Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Writer Unleashed

You've written chapters, studied craft, maybe tried an outline or three. So why is it still so hard to decide where your story begins, which scenes belong, or what needs to happen in the middle?

Often the trouble isn't effort. It's what you've been taught to believe about writing a book. In this episode, I clear up three misconceptions that make finishing harder: that you have to have it all figured out before you write, that a story needs big events to keep readers hooked, and that struggling with your story means you're not cut out for this. Plus, one simple question to bring back to your work-in-progress this week.

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Final FREE Masterclass: From Stuck to Story: 3 Simple Shifts to Find the Structure in Your Pages. Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm Eastern. Grab Your Seat

3-Act Story

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

When your story feels stuck, it's tempting to keep adding things: another scene, more backstory, a new subplot. But often the answer isn't to add more. It's to reconnect with why you're writing this story in the first place. 

In this episode, you'll get three questions that lead you back to that reason, and you'll see why it's what keeps you writing from first draft to finished book. Whether you're working from notes, a partial draft, or your fifth revision, what you need to get moving again is already in your pages.

Links mentioned in this episode: 

Final Free Masterclass: From Stuck to Story Wednesday, October 21, 7 pm ET. Register Here.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Most writers can describe their plot in detail: what happens, in what order, how it ends. Far fewer can describe what their character actually gains, loses, or finally understands by the time the story's over.

In this episode, I walk through how plot and character work together: what to ask about a plot event before you decide it belongs, how to tell if your character has changed, and how to find your next plot step by following your character's response, instead of inventing one out of thin air.

RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps more writers find the show, strengthen their craft, and finish the stories they want to tell.

Thanks for tuning in to Writer Unleashed. See you next week!

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You've revised your first chapter so many times you could recite it, and it still isn't pulling a reader in. After years of reading first chapters, here's what I've learned: when one works, it's rarely because of the prose. It's because of what's happening underneath it. Today, I walk you through the three things a reader needs from your first chapter, and how to tell whether yours delivers.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why your first chapter doesn't have to be perfect before you write the rest of your story
• The difference between exposition that stalls a chapter and exposition that reveals character
• The question to ask before any piece of backstory goes into your opening
• Why the strongest first chapters are built around one event, and how to find yours
• The difference between your character's big story goal and what they want right now
• Three questions to ask when your first chapter still isn't working after another round of revision

RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps more writers find the show, strengthen their craft, and finish the stories they want to tell.

Thanks for tuning in to Writer Unleashed. See you next week!

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You've written the scenes. Your characters are doing things. So why does the middle of your story still feel like quicksand? If your first instinct is to add more, hold that thought. In this episode, I share what actually creates momentum in the middle of a draft, and why the answer may already be on your pages.

You’ll learn the questions to ask when your middle starts to feel too big, too slow, or too difficult to navigate, so you can find the through line that’s already there.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your support helps more writers find the show, strengthen their craft, and finish the stories they want to tell.

Thanks for tuning in to Writer Unleashed. See you next week!

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You’ve read the craft books, tried the frameworks, written hundreds of pages, and you still can’t quite see what your story needs.

In this episode, I’m talking about what changes when your story finally starts to come into focus, when you can tell what belongs, recognize why something isn’t working, and make decisions without knowing every scene in advance.

Because clarity doesn’t mean you’ll never get stuck. It means you know how to find your way forward.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You can Google anything about writing. Ask AI. Read every craft book on the shelf. And still sit down to your own pages and feel exactly as stuck as before.

It's not a lack of talent. Or motivation. It's the gap between having a story you're desperate to write and knowing how to write it.

This episode is about why that gap is so easy to miss, why the excitement of a new project always seems to run out at the same point, and why more information isn't necessarily what you need to get unstuck.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

There's no shortage of writing advice out there. Outline everything before you start. Don't outline, you'll kill the magic. Follow a beat sheet. Trust your instincts instead. Structure will flatten your story. Structure will save it.

No wonder so many writers second-guess every choice they make.

Some writing advice gets handed down as gospel when really it may only apply to certain writers, certain stories, or certain stages in the process. And when you take it on as an absolute, it can lead to hesitation, self-doubt, and the nagging sense that there’s a “right” way to write a book that everyone else understands and you somehow missed. 

In this episode, I'm taking on four common writing myths about structure, plot, planning, and the "right" way to write, and giving you something more useful to believe instead.

Because the goal isn't to follow someone else's process. It's to understand your story well enough to trust yourself inside it.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Is the middle of your story really the problem, or is something else going on?

If you've ever stared at word forty thousand wondering how you lost your way, you're in the right place. In this episode, I'm sharing why the muddy, messy middle usually isn't where the real trouble starts. It's just where it becomes impossible to ignore.

You'll learn the difference between chronicling events and building a story, plus a simple three-chapter exercise you can use right now to see where your story's breakdown is really happening. 

If your middle feels stuck in the murk, this episode will show you exactly where to look.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

If you have a story worth telling and still feel completely lost, you're not behind, and you're not alone. After years of working with first-time novelists and memoir writers across every genre, I've noticed the writers who struggle the most aren't the ones without talent. They're the ones who lean on off-the-shelf beat sheets and outlines instead of trusting their own instincts. This episode is about what's actually going on when writing feels so much harder than you thought it would, and why that has nothing to do with whether you have what it takes.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You’ve heard “show, don’t tell” a thousand times. But what does it actually mean to show effectively? And when is telling exactly what your story needs?

In this episode, we’ll look at common ways writers get showing wrong, what strong showing does, and when telling can deepen a scene or keep your story moving.

You’ll learn a more useful way to think about showing and telling - one that gives readers room to participate while bringing them deeper into your character’s experience.

Book mentioned in this episode: 

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Your story has several characters, multiple storylines, and probably some childhood flashbacks that keep sneaking in. And you can't quite answer the question every writer eventually has to face: what is your story about?

If you've ever struggled to answer that in one sentence, this episode is for you. I'm walking through why ambitious first drafts get overcrowded, how to find the single core desire your story should orbit around, and what to do with everything else. You'll walk away with a clear way to tell a rich story instead of a crowded one, and the confidence to cut what's creating noise instead of clarity.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Ever thought about quitting your draft and starting something new? You're not alone - lots of writers do. But before you abandon your story, listen to this episode first. 

Most of the time, the urge to start over isn't really about the story at all. It's one of three specific things, and each one has a way forward that doesn't involve throwing out everything you've built. In this episode, I walk through all three, along with examples, so you can figure out exactly what's going on with your draft, and what to do next.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Whether you're staring at a blank page or halfway through a draft, overthinking can bring your novel to a standstill. Different symptoms, same root cause: both writers are trying to solve problems they're not ready to solve yet, overthinking to the point of paralysis. In this episode, I share a four-part framework to help you stop chasing certainty and start getting more clarity and direction for your story.

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

One Day by David Nicholls

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

For years I measured my work ethic by how many hours I put in at my desk. I'd arrive, coffee in hand at 7am, break around  Noon for lunch, back at my desk till 6 or 7pm, sometimes later. I thought putting in the time was the thing that would move the needle. It was actually the thing keeping me from doing my best work.

In this episode, I share two small, counterintuitive shifts I made to change not only the volume of creative work I get done, but the quality — and in half the time it used to take me.

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

How much exposition is too much? Should you begin your story with exposition? And how do you write exposition in a way that isn’t excessive, awkward, or dull?

In this encore episode, we'll talk about how to write exposition in a way that doesn’t sound like exposition. 

We'll cover:

• What exposition is, and why it's essential;
• When to begin your story with exposition and when not to
• Two different types of exposition; and
• How to slip exposition into the action so the reader isn't aware it's even there.

Episode Website

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Most writers know when their dialogue isn't working. What they don't know is why. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three mistakes that make dialogue read false, and what to do to turn it around. So your reader feels like they're eavesdropping on a private conversation.

[00:00:00] Why dialogue feels so hard to write when conversation comes so naturally to us in real life.

[00:01:04] The eavesdropping illusion -- why the moment your characters start performing for the reader, the dialogue falls flat.

[00:02:21] Mistake #1: Your characters are explaining things they both already know -- and why this rings false even when the reader can't name why.

[00:04:57] Mistake #2: Your characters are saying exactly what they mean -- and why directness kills tension and deflates the scene.

[00:07:11] Mistake #3: The dialogue isn't doing anything -- why every line needs a job and how to know when a line isn't earning its place.

[00:11:04] All three mistakes come from the same place -- and what to do instead.

[00:12:24] Your final dialogue checklist -- three questions to ask every time a scene feels off.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to write, revise, and finish their books. Thanks for tuning in!

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

If you've been writing your novel or memoir for months, maybe even years, and you still can't seem to cross the finish line, this episode is for you. Because the writers who finish their books don't have more talent, time, or a better story concept. They're separated by how they think about the work while they're inside it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the five mindset shifts that make the difference. And the good news is that how you think is something you can always change.

What You'll Learn:

[00:01:00] Why the writers who finish aren't more talented than the writers who don't, and what actually separates them.

[00:01:45] Mindset #1: Why trying to write perfectly and finish at the same time is guaranteed to stall you, and what writers who finish do instead.

[00:04:00] Mindset #2: How to stop treating difficulty as a sign that something's wrong with you or your story, and what it actually means when the writing gets hard.

[00:06:00] Mindset #3: The identity shift that lets writers cut what isn't working, even scenes they spent weeks writing.

[00:09:00] Mindset #4: Why gripping your original concept too tightly keeps you from writing the book your story is actually trying to become.

[00:11:00] Mindset #5: The one practical strategy that keeps the weight of the whole book from flattening you every time you sit down to write.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps other writers find this podcast and get the insights they need to write, revise, and finish their books. Thanks for tuning in to Writer Unleashed! See you next week!

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Every character in your story is living a full, invisible life - not just your protagonist. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three levels of character, why secondary characters so often fade into the background, and what you need to know about every person in your protagonist's orbit before you write them into a scene.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You think in chapters. You write in chapters. And that might be exactly why revision feels impossible. In this episode, I tackle one of the most universal misconceptions I see in first-time novelists — confusing chapters with scenes. I'll explain why scenes are the real building blocks of your story, what a scene actually does, and how understanding this distinction will help you write a tighter, more unified story.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Most writers know their opening matters. But knowing it and nailing it are two different things. In this episode, I'm breaking down four real book openings to show you exactly what's working beneath the surface, why it hooks readers, and what you can take from each one into your own story.

Episode Web Page

What do you do when writing starts feeling heavy and overwhelming? When it stops being fun?

In this encore episode we'll look at what causes these feelings and how to make your writing joyful again. 

We'll cover:

• The number one thought process that's holding you back - and how it shows up in your writing
• How to reconnect with your personal purpose for writing your story
• Staying present in your writing
• The importance of practice and play, and why your writing can only improve with this approach

Episode Web Page

Your story feels stuck. You've reread the chapters, moved scenes around, added more conflict. But something still isn't working and you can't name what it is.

There's a layer underneath every stuck story that most writers never think to examine. It's not your plot. It's not your structure. It's something that has to be true about your protagonist before any of that can work. And when it's off, no amount of rewriting will fix it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down what that missing layer is, why it's harder to identify than it looks, and how it shifts and deepens across all three acts of your story. By the end, you'll know exactly what to look for in your own manuscript — and what to do about it.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

When an antagonist feels like just another plot device, readers sense it -  and disengage. In this episode, I'm sharing three must-have traits that change everything, and why getting this right might be the most important craft decision you make about your story.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

How do mothers balance writing with parenthood? Whether you're a mom of young children, or a single parent holding down a full time job and a full brood, carving out space to write can feel challenging, if not impossible.

This encore episode is a love note to mothers.  I share my story, along with what I've learned along the way about how to honor the urge to create while being totally present for our kids.

We'll cover how to make time, set the conditions to make your writing happen, and how to ask for support.

Episode Website

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Have a story you're burning to tell but can't figure out where to begin? Think other writers have it easier? You're not stuck because you're not a real writer. You're stuck because you're waiting to feel ready. And that's exactly what's keeping you from starting. 

In this episode learn 3 practical exercises  you can do before you outline, before you structure, before you feel ready. Because clarity doesn't come before the writing. It comes from the writing itself.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You started your book on fire. Now you sit down to write and feel blank. Or worse, you've started to feel disenchanted by your own story. If you've hit the mid-draft slump and started wondering whether your story is good enough, or whether you are, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I break down why writers lose faith in their books mid-draft, and why the problem is almost never the story itself. You'll learn the three shifts that will get you back in the room with your work. 

This isn't a pep talk. It's a reorientation — one that puts you back in control of the one thing that was always yours: your experience of writing this book.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

If your first draft feels like it's wandering — like you're generating pages but not quite writing a story — this episode is for you.

After coaching and editing hundreds of first-time novelists and memoir writers, I keep seeing the same three mistakes show up in draft after draft. Not because these writers aren't talented. But because first drafts are hard, and most of us don't know what we don't know until someone points it out.

The frustrating thing about these mistakes? They're invisible from the inside. The draft looks like it's working. Pages are accumulating. But something feels off, and you can't put your finger on it.

In this episode, I'm naming all three — and telling you exactly what to do instead.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Every writer hits a wall mid-project. The draft isn't working, the rejections are stacking up, and quitting starts to feel like the logical choice. But quitting isn't protecting you from failure. It's guaranteeing it. In this episode, I break down  down three truths about setbacks that every writer needs to hear, and why the writers who finish are the ones who learn to use failure as fuel.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Every writer knows the feeling. Your story is on fire, you're excited about what's on the page. Then somewhere in the middle, something dies. The excitement fades. The scenes stop feeling alive. And no matter how many times you reread or rework your outline, the flatness doesn't go away.

Most writers think something is wrong with them when this happens. It isn't. There's one specific thing missing from your story -  and once you find it, everything changes.

In this episode I reveal the one thing missing from most stories that keeps your draft moving, your characters compelling, and your readers invested all the way to the end.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

If you've ever hit a rough patch in your draft and found yourself reaching for another craft book, another podcast, another writing group, this episode is for you. Finishing your book gets harder when outside voices drown out your own instincts. In this episode, I break down what's actually keeping you stuck, how to recognize your own signal, and three concrete strategies for quieting the noise long enough to hear it.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Most writers assume the struggle is just part of the deal. That if it feels hard, they must be doing something wrong, or not working hard enough, or not talented enough. What if none of that is true? This episode will change the way you think about every writing session from here on out.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Backstory creates a dilemma: you need to give readers context about the past, but the moment you stop your forward-moving plot to explain it, you lose them. This episode shows you how to integrate backstory in ways that deepen your story instead of stopping it cold.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

What makes dialogue believable? It's not what you think. In this episode, I'm breaking down three techniques that bring conversations to life on the page. You'll learn what creates the illusion of authentic speech and how to layer these techniques into your own scenes.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Every writer faces this moment: staring at a bloated manuscript, knowing something has to go, but terrified of making the wrong call. The usual advice—"kill your darlings," "cut ruthlessly"—doesn't help. You need a way to see what's actually weighing your story down. This episode gives you a diagnostic framework that takes the guesswork out of what to leave in, what to leave out. 

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Many writers think romantic tension comes from obstacles keeping compatible people apart. A jealous ex. A misunderstanding. A job in another city. But that's not what makes readers ache for two people to get together.

The love stories that work are doing something completely different. 

In this episode, I'm breaking down the three ways successful love stories create tension that feels genuine instead of manufactured. This isn't about formulas or rules - it's about understanding why some romantic tension makes readers invested and other tension just makes them impatient.

If you're writing romance, romantasy, or literary fiction with romantic elements, this reframe will change how you approach your love story.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

The first encounter between your would-be lovers is not about instant chemistry or love at first sight. It’s where the emotional logic of your entire love story gets set.

In this episode, we explore why admiration from afar creates fantasy but not connection, and why real engagement, even brief, awkward, or tense, is what makes two characters matter to each other.

You’ll learn the three essential elements every strong first meeting needs and four practical approaches to writing first encounters that create tension, contrast, and forward pull.

If your lovers’ first meeting feels flat, generic, or overly dependent on physical attraction, this episode will help you build a moment that feels charged, meaningful, and inevitable, without relying on tired romance shortcuts.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Writers face blocks that feel insurmountable but aren't. Discover the 5 story barriers keeping you stuck - outlining traps, getting lost in the middle, perfectionism, comparison, and rejection - and how to cross to the other side. Confidence doesn't come before you cross the barrier. It comes from crossing it.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Can't finish your first draft? Perfecting your outline for months? Staring at a blank page afraid you'll write something bad? These look like different problems, but they're all the same issue: you're focused on outcomes instead of process. This episode reveals why you're stuck, shows you how to convert paralyzing questions into productive ones, and gives you a concrete action plan to get unstuck. You don't need more courage or discipline. You need to ask different questions.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You have material - notes, scenes, a rough draft. But you can't quite see the story yet. In this episode, I'll show you four simple questions to help you find the story that's already trying to emerge from your scattered material. No outlining, no  complicated organizational systems - just an intuitive way to see what your story is trying to become. 

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

You've revised your opening five times. Cut hundreds of words. Tightened every sentence. But readers still lose interest before they finish Chapter One. The problem isn't your writing—it's pacing. Discover the 3 biggest pacing mistakes that kill your opening and what to do instead. 

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

When life ramps up, writing is usually the first thing to slip through the cracks. Deadlines, family demands, celebrations, travel, and the general December swirl can leave you wondering if you should push harder, press pause, or feel guilty either way. 

In this episode, we look at what it really means to stay connected to your story when time is scarce, and why your writing practice doesn’t have to fall apart just because your schedule does.

You’ll learn 3 simple shifts that keeps your creative mind alive, even when you’re nowhere near your desk, and a few small practices that make it easier to return to your manuscript with more clarity instead of less. If you’ve ever worried about losing momentum during busy seasons, this one will steady you.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Feeling like your work-in-progress is spiraling out of control? You're not alone. This episode tackles that overwhelming moment when your story feels too big, too messy, and too complicated to wrangle. Learn why overwhelm hits at predictable points (spoiler: it's not about your talent), and get four practical strategies to regain your footing without abandoning your draft. The solution isn't seeing the whole path—it's finding your next foothold.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Your first read-through of a first draft can feel like stepping into unknown territory. You’re excited to see what you made, but you’re also bracing for the messy parts you know are coming. In this episode, I walk you through exactly how to handle that first pass without falling into editing mode or judging every page.

You’ll learn what actually matters at this stage, what to ignore for now, how to take clear notes without derailing your momentum, and how to figure out the story you truly wrote. By the end, you’ll have a simple plan that makes this first read-through honest, grounded, and a lot less overwhelming.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

If your novel or memoir juggles multiple storylines—different timelines, narrators, or settings—you might wonder how to keep it all cohesive. In this episode, I share three craft techniques to make your separate narratives feel like parts of the same living story. You’ll learn how to connect your threads through a shared core question, create cause and effect across timelines, and use theme to tie everything together. 

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

What's the difference between a character-driven story and a plot-driven story? And how do you know which one you're writing? In this episode, I explain what these terms actually mean, how to identify where your manuscript falls on the spectrum, and—most importantly—how to strengthen whichever element needs more support. You'll learn the two most common problems writers face and get one simple exercise to help you revise with intention. There's no "right" answer here—just intentional choices. 

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Got a story idea but don't know where to begin? You're not alone. Many writers either freeze at "Chapter One" or spend months planning without ever drafting. In this episode, I walk you through the essential things you need to know before you write your first scene. So you can stop overthinking and start writing today.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Suspense isn't just for thrillers—it's what makes readers unable to put down any story, from memoir to fantasy to romance. In this episode, you'll learn three proven techniques to create page-turning tension in any genre. No car chases or explosions required.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Writing a story with multiple POVs? In this episode, we’ll unpack how to keep your narrative focused, decide which characters need full arcs, and make sure every point-of-view earns its place in your story.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me

Memoir is true, fiction is made up - but how does that change your actual storytelling? In this episode, I break down the key differences between memoir and fiction: what you can and can't do in memoir, how much creative license you have, and when to choose one form over the other. Plus: the surprising ways memoir and fiction use the exact same narrative techniques.

Episode Web Page

📚 Get the character-led method to shape your story from start to finish, without the overwhelm, second-guessing, or endless rewriting. Enrollment closes Thursday, October 22, at 7 pm ET. → https://3actstory.me