“Yes, but” or “No, and” – End Writer’s Block

Nat RussoBasics, How-To, Plot and Structure, Scene Structure, Story Ideas, Writing 14 Comments

Writer’s Block. Two of the most dreaded words in a writer’s vocabulary…at least when put together in that order.  You stare at the blank page, and it stares back. It’s taunting you. It’s telling you you’re no good. You’re just about to slam the lid on your laptop shut when you remember something crucial: “Writing is a learned craft, not a mystical gift from the universe.” (I think I’ve heard that somewhere before…) A craft? A learned craft? Yes. And don’t you forget it! Now click the link and read on. Let’s get rid of that pesky writer’s block using tried and true elements of the craft!

How Do You Come Up With Story Ideas?

Nat RussoBasics, How-To, Idea Net, Story Ideas, Writing 27 Comments

Perhaps another way to phrase this question is “where do story ideas come from?” The answer is simple: story ideas are all around us.  Everything we see, touch, smell, hear, and taste has the potential to be a story seed that blossoms into a full-fledged story if nurtured properly. For some of us, this nurturing process is intangible, defying attempts to be described or squeezed into a bullet list. But for most, full story ideas aren’t something that spring up like eureka moments. Instead, the full story only emerges after idea “seeds” are watered and nurtured. I’m one of the latter. Rather than waiting for the mysterious process by which a story miraculously springs into existence in the rusty innards …