First Word

  I hear authors routinely say, “I am writing a book.” However, I don’t see a lot of results from those declarations. A small percentage of authors actually produce a book. It seems that declaring you’re writing a book and really finishing a book don’t always go hand in hand. It’s not that people can’t write or aren’t talented, it’s really about motivation. How do you stay motivated to start and finish your book? Some of it has to do with authors who get bogged down in their own ideas of perfection. I’ve seen authors spin in circles around their first chapter. In fact, I’ve seen authors never get past their first chapters and stay stuck. These writers get caught up in every word and every little element of their writing. First, just keep writing and writing, and remember, you always have an editor who will help make the necessary adjustments. It’s easy to lose motivation if you can’t even move onto Chapter 2. So, keep momentum and just keep writing and writing. Lea...

Did you know that whether you’re an author or business professional that you are the “storyteller” of your product or service? Yes, it’s a unique way of looking at it, but you are the person charged with either the oral or written history – whether it be a book or a widget. As Chief Storyteller your job is to inform the world about your product and share it. When you consider it as a “story” vs. “marketing” it puts it in a whole new light, doesn’t it? Marketing and public relations is about spreading the “message” about your product. What “story” are you trying to tell the world? It’s like you’re the oral tradition of your company and it’s being passed down only it’s not to your ancestors it’s to the masses. Your job is to craft a story that is: 1.     Targeted to the right audience and what they want to know about or hear. 2.     It’s compelling and demonstrates the benefits and value. 3.     Most of all it’s ...

When I do manuscript coaching and editing for new and emerging writers, I get a front-row seat on common new-writer mistakes. Here are some of those common errors that can bog down what otherwise would be a perfectly good story. Redundancy -- the repeating of words or phrases within the same paragraph or even page. Keeping your writing fresh and interesting means you need to abandon your own commonly used words. It can be challenging. Even when we speak we have certain expressions we use a lot. I was working on a book the other day in which the writer used the word "okay" no less than 10 times on a single page of copy. If you can't think of a new way to say something use a Thesaurus, which is my opinion is an irreplaceable tool when your mind is getting tired. Useless details that bog down the pace of the story . What I try to teach writers is to use the setting as part of the storytelling process. For example, if you've got a character's hometown don't s...

In storytelling writing characters with a flat, straight journey in the story doesn't work. Characters who start one way in a story and remain the same at the end aren't interesting. The character arc boiled down is about how the character starts at point A and ends up at point B changed somehow. Even in script writing this transformation is important to create a compelling script. How do you keep the character arc in mind. I'm going to give you an example from my forthcoming book Body in the Trunk. Evan Garner -- philandering player whose sexually irresponsible behavior always leads to his downfall. He meets the beautiful and sweet Mia with whom he intends to con and swindle of her stock options. Then he actually falls in love with her for real. And through his first real love experience he is put in a situation where he finally has to grow up to protect and not abandon her. He is redeemed in the end by his desire to finally do the right thing. So let's break th...

Rating: **1/2 Bad Grandpa is one of those juvenile delinquent comedies you can't help but laugh, but mostly about the expressions and reactions of those around the offending characters. Please note, I am no Polyana and I knew going into the theater exactly what the movie would most likely involve -- a lot of base potty humor. I was naturally right, but my teenage son wanted to see it, so I obliged. Do you know the type of movies where you laugh, and in the back of your mind you're thinking, "I shouldn't be laughing." Yes, Bad Grandpa qualified for this category of movie. I have to admit, though, I like a belly-ache laugh every now and again, and whether my higher sensibility was chastising me or not, I still laughed. For the record, though, I never enjoy watching children turned into little foul-mouthed versions of adults, and Billy, the little boy, became the subject of some jokes I didn't enjoy. The big one was the beer-drinking scene where he chokes...