by Michael Mahin | Blog, Character Development, Children's Writing, Picture Books, Story Development, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
Whether you like to plan out your stories first, or whether your “story” is something you discover after your first draft, being able to identify what kind of story problem you are exploring is a critical step in refining and focusing your narrative.... 
by Michael Mahin | Blog, Character Development, Picture Books, Story Development, Structure, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
What if I told you the structure of your story is already written and that all you had to do was fill-in-the-blanks? Sound too good to be true? It is. Kind of. While storytelling is never this easy, Eve Heidi Bine-Stock’s analysis of storytelling strategies... 
by Michael Mahin | Blog, Children's Writing, Creativity, Picture Books, Story Development, The Writing Process, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
Plotter? Panster? Planster? When I first started writing, I was really obsessed with getting it right. I thought there was a right way and a wrong way to write. So I spent a lot of time reading about how the best writers do it. And it turns out, they do it in as many... 
by Michael Mahin | Blog, Children's Writing, Picture Books, Story Development, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
A story question is little more than your book’s theme stated as a question. It’s not a particularly revolutionary idea, but it’s a great trick for quickly and easily determining what your story is about. And why do you need to know what your story...
