out the list here. I was going to make the list downloadable, but I ran out of time. Look for it...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, You know those days when writing feels like flying through a glitter-filled sky on the back of a caffeinated unicorn? That’s one kind of fun. And then there are the days when writing feels like crawling through a tunnel of emotional tar with only self-doubt and a deadline to light the way. Shockingly… that’s fun too. What? Enter: Type 1 and Type 2 Fun These terms come from the world of adventurers, mountain climbers, and outdoor masochists—people who willingly dangle from cliffs...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Let's talk about your writer brand versus your writer voice. Your brand is the kind of stories you tell. Your voice is how you tell your stories. Your Writer Brand Your writer brand helps you pitch yourself and your stories. When people pick up your work, they want to know what stories you're telling. This goes beyond your genre. If you write romantic comedies, what kinds of romantic comedies are they? And how do they make your audience and readers feel? Do you write laugh out loud...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Over the weekend, I stumbled across a delightfully unexpected book: Death by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage. Yes, that Golden Girls. Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia have traded witty one-liners over cheesecake for sleuthing and solving cozy crimes. Be still, my storytelling heart! So how can The Golden Girls inspire your next great idea? Let’s dig into the creative brilliance behind this book—and what you can steal (I mean lovingly borrow) for...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Last we talked about the fun, unusual structure of the Perspective Loop. This week we’re talking about the Loop Adjacent club—those twisty, time-bending, unreliable-narrator-y stories that don’t quite use a true Perspective Loop, but definitely mess with how and when we see key events. These titles often: Reframe the same moment through memory or time shifts. Use nonlinear storytelling and multiple timelines. Reveal information out of order to reshape audience perception. Use...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read