Each blog contains 1 idea, 2 quotes, and 3 questions to ponder.

1 WRITING IDEA

The big idea is… there are definite ways to supercharge your writing.

Yes, even if you’re a “slow” writer, you can bump up your productivity by doing some (or all) of the following:

• Outline your chapter and/or scene FIRST

• Brainstorm “must-have” words and phrases before your write

• Embrace the daily discipline of writing

• Write during your best time of day

• Choose a dedicated writing space

• Free your space from interruptions

• Consider using headphones

• Match music with a specific scene or chapter

• Set a timer

• Determine a word goal

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2 WRITING QUOTES

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”

— Isaac Asimov

“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.”

— Jane Yolen

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3 Writing Questions

1. How can outlining increase your writing speed?

2. How does a daily writing discipline help speed up your writing?

3. How does a dedicated writing space help supercharge your writing process?

What if a trip to the Amazon resulted in an amazing discovery?

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER:

About Me

Hey, I’m Brian. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. I’ve also written a book called The Jungle Within.

Each blog contains 1 idea, 2 quotes, and 3 questions to ponder.

1 WRITING IDEA

Writing can often feel like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, with ideas not always fitting neatly in order.

Enter Scrivener, your software sidekick that does more than help you write a book… you’ll build a story.

Imagine a digital workshop where you can:

📁 Organize every idea, image, and doc in ONE place
🔄 Drag, drop, and shuffle sections fluidly
📚 Juggle between your manuscript and character bios simultaneously

Regret making a bold edit? No sweat! With Scrivener’s Snapshots, revisit older versions and keep your literary gem safe.

And remember the good ol' days of index cards on storyboard walls? Now you can go digital – in the corkboard feature.

Need to format files for digital or print? Easy-peasy. From name generators to laser-focused writing with Focus Mode, Scrivener is every writer's dream.

And… myth-busting time. Scrivener isn't hard. Give yourself an hour. Dive in and push buttons. You’ll be up and running in no time.

Crafting your masterpiece just got a lot easier.

Hop over to literatureandlatte.com for a free trial and tutorials.

*By the way, I’m not a Scrivener salesperson or affiliate. I just dig the software.

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2 WRITING QUOTES

“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.

”

— Jodi Picoult

“There is a ruthlessness to the creative act. It often involves a betrayal of the status quo.”

— Alan Watt

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3 Writing Questions

1. What are the fundamental differences between merely writing a book and building a story?

2. What writing advantages come with the ability to organize every idea, image, and document in one place?

3. How does the concept of a "digital workshop" redefine traditional writing methods?

What if a trip to the Amazon resulted in an amazing discovery?

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER:

About Me

Hey, I’m Brian. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. I’ve also written a book called The Jungle Within.

Photo courtesy of Hannah Olinger @hannaholinger

Each blog contains 1 idea, 2 quotes, and 3 questions to ponder.

1 WRITING IDEA

Did you know certain paint colors, especially dark grey, can boost the selling price of a house? True! (and verified by my home appraiser wife)

Now imagine your book as a freshly primed wall. The paint color is your writing style, which ties into your point of view (POV).

POV serves as the heartbeat of your writing voice. And mastering your voice is like picking the perfect paint shade.

So, you've got options:

1st person: use "I" and "we," giving that cozy, in-my-shoes feel.

2nd person: use the daring "you," drawing readers directly into the action.

3rd person: use “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they,” for a bird’s-eye view.

Choosing the right POV comes down to what feels most natural. The best writers go invisible, making readers forget about them. But making that look effortless is the toughest part.

Once you've picked a POV, stay in that lane. Don’t mix and merge. And if considering multiple character POVs, go for it! But tread carefully—too many voices can be a crowd.

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2 WRITING QUOTES

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.
”

— Harper Lee

“Every story has already been told… there is really no reason to ever write another novel. Except that each writer brings to the table, if she will let herself, something that no one else in the history of time has ever had.”

— Anna Quindlen

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3 Writing Questions

1. Why do you think it's important for writers to "go invisible"? What benefits does this bring to a story?

2. In what situations might a writer choose multiple character POVs, and what are the risks in that choice?

3. What is your favorite book written in 1st person? 3rd? What genres best support 2nd person?

What if a trip to the Amazon resulted in an amazing discovery?

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER:

About Me

Hey, I’m Brian. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. I’ve also written a book called The Jungle Within.

Photo courtesy of Brad Neathery @bradneathery

Each blog contains 1 idea, 2 quotes, and 3 questions to ponder.

1 WRITING IDEA

As a kid, I devoured all the Encyclopedia Brown books, numerous times.

But… I can’t remember one single plot point. They faded quickly with time.

However, I do recall how Encyclopedia, the boy detective, was so smart and how Bugs Meany, the villain, was so mean. I’ve carried those memories for decades.

Same thing goes for Gilligan’s Island, the Brady Bunch, and the Jack Reacher books. The stories escape me, but man, I love the characters.

I’m guessing most people, like me, remember characters more than plot lines. That’s why, when you’re writing your story, wrestle this question to the ground: What Makes My Protagonist Special?

Is he/she/it… Smart? Sarcastic? Using magic powers? Artistic? Able to leap tall buildings? Good with a whip and a gun?

Writing jump-off-the-page characters starts with knowing their unique personality. Maybe they’re extroverted. Or introverted. Perhaps they’re an Enneagram #3. Or #8. Maybe they’re a Myers Briggs ENFJ.

Once you nail that down, take your beloved cast and then put ‘em through hell. That's right, conflict forges great characters.

Which brings up another question you should answer: Why Does Your Villain Hate Your Antagonist? Oh, that’s a good one.

Writing unforgettable characters is the engine that drives your story, even more than clever plot devices.

Looking at you, Marcia Brady.

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2 WRITING QUOTES

“When I’m creating characters, I definitely think of theme songs. Writing for me is very visual, so I sometimes think of it in terms of a movie with a soundtrack, and try to transfer that to words.”

— Marisha Pessl

“In truth, the secret to all characterization for me is expressible in two maxims: Every character is the hero of his own story, and You don’t write characters, you write relationships.”

— Orson Scott Card

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3 Writing Questions

1. How do you create characters that don’t all sound exactly like you?

2. What are your strategies for creating sympathy for certain characters?

3. What process do you use in developing the personality of your characters?

What if a trip to the Amazon resulted in an amazing discovery?

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER:

About Me

Hey, I’m Brian. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. I’ve also written a book called The Jungle Within.

Photo courtesy of Gift Habeshaw @gift_habeshaw

Each blog contains 1 idea, 2 quotes, and 3 questions to ponder.

1 WRITING IDEA

Consider writing your first draft in longhand instead of at the computer.

Yeah, that means actually writing-writing. I can hear you screaming now: “What?! Are you nuts? I type faster than I write!” 

That’s true for me, too. But I argue, ahem, there’s something downright magical about putting pen to paper. 

There, I said it.

To me, staring at a screen seems sterile. Computer keys, blinking cursor, word processor. All that’s missing is a doctor’s exam glove. But writing on paper unleashes the creative muse, that invisible fairy creature who sprinkles pixie dust on your frontal lobe and makes your literary loins do a breakdance. Or something like that.

Writing in longhand also limits those dang distractions. With paper, there aren’t notification bleeps for social media and email. You’re not staring at a clock in the corner of the screen. You’re not tempted to visit YouTube and watch adorable dogs on escalators. (alright… go ahead, I know you want to look)

And yes, while certain programs allow a distraction-free view, I don’t trust myself. No, sir. It’s too easy to move my cursor and chase a rogue thought down the internet bunny trail, like, “Hmmm… what years did Tim Conway appear on the Carol Burnett Show?” Yeah, I actually did that. 

Writing on paper also encourages deeper thinking. That extra second or two to scribble a word clears needed room in your brain receptors, and sometimes those little neuron spaces can explode a spark of clarity about your character or theme. Compare that with fancy-pants typing. On a keyboard, you’ll go faster, yes, but beware the temptation of pesky mechanics — you know, the font, the formatting, the spellcheck, those squigglies under bad grammar.

But let’s not forget that paper also allows for fantastical doodling. The free flow of your pen/pencil in the margins, or coloring outside the lines, letting your imagination run wild, crossing things out, and adding notes in the margin. It’s all about staying playful in your writing. Longhand isn’t efficient, and that’s the beauty of it. When you’re stuck, you can draw pictures of a horse with a man’s head, or an alien spaceship, or practice your signature for when you become a celebrity. 

So here’s your big money sentence: the computer screen feels like an examination table whereas a sheet of paper is a sandbox. 

Alas, it comes down to personal preference. But if you haven’t held a writing device between your fingers since third grade, give it a try again. It may surprise you.

Now excuse me, I’m off to sharpen my #2 pencil.

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2 WRITING QUOTES

“While you can easily see your word count and page count while typing in a word processing program, there is something magical in seeing the physical accumulation of pages as you create them. Writing longhand in a notebook allows you to see yourself creating page after page of your work. I have found that seeing a stack of handwritten pages serves as motivation, as it shows me what I have already done and that I have the ability to do even more.”

— Ran Walker from article "Back to Basics: Benefits of Writing With a Pen & Notebook"

“I write my novels longhand. I love the feeling of writing; I love to see pen on paper. It feels more creative than typing, and it’s a more visual process for me – I can picture the entire scene in my head and am merely writing what I see.”

— Cecelia Ahern

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3 Writing Questions

1. What benefits have you found in writing a story in longhand?

2. Do you have a favorite type of pen/pencil/paper?

3. Until recent history, books were written by hand. Do you feel it’s a logical argument that the best books in history were written apart from computers?

What if a trip to the Amazon resulted in an amazing discovery?

WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER:

About Me

Hey, I’m Brian. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m a father of five and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a smooth moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor. I’ve also written a book called The Jungle Within.