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... by Michael Mahin | Blog, Creativity, Story Development, The Writing Process, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
If you’re like me, you love writing. And…you hate it. Sometimes at the same time. We writers are full of contradictions when it comes to writing. We savor our alone time, yet we want to be loved by our peers. We want to create art, yet we want to be on the bestseller... by Michael Mahin | Blog, Creativity, Story Development, The Writing Process, Writers on Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Exercises, Writing Tips
REVIEW: How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play (Writer’s Digest Books 2010). Over the last couple months, my goal has been simple: to engage in what Geoff Colvin, author of the book Talent is Overrated, calls “deliberate...