I was recently interviewed for Bay State Parent Magazine with 3 other local authors–they had us come in for a photo shoot and everything! Here’s the official article. And my first draft I’M WITH CUPID is off to my editor! Woohoo! That means I can actually take a real vacation for a little bit before it’s time to dive into revising the novel and teaching my fall class.
I saw a great video from the creators of South Park yesterday that contained an important reminder: An outline of your story that has an implied “and then” at the start of every sentence isn’t really a story because the events don’t depend on one another. Instead, they suggest starting every sentence of your outline with the words “therefore” or “but.” This ensures that your events are interconnected and dependent on one another. This approach will help the story feel cohesive and creature forward momentum.
Here’s the video. (Just a warning that, unsurprisingly, it contains a little bit of foul language.)
I love these kinds of simple reminders and techniques that help make sure our stories are on the right track. What simple but effective craft advice have you heard recently?
