Remembering to Make Time for Writing
Sometimes, life gets really busy. My writing this year has slowed a bit. Rather than writing twenty thousand words a week, I’ve been lucky to get one thousand words in a week. I’m still working on my next book and the chapters are coming along, but not at the pace I’ve had before. I’m reminded…
A Story’s Inciting Event
When I think of some of the stories I’ve enjoyed reading, one major thing stands out. In most of the stories, the protagonist begins in a situation that, no matter how ruinous or desperate it might be, they’ve figured it out enough to survive. They know the dangers, rewards, and challenges that affect their life.…
Making Time for the Fun of Writing
It’s the end of another week and this one has been busy. My day job keeps me quite busy, especially these last few months, but I manage to continue to make time in my day to write. With some of the other challenges of my life, my writing time is shorter and less than it…
Just When a Protagonist Figures it Out
Thinking about my next book as I write it, has got me thinking a bit about consequences. In life, every choice has a good or bad consequence and it can seem like life changes quickly. In my current story project, my protagonist has everything figured out. At least, he thought he did. When the inciting…
When a Character Faces Challenges
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve finished the outline for my next book, and started writing it a couple of times. Each of those times, I have tossed it out and restarted. This story has a protagonist whose life will change drastically as he faces the obstacles and challenges of the story. It’s…
The Right Characters
The right characters make the story better. They bring out the good or the bad in the main character and the story. As I outline and prepared my idea for my next book, I’ve found myself thinking of many books I’ve read where the characters stick with me. Creating the right kind of characters can…
The Right Supporting Characters
As I work through my outline for my next book, I’ve found myself concentrating on the supporting characters. These are the characters that interact with the main character and can help make the story richer. Sometimes, they may help the main character and other times they may distract them. Not every character is ready to…
Building the Story’s Environment
As I work through my next book idea, I’ve been concentrating a lot on the milieu of this story. It’s a science fiction story, taking place far into the future. Freedom is one of the themes I’ve found myself playing with as I develop this story. Beyond just playing with the theme, I’ve been looking…
When a Character Adapts
I find myself thinking about people a lot as I interact with them throughout the day. Part of that comes from the way I’m constantly thinking about my next story and trying to make my characters come even more alive. As I pay attention to the people I interact with each day, I’ve noticed a…
Building Characters for Another Story Idea
Two weeks into the new year, and I’m still working on my next story idea. I’ve written a lot of stories, and I’ve put a few of them on Amazon as books. I enjoy the process of developing and thinking through stories. Characters are one of my favorite pieces to build and think about. Because…
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DANIEL R. BURKHARD 