Lisa Cron Brace yourself! (Spoiler alert: there is good news coming.) But first . . . Here’s a hard fact: 97% of writers never finish a first draft. Here’s an even harder fact: 96% of those finished manuscripts are rejected by agents and publishers. And the indie route? Statistics show that the vast majority of […]

Lisa Cron I had a lot of great questions this month, but Laura Drake’s question goes directly to the very heart – the foundation -- of your novel. She asks: “I'm stuck on The Origin Scene. Partially, I think, because it feels like if I get it wrong, the rest of my book is screwed. Any […]

Lisa Cron Great questions this month – so much to say, so let’s get started! Laura Drake asks: I have a question – I’ve read (no, studied) the first half of Story Genius, and it’s changed the way I write. My weakness is plotting (I don’t). So the second half of the book is lost […]

Lisa Cron Backstory is something writers often struggle with, largely because of the writing myths out there that make it seem like something that’s best avoided. Ironic, because by avoiding backstory, writers tend to doom their novels right out of the starting gate. The surprising truth is that backstory is the most seminal layer of […]

Lisa Cron We are so proud and humbled that the Lisa Cron, the author of Wired for Story, and Story Genius has agreed to blog with us on a regular basis! In case you haven't yet seen her TED Talk, you can watch it here. Later. After you read her first installment of 'Ask the Story […]