I’ve been particularly quiet on my blog for the past while. Part of that was because of focusing on book publications – editing and revision work. Another reason though has been new writing prompts and projects that haven’t reached completion yet.

It’s been on my heart lately to talk more about writing – specifically about the art of storytelling. I’ve been collecting information over the years from all the things I’ve been reading and watching, and there are certain things I’ve noticed that feed into a good story, and other things that backfire.

I’ve already assembled a book to talk about these elements in detail, but since I’m into my sabbath year now I’m not looking to publish another book until 2018. That leaves me wide open for doing blog posts though. (Update: The Storyteller’s Handbook is now available for purchase!)

So what I’ve decided to do is take some samples of the notes I’ve taken on the art of storytelling and put them into blog posts over the next little while. I’ll do a short series on a number of topics, including hero types and villain types, and how writers can get their messages across more effectively through the stories they tell.

I’ll be doing my first post about storytelling soon. I’ll start with some of the more foundational aspects of building a story (like how to establish your focus for the story and make sure you stay on track) since it’s an element that a lot of us find challenging but it’s generally the best starting point for putting a story together.

My intention is for these posts to be beneficial for writers on all levels of experience. The kind of issues I’ll be pointing out are mistakes that I see made by even the most renowned writers, but the tips are simple enough to pick up on any stage in the journey. The research process and the insights I’ve learned have definitely helped me grow as a writer, and I hope they’ll be helpful to my fellow storytellers also.