Getting Started

• Focus on small “one-inch frame” moments
• Don’t force the full story upfront
• Let meaning emerge while writing
• First drafts are just getting ideas down
• Second drafts refine and improve
• Third drafts focus on detail and polish
• Perfectionism kills creativity
• If stuck, write anything to start momentum
• Messy writing can lead to breakthroughs
• Writing starts unclear and becomes clearer over time
• Focus on what characters value

The Writing Frame of Mind

• Writing is paying close attention to life
• Be curious, present, and observant like a child
• Stories need a moral center to feel complete
• Care deeply about the core of your work
• Moral stance is meaning and passion, not messaging
• Trust intuition over excessive analysis
• Inner doubt and ego are both distractions
• Learn to recognize and lower internal noise
• Develop rituals that support focus and calm
• Jealousy is a normal part of creative work
• Others will succeed and not everyone will like your work

Story Elements

• Character is an “emotional acre” of what is nurtured or neglected
• Understand characters deeply including thoughts and inner life
• Characters should be likable, not perfect
• Plot must grow naturally from character
• Story should feel continuous, like a vivid dream
• Structure follows ABDCE action background development climax ending
• Dialogue should feel natural but sharper than real speech
• Dialogue should feel like eavesdropping, not explanation
• Setting reflects character identity
• Objects in setting carry meaning and identity
• Visualize setting like a film set