In 2014, I decided to be intentional with my writing after pursuing it as a hobby for years. I wrote and wrote. I joined writing groups. Then, in 2020—I gave it my all. I took a plethora of classes; I made goals in multiple genres; I joined several critique groups. Yet I still had kids, … More Fallow: What Does a Season of Writing Rest Look Like? by Marci Whitehurst
If you have ever researched rules in storytelling, you may have come across the famous Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. This came from a 2011 tweet from a Pixar employee who realized there were 22 written (and unwritten) rules they implemented on every story. While Industrial Scripts does a pretty good job of explaining the rules, I … More Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Part 3.
In our recent Master Class on fantasy, author Amy Earls provided important tools for writing YA and MG fantasy. Today, team member Deborah S. DeCiantis gives her perspective (from many years of being an English college professor) to understanding classic fantasy. Fantasy fiction seems to attract definite responses: readers either love it or hate it. Fantasy’s defenders point … More Classic Fantasy and Today’s MG and YA Fantasy Stories by Deborah S. DeCiantis
If you have ever researched rules in storytelling, you may have come across the famous Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. This came from a 2011 tweet from a Pixar employee who realized there were 22 written (and unwritten) rules they implemented on every story. While Industrial Scripts does a pretty good job of explaining the … More Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Part 2.
Let’s face it. We live in a society where we spend a lot of time waiting. Whether you are at the dentist or doctor, visiting the department of motor vehicles, or getting new tires on the car, we often find ourselves sitting around waiting to be called or waiting for something to get done. Here … More Looking at the Benefits of Waiting
I was born with flat feet, the kind that leaves rectangular blobs instead of footprints in the sand. As a young child I had to wear special shoes with an orthopedic pad inside to help my arch. And, I remember that my feet would get so painful that my mother would have to rub and … More Don’t Let Your Writing Fall Flat
I’m sure you have seen one or two old movies or TV shows where someone takes a blank piece of paper, feeds it into the roller of an old fashioned manual typewriter, and begins to peck out a story with gusto (His Girl Friday and Murder, She Wrote immediately come to mind). Even though most … More It’s Not Just a Blank Piece of Paper
How can critique groups inspire us as writers? Last year, Kathy O’Neill’s blog post shared the importance of critique groups through highlighting Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings. I absorbed her article, grabbed the book, and shortly thereafter, found myself in a second critique group. (My Write2Ignite critique group … More The Value of Critique Groups
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1st Peter 5:8 CSB I walked into the kitchen, and there, tied up and in a pot, just waiting to be boiled, was my family. Yoda from Star Wars stirred them with a stick. I ran back … More Don’t Give Children Nightmare Fuel
We’ve had some unusual weather here in Southern California. We’ve had days of rain. And not just rain, continuous rain. That was what was the most unusual. I had some writing deadlines, but being cooped up at home wasn’t helping me whatsoever. I needed a different environment where I had no distractions and where I … More Change of Scenery