By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills It’s December, the month of Christmas, and we’re all scrambling for the perfect gift for our writerly friends. The opportunity should be easy, but when we choose to offer something special that encourages them, our creative minds head into overdrive. Here are a few ways you…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills November writers can find themselves overwhelmed in this incredibly busy and fun-filled month. Bustling cooks are scurrying about in the kitchen in preparation for Thanksgiving. Recipes are positioned for easy viewing, and some are made ahead of schedule to freeze until needed. The table is often…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writing a story from an actual person or event provides an opportunity for readers to explore, invoke sensory perception, and imagine themselves as those who lived through a notable time in history or a contemporary happening. A real or fictitious character who embarks upon the established…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Establishing a character’s goal is a writer’s quest to discover what motivates the story player into action. The goal originates in personality, culture, worldview, and past experiences. That might seem intimidating for the writer, but a definition of external and internal goals clears a path for…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills I believe a writer’s number one purpose in creating a story is to entertain the reader. Following that task is to inspire a reader to attempt what they may believe is impossible. The reader follows how the protagonist overcame obstacles to reach a goal or solve…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Story Payoff is not a writer gripping the handle of a slot machine and hoping the reader gets it. That friends, would be a gamble. Who wants to risk their story, a work of the heart that has taken weeks, months, or years to create? The…