Don't Be A Hoarder

“One of the few things I know about writing is this: 

spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. 

Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, 

or for another book; 

give it, give it all, give it now. 

The impulse to save something good for a better place later 

is the signal to send it now. 

Something more will arise for later, something better. 

These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. 

Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned 

is not only shameful, it is destructive. 

Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. 

You open your safe and find ashes.”

~Annie Dillard~

Don't hoard your writing. Don't save a pithy line or an insightful observation for another story. Don't save "the best" for later.

"Later" might never come. 

Instead, give your all in the moment, within the story that's in front of you.  

And, as always. . . .

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Bringing Secrets to Light

If nothing new is revealed at the end of a story, if the characters haven't changed, then what was the point? 

The final pages of a novel should unearth something new about a character or situation (ideally, there should have been a slow build to this moment, the conclusion inevitable based on what has unraveled throughout the narrative). 

But whatever the character has held inside--thoughts, feelings, secrets, etc.--should, to some degree, come to light.

An ending to a story elicits a stronger reaction from the reader when a revelation is at the helm: a surprise, then a sigh.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

What is Love?

What makes a love story sing?

It's not the kissing moments or those passionate fights in the rain or the slow build to some hot action (though, I'll admit, I'm a sucker for them all).

It's the sacrifice.

It's the stepping back of one character for the good of another. 

*This* is love.

No strings attached. 

Not about what the character can get, but what they can give.

Their self-sacrifice is, ironically enough, what makes the character truly worthy of the love at all, and this speaks to us, as humans and readers, in a very real, very visceral way.

So, if your love story is missing that extra "zing," find a way for your protagonist to practice a little self-sacrifice. 

It's sure to go a long way. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~