Create a short story with contemporary interpretations of Greek Myths.

Every building needs a solid framework to keep it standing strong, and storytelling is much the same. A good foundation of story beats will keep your story flowing in a satisfying way, keeping your readers hooked. Whether they realize it or not (and most of them don't!), readers are highly attuned to these beats. In the same way you might abandon a building with no support beams and a sagging ceiling, the reader may abandon reading your story if the support it needs is missin

I gripped her arm in the midst of stares, looking out for a new neighbor, looking out for her child. Where were those stares fifteen minutes ago when Miss Thang was yelling what she wasn’t gonna do or where she wasn’t gonna go and I wasn’t her mama and I thought, Lord, this ain’t even my child. But I stood there watching her making sure she saw me. Then I had enough, and it became apparent she was beyond reason and conversation, so I pulled her back, I pulled her in. My hold

I recently came across a story spine created by Kenn Adams of Synergy Theater in San Francisco and made popular by Pixar Animation Studios. Through a series of writing prompts, it guides the development of a story. The idea is to follow each prompt until a story emerges. Finding myself at a plot impasse, I used it as a tool to get my creative juices flowing again. Here is my sample using the story spine framework (structure in bold): 1. Once upon a time… … there was a woman

Point of view (PoV) may seem a trivial aspect of writing, but sometimes it can play a pivotal role in telling your story. It's not...

(Self-editing Tips for Authors) Imaginarium Convention, 2023 JoAnn Sky, Presenter I attended the Imaginarium Convention last year in...

Excerpt from the book Cat Grammar Guide by Linda Hart and Don Hart, illustrated by Tonya Foreman (Four Cats Publishing, 2023), available...

April 4-6, 2024 Duke Energy Convention Center 525 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 https://greathomeschoolconventions.com/locations/ohio...

Most of us begin an author’s life b/c we cannot not! We must write! We love words -the power, the ideas, images, adventures,...

That damned bug! No respect for the holiday - a holy day, at that! Despite vaccines, masks, zinc, and thousands of milligrams of Vitamin...

Your character rents a yacht to use for an event and falls in love with the billionaire who owns it. Share your short stories (500 to...

A writer has many reasons for having multiple points of view in their story. There isn't even a rule for how many to use. How many do you...

Where Should Your Story Begin? It might seem obvious that a story should begin at the beginning, but finding the right moment to hook...

We are pleased to announce that Sandy Kachurek, director of the Into the Springs Writers' Workshop, will be a guest speaker at our...

The Arts Council of Westerville and Westerville Public Library are now accepting applications for their 18th annual Celebrate the Arts...

Losk stood by himself in the charred remains of a small cottage. There was little more than stone walls and blackened beams left inside....

Your character goes for a walk in a thick pine forest and finds the remains of a sailing ship. The closest large body of water is over a...

Mark your calendars! We are pleased to announce that the coordinators of the Imaginarium Convention, Stephen Zimmer & Holly Phillippe,...

Member Collen Green, author of the Amber Milestone Series, will be attending a book signing and reading event. When: Sunday, November...

Member Colleen Green will be at the Snowflake Craft Bazaar with the Amber Milestone Series. When: Friday, November 3 from10am - 7pm...