Megan Fuentes's Blog

I am so jazzed to finally announce the digital, printable version of the 30-Day Road Trip Word Crawl Workbook is now available!

I’ve included below the full first word crawl in the workbook, so you can “try before you buy.” Give it a whirl! I’d love to know what you think in the comments—and what your word count was once you finished!

Happy writing!

Day 1: Pack Your Bags

Two of your childhood best friends are getting married, and you’ve decided to make a month-long road trip out of the occasion. The wedding will be the midpoint of your trip, but before and after the big day, you’re at the mercy of the open road. Who knows what adventures fate has planned for you?

Speaking of plans, are you sure you have all your reservations together? Double check now that everywhere you’re staying knows you’re coming.

Sprint for as many minutes as there are letters in your first and last name.

Once you’re sure you’ll have a place to rest your head—at least for most nights—do a once-over of your luggage to make sure you’re not forgetting anything in that department.

If you’re the type of person who packs light, write 225 words.

If you prefer to pack everything you think you could possibly need, write 275 words.

Your next move depends on whether or not you have another kind of travel arrangement to make. Thirty days is a long time to leave your home. Someone needs to check on things!

If you have pets or plants you care for, write 350 words.

If you just need someone to collect your mail, write 300 words.

The most important step in preparing for a road trip is, of course, making snacks! Just move quickly—every second the ice is out of the freezer is another second you’re closer to a melted mess.

Write 600 words in an hour.

If you succeed, make a note to share your win in a post after your writing session!If you didn’t make it to 600 words in that hour, hey, progress is progress. Write the rest of the 600 words, then keep going!

Once you’ve stuffed everything into your vehicle, you’re almost ready to go! All that’s missing is your road trip playlist.

Pick your favorite of the options on the next page to add to your playlist. If you want both options on your playlist, combine the sprint times into one longer sprint!

TRACK ONE:

“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” (Sprint for 4 minutes.)“Shut Up and Drive” (Sprint for 4 minutes.)If you want neither, write 200 words.

TRACK TWO:

“Life is a Highway” (Sprint for 5 minutes.)“Old Town Road” (Sprint for 3 minutes.)If you want neither, write 225 words.

TRACK THREE:

“Mustang Sally” (Sprint for 3 minutes.)“Little Red Corvette” (Sprint for 5 minutes.)If you want neither, write 250 words.

And now you’re ready to get moving. Put your bags in the car. Turn the key in the ignition. Take a breath as you put your hands on the steering wheel and leave your neighborhood. You’re on a road trip now, baby!

What’s your final word count? Remember to let me know in the comments!

If you’ve ever felt bored or unmotivated in the middle of writing your book, this workbook is the perfect travel companion.

Wave goodbye to boring writing sessions as you buckle in for a do-it-yourself 30-day writing challenge designed to keep you driven until The End.

DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY OF THE 30-DAY ROAD TRIP WORD CRAWL WORKBOOK @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}}Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list.UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post Introducing the 30-Day Road Trip Word Crawl Workbook: Pack Your Bags for Day 1 appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Taylor Swift recently released a new album. By now, you’ll have heard snippets while scrolling if not every single song.

With a new release from the most popular musical artist of our time comes the discourse. There is a lot, and exploring all of it is beyond the scope of this blog post and my sanity. However, there are some talking points that I think are extremely relevant to artists of all stripes and walks of life—writers most definitely included.

An All Too Brief History & Context

The Life of a Showgirl comes hot off the heels of Taylor’s last album, The Tortured Poets Department, and the record-breaking Eras Tour, which was a celebration of Taylor’s many musical “eras” and her incredible songwriting range. Her debut first captured hearts in 2006, so lots of ground to cover!

As expected, she played the songs that made her a household name in the first place. With the tour and her rerecordings of earlier albums injecting those hits into our social media feeds, the best of her best was repeatedly brought to our attention, this time with the added candy coating that is nostalgia.

Then: TTPD. Taylor wrote these songs freshly heartbroken, and she went to dark, deep, and profoundly poetic places in her work. TTPD raised eyebrows at first—the same can be said of every album, it should be noted—but ultimately, it became many Swifties’ favorite.

Now Everybody’s So Punk on the Internet

Fast-forward to TLOAS, written by an incandescently happy Taylor. Every song is layered with meaning, but they’re also fun. In TTPD’s “So Long, London,” she said she was “just getting color back into [her] face;” in TLOAS, she’s all aglow.

With this juxtaposition between her two most recent albums—combined with the Eras Tour and rerecordings bringing to mind her greatest hits—it’s no wonder so many of the initial reviews called TLOAS a disappointment. Especially for newer Swifties who found so much comfort in her melancholia during a tumultuous time in the world. TLOAS is a shimmering, playful pop album tonally opposite from her more recent work.

On the Friday TLOAS came out, I read a lot of posts saying things like, “Is this the same woman who wrote folklore, evermore, and TTPD?”

Over the weekend and through this week, that rhetorical question was answered with comebacks like, “Are you talking about the same woman who also wrote 1989 and Lover? Of course it’s her! Women are allowed to contain multitudes.”

Yes, and…

All Artists Are Multifaceted Like a Mirrorball

And that’s very inconvenient for some people.

Now, I do love putting things in boxes. I love categorizing and labeling and compartmentalizing. I’m a sucker for a personality quiz, too. No one wants to get the bottom of which Disney Princess they are more than I do!

The problem with those boxes is that we can’t stay in them forever. We are complex creatures, and trying to keep ourselves an easy-to-define thing goes from uncomfortable to excruciating fast.

But it’s very good for marketing, and that’s makes that line of thinking so seductive.

I hear this sentiment repeated again and again from my clients during chats and story coaching sessions. No matter how many books these writers have already penned or published, all of them wonder if their writing is too different, too much, too against the grain. If they don’t hit the niche in exactly the right way, will the market reject them? Will longtime readers turn their nose up?

If you’re new to her world, what Taylor’s going through now may look like proof positive your career will be toast if you make shifts in style. Taylor Swift herself has expressed such anxieties in songs like “mirrorball.” Yet she continues to pivot and reinvent herself with every new release, more fearlessly now than ever. She’s a damn good businesswoman, and she knows she has nothing to fear by going through such metamorphoses. For all the talk about TLOAS being disappointing, it’s already broken more than half a dozen records.

The numbers don’t lie. What she’s doing works, and she knows it.

I posit that Taylor has survived every era—and every era’s initial backlash—because she knows what she likes to write and what she’s good at writing. This consistency is the bedrock of her success and staying power, and us writers can learn a lot from her creative philosophies.

The Many Pens of Taylor Swift

At first glance, Taylor’s music does not scream “consistency.” She’s done country, pop, alternative, and indie, and she’s dabbled in many others. The topics she touches on are even more varied—love, betrayal, fate, gender roles, celebrity, tragedy, and so on.

But those aren’t the genres you should be paying attention to when it comes to her writing approach. During her speech accepting the NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award, Taylor shared her unique songwriting “genres.”

And I’ve never talked about this publicly before, because, well, it’s dorky. But I also have, in my mind, secretly, established genre categories for lyrics I write. Three of them, to be exact. They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics.

Each writing instrument is the one she imagines picking up while she’s writing. Quill lyrics are “antiquated” or inspired by classic literature; fountain pen lyrics are “a modern storyline with a poetic twist;” and glitter gel pen lyrics are “carefree” and “bouncy” and “don’t take themselves seriously.”

Fellow Swifties can probably name a few songs from each category off the top of your head. The uninitiated might expect her to stick with one pen per album, but she doesn’t! TLOAS is undeniably glitter-gel-pen-coded, but make no mistake—the quill (“The Fate of Ophelia”) and the fountain pen (“Eldest Daughter”) are represented.

And that’s why I put “genres” in quotes. Genres in books revolve around the content; Taylor’s choice of pen comes from the language used, not the content or the themes. Her constant use of language in those three distinct ways is what connects her albums and attracts her fans. Swifties are there for her lyrics above all else.

There is also something that connects your works across genres and across pen names. If you can figure out what that is and be intentional about applying it and marketing it, the readers who resonate with those elements will follow you anywhere.

Why & How You Need to Find Your “Pens” Like Taylor Swift

I talked about this in a recent class I taught for Danika Bloom’s Author Ever After community, From Trope Love to True Love: Writing the Romances Only You Can Tell. Finding what makes your work yours is essential for sustaining a writing career. If you know what’s consistent about your work, you know what to underscore when you market. Even more importantly, the throughlines in your work are probably what you like to write. Focus on what you like to write, and the writing becomes more enjoyable.

To do this, you’ll need to dive into your past work (scary, I know!) and study. Both finished and unfinished projects have lessons for you to learn about your own tastes and talents. Make a list as you read of what you did well—not just the tropes you nailed, but the literary devices, and whatever else sticks out to you.

Those are your “pens.” They are mighty, and they will serve you well. Taylor Swift knows her pens—the kinds of lyrics she writes best—and this self-knowledge helps her stay perennially popular. She knows what she’s good at, she delivers, and her fans love her for it.

I wish the same for you.

When you’re ready to use those pens to write your best story yet, book me for a story coaching session.

I help writers like you find the beating heart of your story through carving out your character arcs. A couple hours over a video call later, you’ll close your laptop with a renewed passion for your story and a better understanding of what makes it so brilliant.

BOOK A STORY COACHING SESSION NOW

PS. I wrote this blog post while listening to TLOAS on repeat, of course, so here’s a list of my favorite songs just for funsies: “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Opalite,” “Father Figure,” “Actually Romantic,” “Wood,” “CANCELLED!,” and “Honey.”

@import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post What Writers Can Learn From Taylor Swift’s Songwriting Pens appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

If people know you write, you are going to get notebooks, pens, and other writing supplies for every holiday. You’ve probably amassed quite a collection by now. I know I have—I’m up to forty-something notebooks and counting!

And many of them are blank. I’d venture to guess that the same is also true for you.

But they do not have to stay blank. If you suffer from Pretty Notebook Paralysis, allow me to introduce you to its life-changing cure: the Ugly Notebook Theory.

The Ugly Notebook Theory Explained

To understand Ugly Notebook Theory, we must first understand Pretty Notebook Paralysis. Writers of all stripes have suffered from this affliction—that is, being so enamored with a notebook or journal that you refrain from writing in its pristine pages.

The Ugly Notebook Theory argues that in order to overcome Pretty Notebook Paralysis and keep those gorgeous leather-bound journals from collecting dust on a shelf, you must first practice the art of writing by hand in the least likely of places: an ugly notebook. By actually using this resource that you inherently find less valuable for its unaesthetic vibes, you can inoculate yourself against Pretty Notebook Paralysis.

TL;DR: If you write in an ugly notebook enough times, writing in a pretty notebook won’t be so scary! Then you can actually use the ones you were gifted (and the ones you bought because they caught your eye in a bookstore and you just couldn’t help yourself).

The Benefits of Writing in an Ugly Notebook1. Flexibility

Anyone who’s a fan of bullet journaling—me included—knows that notebooks are so much more flexible than people give them credit for.

In the past, I would get flustered when I made a spelling mistake or changed my mind about how I wanted to phrase a sentence while writing by hand. Crossing things out looked amateurish and obnoxious, and I never had correction fluid when I needed it.

And when I realized I actually didn’t like anything I’d just written, I straight-up abandoned not just the notebook, but the whole project. (That might be a me problem, though.)

In a notebook you find unattractive in the first place, well, who cares? It’s already not your favorite thing to look at! You can make the pages as ugly as you want: cross things out, draw arrows to rearrange passages, rip out whole or partial pages, add more comments in the margins than a shared Google Doc—whatever you want or need to do!

2. Creative Freedom

Adopting the Ugly Notebook Theory grants you freedom from writing something that has to be worthy of the notebook’s beauty. You’ll be much more likely to let yourself get experimental with how you use the pages.

Say you start out writing a first draft, but it turns out your protagonist’s character arc needs a rethink. Just flip to the next page and start the brainstorming. Realize you’re getting turned around while the love interest wanders their hometown? Draw a map on the same page. Writing a mystery? Flip the notebook around and upside down to start your sleuth’s case notes and document how they’re making sense of the clues and red herrings in character. Cool and useful!

There are no rules to using a notebook except the ones we make up. When you follow the Ugly Notebook Theory, you won’t be tempted to create arbitrary rules for how to use your notebook. Instead, you’ll be able to effortlessly tap into that unlimited potential the blank page offers—and guiltlessly tear out the pages you don’t want to keep.

(Pro tip from the bullet journaling method: create a table of contents on the first couple pages and update it as you go, so you can easily find what you want to reference later!)

3. An Escape from Screens

This might be my favorite thing about an ugly notebook: it’s not a screen.

We spend so much of our lives in front of screens. If we’re not looking at our phones or tablets to entertain us or self-soothe, we’re doing work on our desktops or laptops. And the research is making it clearer and clearer that all this screen time is doing us more harm than good both physically and mentally.

Using a physical notebook to write forces you to focus on the words, so you can lose yourself in the story just like our predecessors we so admire. Your concentration will remain unbroken because paper can’t notify you of breaking news or social media posts, thank goodness.

If you find yourself drawn to picking up your phone while you write, try a focusing app like Hank Green’s chart-topping Focus Friend or my personal favorite, Flora.

4. Defense Against AI Use & Plagiarism Accusations

I hate to bring this up, so I’ll make it quick.

In this day and age of AI use and plagiarism accusations tanking writing careers old, having a physical, handwritten copy of your first draft can lend legitimacy to your innocence. It gives you a paper trail. Anyone who claims you fabricated a whole notebook’s worth of poetry, prose, or notes will be rightly dismissed as someone who’s crying wolf, and your reputation will remain intact.

The Drawbacks of Writing by Hand (& Smart Fixes You Can Implement)1. Slower Writing

There’s no denying the math. The average person is only going to type half as fast as they handwrite if they’re lucky. Writing by hand is always going to be sluggish compared to typing. If you care about speed or if you’re taking part in a writing challenge, that might be a dealbreaker for you.

Personally, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Writing by hand will give you more time to think of what you want to write, which results in cleaner prose, at least in my experience. I also think the slowness is also part of what makes it easier for us to remember what we’ve handwritten versus what we’ve typed—we spend more time on each word.

The smart fix for this is using shorthand and common abbreviations wherever possible. If you make some up, create a key in the back of your notebook to save future you the headache of decoding the initials and symbols.

2. Increased Potential of Lost Work

I know the notion of losing a notebook—ugly or pretty—is downright terrifying. I’ve misplaced a couple in my life, and it always breaks my heart.

And that’s why you’re going to do what everyone tells you to do with your writing, which is back it the hell up. Snap a picture of each page as you complete it, or sit down to type up what you’ve handwritten every couple days. That way, you don’t have a heart attack when you realize your notebook slipped out of your tote bag at some point in your busy day.

A nice bonus: when you type up what’s in the notebook, you can incorporate the edits you want to make as you go!

3. Difficulty Tracking Progress

No, you can’t accurately track your word count when writing in a notebook. I don’t blame you for not wanting to count each individual word on every single page. That would drive me up a wall, too.

You can, however, dog-ear the pages or add a bookmark to help you visualize how far you are along in your notebook.

You can also guesstimate how many words you write per page. Just find the average number of words you can fit in each line of your notebook, then count the number of rows per page and multiply that number by the average number of words per row.

For example, I know in your typical college-ruled spiral-bound notebook that I can fit about 10 words before needing to drop down to a new line. Those notebooks have 32 lines to a page.

10 words in a line x 32 lines per page ≈ 320 words per page

If you want to take it a step further, you can guesstimate how many words you’ve written in a full notebook! There are 70 sheets in those college-ruled spiral-bound notebooks, right? That’s 140 pages.

320 words per page x 140 pages ≈ 44,800 words in a notebook

I tend to underwrite, so that’s just about a full first draft of a novel for me! Ain’t that neat?

How to Use the Ugly Notebook Theory in Your Writing Life

The first step is obvious: choosing the ugly notebook. I encourage you to choose from your current supply rather than pick out a new one, lest you fall under its spell. Since you’re not choosing the notebook based on aesthetics, make a choice based on practicality: what feels like a good size in your hands, and what you can fit in your purse/tote/backpack/work bag with room to spare.

It might feel weird to start writing a draft in a notebook you don’t like. Instead of forcing it, try using your first one as a commonplace book while you adjust to having it around. That’s what I initially did for the call center job I worked in the past—I had a notebook that I figured I’d just doodle in when we weren’t busy, and I wound up writing more than one book between calls over the course of a few years.

Before you know it, you won’t want to go anywhere without your ugly notebook, as unlikely as it sounds. There’s a certain romanticism to writing by hand to which no one is immune. When my partner and I take our weekly-to-monthly visits to NYC together, I don’t even bring my laptop—just the plainest notebook you’ve ever seen and a few pens (to be honest, more than strictly necessary, but that’s a topic for another blog post). Sipping on specialty iced lattes in the city while leisurely working on my novel feels downright indulgent.

And nothing makes you feel more like a real writer than having a shelf full of well-loved notebooks. Even ugly notebooks.

When you’re ready to turn that ugly notebook’s messy first draft into a masterpiece, book me for a story coaching session.

I help writers like you find the beating heart of your story through carving out your character arcs. A couple hours over a video call later, you’ll close your laptop with a renewed passion for your story and a better understanding of what makes it so brilliant.

BOOK A STORY COACHING SESSION NOW @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post The Ugly Notebook Theory appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

What’s story coaching? I’ve written a blog post about that! To put it succinctly, a story coach works with writers to clarify their story ideas, including plot, subplots, character arcs, and themes.

But that definition doesn’t tell you much about what actually happens when you secure an appointment with a story coach. How is it that those things are clarified? What’s the process? What are you actually going to get out of it?

You’ll get a lot out of it—I make damn sure of that. And my clients agree.

I was at a roadblock with my story, and Megan came up with multiple ideas and directions for me to take my story. It was clear she put a lot of time, thought, and interest into the ideas she presented to me.

Carian Cole, Author of The Lovely Return

Megan took a hodge podge of ideas and thoughts and helped me craft a story outline that was EXACTLY what I was hoping for…. I don’t know that I could have gotten my brain unstuck without her.

Tia Marlee, Author of the Piney Brook Wishes series

Megan is truly gifted in the craft of storytelling! Megan saw holes in my story structure that I wasn’t even aware were missing. She was enthusiastic about my ideas and provided amazing guidance when I got stumped. I highly recommend this to all authors!

Ashley Messer Sweet, Upcoming Debut Author

Megan stepped in like a magical Ariadne and helped me unspool and detangle my story lines so that I understood my story and why I was getting so tangled. She has tremendous energy, generosity, and a rare gift to see through to the heart—the true essence—of a story.

A.K. Mountrakis, Upcoming Debut Author

Once you click through and book me for a story coaching, here’s everything that happens, step by step.

First, you’ll fill out the form.

I have a Google Form asking for a few key details: what your book’s situation is, what story structure methodology you’re most familiar with (none is okay!), what your story’s about, and why you’re stuck.

Importantly, I don’t ask for your outline or your draft. This helps me stay out of the weeds and maintain a bird’s eye view of the story’s structure. No need to agonize over a perfect blurb, worry about having a readable draft, compiling your handwritten notes into something you can send with a Google Drive link—just tell it to me like it is, and we can go from there.

Then, you’ll book me for a story coaching session through Calendly.

Towards the end of the Google Form, I have you book a timeslot when we’ll get together over a video call and chat about your story.

When you pick a time, you’ll want to make sure you have around three hours free. Most story coaching calls don’t take three hours, but blocking out this much time will help ensure we don’t feel rushed while diving deep into your book. Use the leftover time to rest your brain or look over your freshly-emailed notes after we hang up.

If blocking out three hours isn’t feasible for you, no worries—you can book a follow-up call gratis.

Once that’s all squared away, you can relax! There’s nothing more you need to do. If you can, I recommend taking a step away from the work between when you sign up for a story coaching and the date of your appointment.

When the day arrives, expect the unexpected breakthroughs.

The first thing I do on a call is ask you to describe your story and what’s giving you trouble in your own words. Yes, you’ll have done that in the Google Form, but I’ve found that speaking aloud can help details surface that never make their way out otherwise.

When I’m crystal clear on your premise, we’ll break down who your protagonist is at their very core: their Wound, Wrong Idea, and Right Idea—the foundation of a strong character arc. If there are multiple protagonists or an antagonist, we’ll figure out what makes them tick, too.

Here comes the fun part: applying the proven eight-step method to take your character(s) from Wounded and clinging to the Wrong Idea to wholeheartedly embracing the Right Idea. Every step is rooted in your story’s plot, so the on-page transformation feels earned, inevitable, and deeply satisfying to your readers.

This process looks like high-energy, collaborative brainstorming—and it is—but it will feel like fun. We’ll rearrange chapters and invent new scenes that could better illustrate the themes of your story. A few darlings may be sacrificed in the process, but the narrative that rises from their ashes will feel closely aligned with your values and reignite your passion for the project.

Throughout the call, I’ll share my screen, so you can watch your story take shape in real time. We’ll also go over those notes before we hang up to ensure you’re satisfied.

After our session, keep an eye on your inbox!

Within an hour or two of hanging up, I’ll send you a PDF of the notes I took during our session. These will include your character’s Wound, Wrong Idea, and Right Idea; the story structure we built together; and usually some other links and resources relevant to your book that came up in conversation.

Also hitting your inbox will be a quick Google Form asking for your honest feedback and a link to book me for a follow-up call if you need me again while working on the same story. Follow-up calls are included in the packaging price, so always feel free to book a time if you want my brand of brainstorming and problem solving!

Ready to book your story coaching session with me?

Rest assured: even if you’ve lost just about all hope in your story being salvageable, I haven’t. Borrow my belief in your ability to bring it back to life, and let’s get to work.

READY? I’VE GOT YOU—BOOK A STORY COACHING SESSION NOW @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post What Happens When You Book a Story Coaching Session appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

How do you actually commit to writing a novel? How do you follow through?

If you’ve never written The End on a story, this is a question that haunts you. Surely, other writers must be performing miracles (or something darker) in order to consistently produce hundreds of words that somehow all fit together, like they were supposed to be in that order all along.

Well, I have completed novels. I have watched friends and acquaintances finish their books, too. I can tell you from experience that there is no dark magic compelling authors to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It’s unwavering commitment—commitment to the craft of writing, to the WIP itself, and to the dream of seeing your (pen)name on the cover of a book.

And your commitment does not have to be life-altering or maniacal; it has to be methodical. Shift your mindset and choose how you’ll commit to writing a book this year below.

1. Don’t start with your magnum opus.1a. Start with a practice novel.

There are certain story ideas that have us in a chokehold the second they enter our lives. There is a school of thought that says the best thing to do is to leap into its welcoming arms. Life is short (see #7), so of course we should take the opportunity to write what sets our soul on fire the moment the flames present themselves, right?

Maybe. There certainly are writers who can write a work of art on their first try. But I am nothing if not practical. The more logical thing to do, I’d argue, is to take on a practice novel. This way, you aren’t focused on crafting the most elegant, airtight bottle to capture lightning. Instead, you’ll focus on what you should be focusing on: teaching yourself how to get to the end and tell a cohesive narrative over tens of thousands of words.

I hadn’t considered it before writing this blog post, but now I’m thinking I should expand on this idea in another blog post or workshop. Let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d like to see!

1b. Commit to writing (and finishing) something shorter, like a novella.

This was one of my keys to successfully learning how to power through and finish a project, though admittedly that was not my intention. I chose to start writing a series of novellas because I wanted to connect other stories I wanted to write into a singular universe. The nature of those sweet romances (and the fact that I wanted to write so many!) lent themselves to lower word counts.

I finished four of them. Four! Plus another novella and a novelette under another pen name! That’s a far cry from the original vision, but that’s six more publications than I had before I tried writing novellas—and now, I have a lot more confidence in my ability to finish projects, even if writing novels takes me longer than my author friends.

1c. Don’t commit to writing a book. Commit to stringing together a series of short stories through which a character arc can be glimpsed.

This is a funny little mindset shift that can work wonders. So often, we’re focused on the plot. We stress over how to get our characters from Point A to Point Z. We outline, re-outline, and then stress when our characters want to pull us in another direction.

Well, as any listicle of famous authors’ writing habits will tell you, we don’t all write the same. It’s possible that what you need is not the outline to end all outlines, but a different kind of plan for your writing: a well-thought-out character arc. Focusing on arcs over plot can help you conceptualize what each chapter in your story is actually meant to do—get your protagonist closer and closer to healing their Wound, abandoning their Wrong Idea, and accepting their Right Idea. Finally, you’ll be able to relax if the events of your story are turning out differently than you imagined. As long as the arc remains intact, you have yourself a readable story.

Want to give this technique a try? Sign up for my newsletter and get your free Character Arc Sparker Worksheet!

2. Get it out there before you’re ready.2a. Publish scene by scene, or chapter by chapter.

If you’re the type who needs external pressure—or if you think you’d enjoy the performative aspects of publishing online—then this may be the way to go. Commit to writing, editing, and publishing a chunk of the story—a thousand words, for example, or whatever feels comfortable for you to finish inside of a week. There are multiple paid and unpaid publication platforms you could use to distribute your work: Ko-Fi memberships, Patreon, Tumblr, Substack, or even your own website. With a little research, you might find platforms that cater to your genre, like Ream or Radish for romance.

This isn’t advised if you’re planning to be traditionally published, since most publishers will want first publication rights. But if you’re going the indie route, this can be a great way to get yourself writing regularly while also building a fanbase and training yourself to let go of perfectionistic tendencies.

2b. Schedule a release date in advance—before you finish the book.

Remember the novella I talked about back in #1b? That book sat unedited for a couple months. I had other projects I was working on and other deadlines I wanted to hit, so it fell by the wayside.

I don’t remember what convinced me that it was a good idea, but I decided one day to set up a pre-order a handful of weeks in advance. My plan was to edit the manuscript, get it proofread, and publish. And I actually made it! It was my first-ever independent publication, and it has paved the way for the rest of my writing career, even if I have since pivoted from my initial plans.

I was able to pull that off a few more times, and then life happened, and I missed two upload deadlines more or less simultaneously.. That soured me on this strategy for the longest time.

I can’t say whether or not I’d attempt this again with a novel-length work, but there’s no doubt it can push you. If you’d like to give this a try, give yourself more time than you’ll think you’ll need, and to plan a day-by-day breakdown from now until the deadline that accounts for what your average self can accomplish in a couple hours of work.

3. Find or invent accountability.3a. Commit to writing events happening near you (or online).

Does that sound more daunting than opening your laptop while home alone? That’s exactly why this could be the right move for you!

If you have a full-time job, a collection of part-time jobs, or stay home wrangling kids, it is incredibly difficult to find time to write. Hell, even if you don’t fit into any of those categories, it’s still hard to force yourself to sit at the keyboard when you’re in the middle of a tricky scene or don’t know how the hell you’re going to get your protagonist to the midpoint in a timely manner.

So outsource the decision of when to write. You can find regular write-ins hosted inside paid or free online communities, on Discord, and possibly at your local library. If those don’t work for you, there will almost certainly be a Shut Up & Write! event that does (or, see #3c!).

(This also helps if you live with people who take events on calendars more seriously than verbally-set boundaries.)

3b. Commit to writing streak maintenance.

Writing a draft in 30 days, or finishing a book in a year? That might induce anxiety. But you can write a couple hundred words a day, I bet. And that’s how writing a book is done at a time anyway—drop by drop, bird by bird, by the headlights.

Will you feel like writing what you’re “supposed” to be writing every time you sit down in front of your draft? Absolutely not. On the days the Muses refuse to grace you with their presence, don’t write prose. Write in bullet points. Press the little microphone button and start rambling about what you’d like to see happen next. Write dialogue only with stage directions in brackets. Whatever you have to do to meet that word count goal, do it! Because progress is progress, and you will be shocked at how quickly it all adds up.

This is the part of the blog post where I namedrop 4thewords, the website that completely changed my writing life for the better. In order to maintain your streak, you have to write just 444 words a day. In doing so, you’ll battle adorable monsters, collect loot, and level up just like a video game. It’s an especially great program for the dopamine-production-challenged like me (I’m on a 987-day streak as of now!), and they recently added a free tier.

By the by, from now until June 2026, you can use my referral code UBUAA18317 and my Store code FUENTESPENS to claim free goodies for your account!

3c. Grab a writing buddy.

If you read #3a thinking, I wish there was a writing group that fit my schedule, but there simply isn’t one, then you need to read this.

You surely know other writers who want to better commit to writing their novel. This is a common enough problem that you’ll find multiple people struggling with this in any given writing group. Remember that the worst thing anyone can say is no, and ask around to see if anyone would like to trade chapters with you on a regular basis to hold the both of you accountable to your writing goals.

If this writing buddy of yours can double as a critique partner, that’s great! But that’s also not strictly necessary for the purposes of committing to getting words on the page. You can text the day’s word count, hop on video calls to write together, or do monthly catch-ups where you inform each other of your writing progress. For that kind of relationship, it only matters that you’re both reliable and that you get along well. Then you get the joy of friendship in addition to the satisfaction of getting your work done. What’s better than that?

4. Habit stack your novel writing.

One easier (because, let’s be real, writing is never easy!) way to keep a commitment to writing is to tack on the commitment to another.

If you’ve read Atomic Habits by James Clear, you’re already familiar with the concept of habit stacking. For the uninitiated, habit stacking just means adding a habit to another, stringing the habits into a ritual. Doing this means you can use the momentum of the previous habit to propel you forward into the habit you want to start. You’re probably already committed to a few habits—now, intentionally add writing.

Here are a few examples of habit stacking you might want to try:

Already take a daily morning or evening walk? Try dictating while you do it.Take public transportation? Take out a notebook or your phone and get some words in.Have coffee or tea every morning? Open your laptop once your drink is ready and write until your mug is empty.Regularly use the oven or air fryer? Cooking time is now writing time. (I do this with banana bread, cookies, and dinner!)5. Commit to writing a second project at the same time.

Disclaimer: this is not for everyone. But if you get bored with a story easily—not disheartened or unmotivated, per se, but just plain bored—then intentionally switching over to another project when you need some novelty is a good way to keep your momentum.

The keyword is intentionally. You have to commit to writing both. Abandoning projects is a hard habit to break, but I have broken it before, and you can, too. Limit the number of projects you have going at once to two or three, keep inspiration (Pinterest boards, playlists, etc.) for both close by, and if possible, pair this tip with one or two of the others on this list to ensure you stay the course(s).

6. Invent a pen name and a persona to go with it.

Writing is deeply personal. As I discussed in a recent blog post, the stories you write say something about how you see the world—whether you’re intentional about crafting that statement or not. This can make writing attached to our own name intimidating.

“You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed,” they say. I don’t know about you, but I don’t love the idea of someone else analyzing my on-page bloodstains like some Rorschach test.

This is where creating a pen name can help you separate yourself from the work. It’s not you writing the book—it’s your writing persona. With this little bit of distance, you can give yourself permission to take risks and make decisions you wouldn’t if your name (and your “brand”) was attached to it. Your steamy contemporary romance persona can actually write the innuendos that pop into your head all the time, and your historical thriller persona can dive into the dark parts of the human psyche that secretly fascinate you. There’s freedom to be found in pen names.

If you’ve never considered a pen name before, this might sound a little out there, but give it a try with a short story written under a pen name with a genre you’re curious about, and see if you don’t approach writing a little differently!

7. Make a worthy investment in your writing career.

So many writers are told they don’t have the talent to write a book, or that they should do something “real” with their lives instead. They get laughed at for daring to want something.

Or, in this day and age, they’ve been told AI will make them obsolete anyway, so why bother?

Let me be clear: whoever tells you shit like that is wrong. No one gets to decide your story’s worth but you—not your high school English teacher, not some jackass on Reddit, not your bitter aunt, not even Jeff Bezos. No one.

What you can decide is whether you want support getting that story told—and told well.

Because your writing is meaningful and valuable and important. Even if no one else has laid eyes on it yet, it matters because it matters to you. That’s reason enough to commit to it and take it seriously.

If you’re ready to finally get that story told the way it deserves, I’m your person. I help writers find the truths at the heart of their story and build an unshakeable structure to support them.

Ready to stop second-guessing? Then book a story coaching session with me and let’s get to work!

GET STORY COACHED BY ME OR TRY A FREE FIFTEEN-MINUTE FIX

PS. Not sure if you’re ready for coaching? Grab the free 15-minute fix or sign up for my newsletter below for more from me!

@import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post 12 Ways to Commit to Writing a Book appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

Your character was Wounded. From that Wound, they got the Wrong Idea, and their life has never been the same.

During the events of your book, your character has answered their call to adventure, wrestled with long-held beliefs, and fought tooth and nail to make it to The End.

But for the character arc to be complete—or for it to end in a satisfying self-destruction—they need to have been introduced to the Right Idea!

In this three-part series, I explore Wounds, Wrong Ideas, and Right Ideas—the core building blocks of a character arc. We started with Wounds, then talked about Wrong Ideas, and now it’s time to talk about Right Ideas!

What Is a Right Idea?

You can think of the Right Idea as the lesson your character learns the hard way as a result of the journey they’ve taken throughout the story. They have an epiphany or lightbulb moment, and they realize they need to change. It’s the truth your character comes to believe and can be encapsulated by the theme.

Why do you call it the Right Idea, Megan?

It goes back to teaching, as so many things do for me as a former elementary ed major. When you’re trying to explain multiplication so that your third graders understand, you pull out all the stops—a simple definition, analogies, multiple step-by-step processes that look different but achieve the same result to cater to different learning styles, and even songs from Multiplication Rock. Whatever you need to do to hammer home the concepts, you do.

Imagine you are a teacher, and you’ve just reviewed a multiplication problem using coins as manipulatives. You would feel euphoric when the quiet student in the back of the room slowly raised their hand and squeaked out, “So when you multiply four times three, it’s like having four pennies in one stack, four pennies in another stack, and four pennies in another stack? That’s—four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven—twelve pennies all together, right?”

“Yes, exactly,” you’d tell him. “Now you’ve got the right idea!”

That’s exactly what a story does. It presents to the character (and consequently to your reader) the exact set of circumstances they need to be in to grasp the Right Idea—the lesson they need to learn. Except instead of a math lesson, what you’re delivering as a writer is more like a moral or philosophical lesson.

Why Right Ideas are Essential to Crafting a Compelling Character Arc

Simply put, you need a Right Idea for your story to stick the landing. It is the most important puzzle piece. Without a Right Idea at its core, your story will feel unsatisfying at best, a waste of time at worst.

Let’s go back to elementary school for an example. A story has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, your teacher says. Given only that information, here’s an outline for a “story”:

A girl hears she must grow up.She runs away and has adventures with her brothers and some new friends.She comes back from those adventures and goes about her life.

That’s not much of the story. It’s a loose sort of plot, and there’s obvious cause and effect, but it feels hollow. Shallow. You can intuit that there’s something missing.

But with a rethink and a rewrite, we can see an arc take shape and pluck out a lesson to be learned—a Right Idea—that makes the story worth reading.

Wendy Darling’s father informs her that she’ll be moving out of the nursery. This saddens Wendy, who insists she doesn’t want to grow up and believes doing so would essentially ruin her happiness.Wendy and her brothers are taken to Never Land by Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Seeing Peter’s Lost Boys need a mother, she takes on the role, but is frustrated when Peter won’t take on any responsibility and play his part as father.After many adventures, Wendy returns home with the understanding that growing up is natural, the right thing to do, and has its own joys (like romance and motherhood).

What’s the Right Idea? Growing up is inevitable—and embracing it, rather than resisting it, leads to a fuller, more meaningful life.

When we’re children first hearing the story, we might tend to focus on the rivalry between Peter Pan and Captain Hook, or how interesting a fairy’s life might be. But when we revisit the story as adults, it’s easy to see how the lesson to be learned makes Wendy’s story both memorable and valuable.

But fun-loving, forgetful, callous, selfish Peter Pan refuses to grow up. He has a similar Wound—learning a child’s destiny is to become an adult, which is why he originally escapes out his window in the prequel, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens—and a similar Wrong Idea—that growing up is an awful thing that should be avoided. In order to avoid growing up, Peter must continuously forget his adventures and remain oblivious to grown-up concepts like romance. As a result, he won’t ever be able to fathom the fulfillment adulthood can bring, and he must repeatedly watch his friends die or grow up without him. He doesn’t accept the Right Idea, and that makes him a tragic figure, however whimsical he may be.

Wendy accepts the Right Idea. Peter rejects it. That contrast creates character arcs with emotional weight. Their arcs are what make the story so compelling to audiences young and old. It’s why we have continued to retell and reimagine J.M. Barrie’s classic story for over a century, and it’s why we’ll continue to do so for centuries to come.

Common Mistakes Writers Make with Right IdeasMistake #1: The Right Idea’s delivery feels like a sermon.

If you’ve ever read a novel and thought, “Wow, this is preachy,” then you found a writer who made this mistake.

In real life, the lessons we learn (especially as adults) are almost never stated outright at the time that we learn them; we put words to the ideas ourselves. When I realized a friend group I had when I was younger would only ever try to change what made me different instead of embracing me warts and all, I didn’t consciously think, “The Right Idea I need to take away from this is that I should not edit myself to fit someone else’s vision of who I should be.” I just made new friends who didn’t ask me to do that!

Similarly, a Right Idea must be subtly woven into the narrative in the same way you would weave in the Wound and Wrong Idea. “Show, don’t tell,” is often the name of the game in this case—even at the midpoint, when your protagonist is more formally introduced to their Right Idea. Show your character glimpsing the Right Idea in another’s actions or in the discomfort they have when they hear themselves give advice to someone else, and show your character living by the Right Idea at the end of the book.

Mistake #2: The Right Idea is not in alignment with what the writer believes.

When you write without intentionally crafting your character arcs with a Wrong Idea you don’t believe and a Right Idea you do, one of three things can happen:

Your main character’s arc is flat in a story where it wasn’t supposed to be.Your main character reads as a Mary Sue or Marty Stu who already has everything figured out.You realize at the midpoint that you have no idea what the wise friend should say.

I go over the pitfalls of not intentionally choosing a Wrong Idea and Right Idea that go together in my Wrong Ideas blog post.

Mistake #3: The story focuses only on external goals, not internal character growth.

This was my big mistake as a new writer. I loved thinking about plot—all the stuff the characters get to do—and I did not much care why they’d do it. As a result:

I lost interest in stories so quickly because I had no reason to care about the characters achieving their goals.Everything I wrote felt hollow to read, like they were missing the heart. (They were.)People who read the initial few paragraphs of whatever I was working on never mentioned the story again because—although the prose was good for a kid and those people loved me and wanted me to succeed—the stories just weren’t memorable.

It was only after I stopped neglecting crafting character arcs that I was able to write and complete meaningful stories. And now I help others do the same!

Tips to Craft a Compelling Character Arc with a Resonant Right IdeaTip #1: Choose a Right Idea you think the world (or your ideal reader) does not hear enough.

We all struggle with different things, but no one struggles with every single thing. Some of us are more equipped for certain mental or emotional battles than others. Being able to share that wisdom is part of what makes writing such a rewarding pursuit.

Going back to Peter and Wendy, when did you first hear the story? I’d bet money that you didn’t encounter it for the first time as an adult. You heard it as a child, and as much as it sparked your imagination, it likely brought you a comfort you couldn’t put into words at the time. As you matured, you found a new appreciation for it, but it did the bulk of its job when it found you as a child.

Trust that the stories you write will find the reader when they most need what your story has to say. Write what people need to hear.

Tip #2: Pull a Right Idea from your own life and reverse engineer the Wrong Idea and Wound to create an arc.

This is again where that old chestnut, “write what you know,” actually becomes sage advice. The lessons you’ve learned over the course of your life are the ones that will feel the most true to you; naturally, they will also be the easiest to write about because you have first-hand experience!

I’m not suggesting by any means that you only write what you’ve personally lived through. We’re not all writing memoirs. (How boring the literary world would be if we couldn’t write about anything we hadn’t explicitly witnessed for ourselves!) I’m saying that you write more powerfully when you wholeheartedly believe the words you’re putting on the page.

Tip #3: Give your character a foil who never accepts the Right Idea.

A Peter Pan to your main character’s Wendy Darling, if you will.

We commonly see the tragic denial of the Right Idea come from the antagonist or villain in media. That’s the purpose they serve—as a cautionary tale of what happens when you let the Wrong Idea corrupt you. Not every story needs a villainous character, of course. But if you’re crafting the kind that does, thinking on what the consequences would be if someone never got the Right Idea is a great place to start.

Bonus Tip: Regularly refer back to the Right Idea.

The process of writing a story is long, and often longer than even experienced authors think it’s going to be. Trust me when I say that if you’re not reminding yourself of your characters’ arcs, you’re going to get off-message. Jot down your character’s Wound, Wrong Idea, and Right Idea and keep those notes somewhere close!

Now it’s Your Turn to Craft a Compelling Character Arc

If you’re ready to craft a compelling character arc that leaves your readers emotionally satisfied all on your own, go ahead and download my free Character Arc Sparker Worksheet. It’s the same one I use to guide writers through building powerful, transformative arcs during my story coaching sessions.

But if you’re feeling stuck, second-guessing every choice, or just plain exhausted from going in circles…

Let’s talk it out.

Whether you need a full story restructuring or just want a human sounding board who actually cares, I offer two ways to help you move forward:

GET STORY COACHED BY ME OR TRY A FREE FIFTEEN-MINUTE FIX @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post How to Craft a Compelling Character Arc: Epiphanies, Lightbulb Moments, and the Right Ideas appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

Your main character has a tragic backstory to make even the toughest among us shed a tear.

During their story, they overcome adversity despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles placed in front of them every step of the way.

And at the end, after making a fair sacrifice, they’ve achieved their goal and are in a state of bliss.

… But after all of that work you and your protagonist have done, you’re still getting feedback—from beta readers or your inner editor, or both—that something’s missing. You can’t put your finger on what.

Allow me to do just that.

In this three-part series, I’ll explore Wounds, Wrong Ideas, and Right Ideas—the core building blocks of a character arc. We started with Wounds, and now we’re diving into Wrong Ideas.

What Is a Wrong Idea?

It’s the misbelief, or the lie the character believes at the start of the story as a result of some terrible part of the character’s backstory. If you know what a misbelief is, you know what the Wrong Idea is.

Then why do you call it the Wrong Idea, Megan?

Great question! I do this because it was the most accessible phrasing I could think of for what this actually does to the character. Something happened to them, and they “got the wrong idea” from that incident. They took away a life lesson that’s doing them more harm than good. It’s a lesson they need to unlearn to find fulfilment and secure a happy ending that satisfies readers.

Why Wrong Ideas are Essential to Crafting a Compelling Character Arc

We’ve already gone over why Wounds are essential—they beget empathy and drive us to care about characters. But if those Wounds never affected the character in a soul-deep way, then why should the reader care

Let’s take a second look at the scenario I described in the beginning of this blog post. Imagine a girl named Ansley who got lost for hours on a camping trip when she was a kid. If it didn’t rattle her enough to produce a Wrong Idea and change her behavior from that point onward—if we don’t see her wrestling with the feeling that nature equals danger and refuse to retrieve her kids’ soccer ball when it gets kicked into a wooded area near the playground—then when we see her take her children camping at the end of the book, readers will not have felt like anything shifted for her. There was no big change, no struggle. If her Wound didn’t actually bother her enough to produce a life-changing Wrong Idea, then what’s the big deal?

A fantastic example of a Wrong Idea influencing a character’s behavior can be found in Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic. Her Wrong Idea is that she’s imprisoned by her circumstances and will never be free. You can see for yourself how it was phrased in the screenplay, after Jack saves her from sending herself to a watery grave:

“I don’t… it wasn’t just one thing. It was everything. It was them, it was their whole world. And I was trapped in it, like an insect in amber.”

Titanic (1997) – Rose

The line changed slightly in the movie, but the effect is the same. Rose is so certain that she’s powerless, she almost ends it all just to claw back some control over her own life. She wasn’t considering throwing herself overboard for no reason; she was driven to do it because she believed her Wrong Idea wholeheartedly and that there was no other way out of her situation.

That is why the Wrong Idea is so important. A Wrong Idea alchemizes a painful backstory into choices that hurt to watch and a character we ache to see healed.

Common Mistakes Writers Make with Misbeliefs or Wrong IdeasMistake #1: The Wrong Idea does not naturally, logically arise from the specified Wound.

Imagine we’re pantsing or discovery-writing a story where the main conflict is shaping up to revolve about the main character’s habit of lying to get what she wants and avoid telling people unpleasant truths. Written out as a single sentence, her Wrong Idea might sound something like, “It’s always better and easier to just tell people what they want to hear.”

If I told you the story’s main character was Ansley, you’d probably be taken aback. “That doesn’t have anything to do with her Wound of getting lost in the woods as a kid,” you’d say, and you’d be right! If we want to have a satisfying arc for Ansley, we’d need to do one of three things:

Axe the Wound and choose a new one that supports the Wrong Idea.Axe the Wrong Idea and choose a new one that supports the Wound.Commit to having two character arcs for the same person within the same story.

None of these choices are inherently bad or good, but a choice would have to be made to give Ansley a consistent character arc—which is always what we’re after.

Mistake #2: The Wrong Idea is not in alignment with the story the writer wants to tell.

When we create characters, we want them to be relatable. We also want them to be people we can at least understand, if not root for. Sometimes that means we’re sprinkling in our own beliefs about the world while we write. Before you know it, you’re at the midpoint of the story, and you’re having to grapple with cognitive dissonance because your main character’s Wrong Idea never actually sounded wrong to your ears.

I’m sorry to say that making this mistake will require a lot of rewriting to fix. (Yes, I’m speaking from experience!)

Mistake #3: The story focuses only on external goals, not internal character growth.

This was my big mistake as a new writer. I loved thinking about plot—all the stuff the characters get to do—and I did not much care why they’d do it. As a result:

I lost interest in stories so quickly because I had no reason to care about the characters achieving their goals.Everything I wrote felt hollow to read, like they were missing the heart. (They were.)People who read the initial few paragraphs of whatever I was working on never mentioned the story again because—although the prose was good for a kid and those people loved me and wanted me to succeed—the stories just weren’t memorable.

It was only after I stopped neglecting crafting character arcs that I was able to write and complete meaningful stories. And now I help others do the same!

Tips to Craft a Compelling Character Arc with a Devastating Misbelief or Wrong IdeaTip #1: Have the Wrong Idea ruin their life (without them realizing it).

As I hinted at earlier in this blog post, it’s not enough to choose a Wrong Idea for the character to have in their head. It must be depicted on the page for readers to be able to see what a dramatic difference abandoning the Wrong Idea made in their lives.

Ansley’s Wound and Wrong Idea—that natural environments are dangerous—could lead to the following behaviors, actions, and reactions in the story:

Moving to the city and away from the more rural lifestyle she grew up in (thus losing touch with her roots, and possibly diminishing her connection to her loved ones)Lesser mental health from a lack of sunlight and green timeDeclining invitations to go camping, visit parks, etc. (and consequently perhaps isolating herself or disappointing others)Jumping out of her skin when her ankle or elbow brushes against a branch she wasn’t expectingNot wanting to travel aloneFearing departures from her usual routes (so, no trying new places or taking shortcuts home)Feeling like she can’t trust her own instincts, especially her sense of directionNever going out at night (when it’s more difficult to see where you’re going)Never taking on leadership roles because she subconsciously believes she’ll get everyone lost—metaphorically and/or literally

Any one of these examples might be brushed off as a quirk or a personality trait, but when you combine several, you—and the reader—can get the sense that something deeper is going on that’s negatively affecting how this character moves in the world. And that’s exactly what you want!

Tip #2: But the Wrong Idea can’t just ruin their life—it has to ruin their plans, too.

Here’s where we consider our story’s plot and what our character’s goal is. The Wrong Idea should get in the way of the character wants and needs—that is to say, it should be relevant to the plot.

Let’s drop Ansley into a post-apocalyptic setting. Her goal is simple: survive. But her Wrong Idea can throw her off in a dozen ways. She’ll be incapable of traveling the badlands alone, of course, so she’ll be dependent on others. If she gets separated from her cohort—on purpose or by accident—she’s going to panic. She might allow herself to be manipulated by someone offering “protection” or to accompany her on a trek she’s forced to make.

Now imagine Ansley as a romantasy princess traveling by carriage, off to marry Prince Stanley to unite their two kingdoms. When bandits appear and kill off the guards trying to protect her, she might willingly be held for ransom by them because the alternative (being left alone in the wild) is so horrific. Then, when it turns out the plans they have for her are even worse than being held for ransom, she’s got to make a decision: does she run off into the enchanted forest and try to escape, or does she trust the second-in-command who swears he won’t let anything happen to her?

Both of these story starters show Ansley’s Wrong Idea woven into the plot and set her up for opportunities to succeed or fail.

Tip #3: Don’t dismantle the Wrong Idea too soon or too late.

Here’s a pretty obvious spoiler alert: If you’re writing a happy ending, the Wrong Idea eventually gives way to the Right Idea. (More on that in another blog post!) It’s at the midpoint—the fifty-percent mark of your story, more or less—when your protagonist hears of the Right Idea. It will take a little longer to fully embrace the Right Idea, and you can absolutely hint at the transformation to come in earlier chapters, but that lightbulb moment should be at the midpoint.

If your character starts to accept and utilize the Right Idea before the midpoint, readers will have the feeling that things are coming too easy to the character. Why is Ansley having such an easy time getting through these dense trees alone, like doesn’t even have to try?

If your character continuously rejects the Right Idea and clings to the Wrong Idea for too long before making the mental switch, then readers are going to be frustrated. Why can’t Ansley get her shit together already?

Why are stories like this? The short answer is that stories have been like this in the Western canon for so long, it’s what feels natural to our brains. You can absolutely toy with reader expectations and buck against the usual story structures, but to quote Pablo Picasso, you must first “learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

(I mean, I might be quoting Picasso. Versions of that quote have also been attributed to the Dalai Lama and Alexander McQueen and others. Whoever it was, they were right on the money.)

Bonus Tip: Regularly refer back to the Wrong Idea.

The process of writing a story is long, and often longer than even experienced authors think it’s going to be. Trust me when I say that if you’re not reminding yourself of your characters’ arcs, you’re going to get off-message. Jot down your character’s Wound, Wrong Idea, and Right Idea and keep those notes somewhere close!

Now it’s Your Turn to Craft a Compelling Character Arc

If you’re ready to craft a compelling character arc that leaves your readers emotionally satisfied all on your own, go ahead and download my free Character Arc Sparker Worksheet. It’s the same one I use to guide writers through building powerful, transformative arcs during my story coaching sessions.

But if you’re feeling stuck, second-guessing every choice, or just plain exhausted from going in circles…

Let’s talk it out.

Whether you need a full story restructuring or just want a human sounding board who actually cares, I offer two ways to help you move forward:

GET STORY COACHED BY ME OR TRY A FREE FIFTEEN-MINUTE FIX @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post How to Craft a Compelling Character Arc: The Misbelief, or the Wrong Idea appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

Inspired by a Ko-Fi challenge, my recent chat with Gala Russ on Writing Conversations, and my own patterns of getting burned out (which have once again resurfaced), this blog post is written primarily to myself. I often journal my thoughts in this way (yes, with headings and everything!), but this time, I’m choosing to let other writers and creatives in on what’s going on in my brain. My hope is that you’ll be able to take away some insights you can use to prevent yourself from burning out next time—and that you’ll take to heart the fact that you’re not alone.

Megan, you burned out again! What did we say about not letting that happen? What did we say about this year being a transformation and creating a life that allows for the rest we deserve, and blah-blah-blah?

You didn’t come up for air, and then you ran out of oxygen. That’s what happened.

You’re too pretty smart for this. You’re smart enough to recognize the patterns you live through. Dummy.

How You Know You’re About to Burn OutYour current WIP stops sparking joy; or, you get restless.

What’s tricky about this is that there are multiple reasons why you may not want to write on any given day. And, yes, it is possible for a few of those days to happen in a row. But when it gets to be a full week (even that’s probably too long) of I don’t want to I don’t want to I don’t want to, and you keep going anyway, that’s a problem.

That’s you setting yourself up for disaster.

You don’t start working on a story in the first place unless you’re obsessed with it—that’s how you know it’s got potential. All of the stories floating in your head have potential. The story is not the problem. It’s never the problem. The problem is that you get to a point where the words don’t come as easily, you have to go back to look at your notes more often, and the fixes for plot holes and uncooperative characters come less willingly, and then you keep going.

You already know you can solve any writing problem for you and for others. It should be the biggest, sparkliest red flag to you when you can’t get the dots connected. You are second to none at connecting dots.

That’s your brain screaming for a break. To rest and replenish the creative well or cup or what-have-you.

Then you go off on side quests.

Since your brain has already determined you won’t be stopping unless forced, it tries to steer you in a new direction. A fun direction.

Last time you got burned out—or at least one of the last times—you were working on Project Blue Quartz, and entered a short story writing contest that had nothing to do with your vision.

This most recent time you burned out, the distraction came in the form of solo RPGs, which has slightly more to do with your vision, but not by much. After finishing one that you randomly started months ago, you challenged yourself in April to create six solo RPGs before mid-May. You got to four before you hit the next phase.

Both times—every time you go off on a side quest—you have oodles of fun. Of course you do, because your side quest is usually something short or multiple short somethings, which means you’re able to make progress quickly, and that drives you to keep letting the rubber hit the road until the tires are bald and you’re driving on rims.

Then nothing feels good, and you are completely burned out.

I want to impress upon you that feeling burned out is the worst. You do not want to feel that. Stop before you get to this point, please.

Not only does what you’re supposed to be working on not sound fun, but absolutely nothing sounds fun. Not even side quests.Because you think in words, progress in every area of life goes out the window. Even making a barebones to-do list in your bullet journal takes Herculean effort because you can’t think straight.You’re forced to take an even longer break from the WIP you should’ve been working on, which means it’s going to take you that much longer to get back into the swing of things.You feel disappointed and angry and annoyed with yourself for letting it happen again, to put it mildly.You’re despondent and grouchy, which is truly awful because you have such a beautiful (and privileged) life that is so enjoyable when your eyes and mind are open to it.How Can You Stop Yourself From Burning Out?

I hate this question because the answer is rest more often, and I do not know how to do that yet. There is always another task on the to-do list I want to check off before bed. And I trick myself into doing more work by trying to do “creative” things, which is usually writing in a different medium. I’m using the same muscles that are already tired.

That’s cheating. That doesn’t count as rest.

I think the answer to this is mandatory hobbies outside of words in general. I’ve written a blog post on those before. Video games are my usual go-to, and I do think those work as brain breaks, but I think I’d like to refrain from using screens so much. My eyesight is bad enough as it is.

Quick list I can come back to later:

Crochet (because we have a few of those kits still kickin’ around the house, but I would have to watch the tutorials, so can’t call that screen-free)Could see if Logan and I could find dancing classes to take togetherI would genuinely love to get back into jewelry-making, actually—maybe I’ll look for a kit next time I’m outI also have watercolor paints around here somewhere

Okay, bold new concept: I will pack each hobby’s supplies into their own tote bag. Once a week, I’ll grab a tote. I’m adding that to my office calendar and my bullet journal right now.

But to be honest…

This is going to happen again. Everyone gets burned out at some point. I can’t get mad at myself because what good is that really going to do me?

All I can do is try not to let it happen, accept when it does, and do what I can to move the feeling along.

If You Get Burned Out, What Are You Going to Do About It?

Say it with me, Megan: RELAX, RECALIBRATE, REALIGN, REEMERGE.

RELAX: Just forget about being productive for a bit and do whatever isn’t work. The least work-related thing you can think of. How long is not up to you—it’s up to your brain and your body. After forcing yourself to not do anything productive for a bit, the relaxation actually happens, and you’re just gonna let that happen. When you start to feel restless again (that is to say, when you’ve relaxed for long enough that you feel ready to take on new things), then move on to the next phase.RECALIBRATE: Adjust your mental and physical settings. Take an everything shower. Get the office in order. Whip out the bullet journal and catch it up to speed.REALIGN: “What the hell was I working on before I dropped everything, and do I still care?” If you do still care, swell! Go back to it, but plan how to do so mindfully. If you don’t still care, dig deep to figure out why and figure out what the next project should be.REEMERGE: Slowly, gently, start doing productive things again.A Few Thoughts Before I Go

It’s the tortoise and the hare (which amuses me because you would never catch me in a footrace). Starting, sprinting, and stopping takes more time and energy than making progress slowly and consistently. The hare loses every time.

I also just noticed that the quotes I have on the wall in front of my desk—all of them downloaded from one of my oldest Pinterest boards and pinned or washi-taped up—are hare-like. I’m changing that right now. I have a lot of images I printed out with FreePrints a while ago that are begging to have anti-burnout, tortoise-like quotes written on them.

I have relaxed. These new quotes I’m going to think of tomorrow are going to be part of my recalibration. Realignment will follow. And my reemergence will be beautiful.

@import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post A Letter to My Burned Out Creative Self appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

Learning how to craft a compelling character arc is the thing to take your stories from readable to unputdownable.

It’s not going to be your prose. It won’t be your setting or your worldbuilding. Not even your plot. All those things matter, of course, but without characters we care about—ones that honestly struggle, are relatable, or we know have the capacity for change—why would we follow them for so many pages?

Would you follow a stranger around all day? Not without good reason, right?

That’s what a compelling character arc is: a damn good reason for your reader to care about your protagonist (or antagonist, or sidekick who gets the spotlight in the sequel).

In this three-part series, I’ll explore Wounds, Wrong Ideas, and Right Ideas—the core building blocks of a character arc. First up: Wounds.

What Is a Character Wound?

“Wound” is a weird word for it—half clinical, half armchair psychological—and the real meaning of it might feel fuzzy around the edges. It’s also probably not helping that I’m capitalizing it.

Basically, the Wound is something that happened in your character’s past that fundamentally changed their worldview for the worse. When the readers meet your character for the first time, the Wound isn’t fresh, but it definitely hasn’t healed. Throughout dynamic, positive change arcs—the most popular in Western literature, particularly genre fiction—your character works through that Wound and comes out the other side of your story if not completely healed, then on the way there. Circumstances will force their brain to rewire, or else.

Why Wounds are Essential to Crafting a Compelling Character Arc

Simply put, Wounds beget empathy. Even if you can’t claim to possess a truly tragic backstory—I certainly can’t—you can absolutely think of a time when you were treated unfairly, or when life dealt you a terrible hand. You remember, and you can connect with others who have been through such pain.

When you read “tragic backstory,” you think of Celie from The Color Purple, Heathcliff from Wurthering Heights, Hazel Grace Lancaster from The Fault in Our Stars, or one of a million other characters who went through hell off-page. And when you think of their backstories—specifically their Wounds—you recall how those pasts shaped them into the characters we meet in the first chapter. For example, sixteen-year-old Hazel’s Wound, a terminal cancer diagnosis, gives her the Wrong Idea that she should lock herself away to prevent others from getting hurt when she inevitably dies young.

“I’m like. Like. I’m like a grenade, Mom. I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?”

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

That’s heartbreaking. It makes you want to crawl into that book and give her a hug.

That’s the power of a Wound. Without it—if Hazel’s insisting she’s a grenade, but there’s no pulled pin that the reader’s ever told about—then it becomes difficult for readers to understand that character’s state of mind. There’s nothing to make readers go, “Oh, wow, no wonder! I hope things get better for you, and I’m going to read more to see if they do.”

But it’s important to note that not every Wound needs to be world-endingly, soul-crushingly tragic—it just needs to hurt. To contrast Hazel, let’s invent a character named Sage. Sage was repeatedly branded as “weird” while growing up. So-called friends excluded her from gatherings all the time, which she’d guessed was happening, but her own thirteenth birthday party opened her eyes to how unpopular she really was. Not one person in her grade came. She learns from that experience to invent a new persona for herself, one that’s guaranteed to help her fit in. Years later, she’ll say…

“Yeah, well, I buried the Sage you knew in eighth grade. And let’s be honest: if there’d been a funeral, you wouldn’t have come to that, either.”

Excerpt from a Story That Doesn’t Exist by Megan Fuentes

Sage’s Wound sounds so superficial compared to what Hazel’s been through, but remember: Hazel and Sage are from different stories, divorced from the other’s context. When written well, both Wounds can induce tears in the reader, and both character transformations can be cause for celebration.

Common Mistakes Writers Make with Character WoundsMistake #1: They zero in on the wrong event.

My favorite questions to ask during story coaching sessions start with why. When writers I work with do have an idea of what their protagonist’s Wound is, I ask, “Why was [Wound] the worst thing that ever happened to them?”

More than a few of them have replied, “Well, it’s actually not.”

That’s not necessarily a storytelling red flag, but it does make me eager to ask a few follow-up questions. In peeling back the layers, I often hear that the cited Wound hurts so badly because when the character was even younger, something happened to them that was so traumatic, anything that reminds them of that dark moment becomes triggering.

Well, hang on a sec. The cited Wound was probably an aggravator, not the Wound itself! While aggravators are great and can even make for good misdirections, diving deeper into the actual Wound is how we can really tug at the reader’s heartstrings.

Mistake #2: The Wound is not in alignment with the story the writer wants to tell.

Let’s say you believe that life is for adventures, and that’s what you want your book to say to readers. You probably don’t want to give your protagonist a nomadic childhood as their Wound. All they’d know is moving around and “adventuring.” It’s up to you and your imagination why a nomadic childhood impacted them negatively. But because they’ve never stayed put, “learning” that life is for adventures won’t lead to growth. “Life is for adventures” is probably the excuse they’ve told their cousin when they asks why your character is moving for the fourth time that year (the real answer: to avoid getting attached). And that wise cousin would reply, “But there’s also no place like home. You’re not giving yourself the chance to have a real home.”

Lest you think I’m just a grouchy homebody, let’s think of things from the opposite perspective. Let’s say your character’s overprotective parents never allowed them to leave the house. As a result, they believe their safety is paramount, and they don’t go outside if they can help it. Learning “there’s no place like home” would be redundant for them. They already know that! That’s what they say when they turn down the opportunity to join their wealthy best friend on their birthday cruise. What your agoraphobic character needs to learn is something that breaks their brains when they first hear it—like that life is for adventures.

Now, you may believe there’s no place like home and a life well-lived involves leaving our comfort zones. But if you want to write a story that resonates, then like all things in the narrative, the Wound has to reinforce the story you want to tell.

Mistake #3: The story focuses only on external goals, not internal character growth.

This was my big mistake as a new writer. I loved thinking about plot—all the stuff the characters get to do—and I did not much care why they’d do it. As a result:

I lost interest in stories so quickly because I had no reason to care about the characters achieving their goals.Everything I wrote felt hollow to read, like they were missing the heart. (They were.)People who read the initial few paragraphs of whatever I was working on never mentioned the story again because—although the prose was good for a kid and those people loved me and wanted me to succeed—the stories just weren’t memorable.

It was only after I stopped neglecting crafting character arcs that I was able to write and complete meaningful stories. And now I help others do the same!

Tips to Craft a Compelling Character Arc with a Deep WoundTip #1: No clue what your character’s Wound should be? Work backwards.

Sometimes you know for sure that your character needs to unlearn that they’re better off alone. You picture an ending with a beautiful romance or a found family—but not much more than that. You haven’t established their backstory, and you don’t know how to start. That’s when it’s time to brainstorm how they might’ve learned that they were better off alone. For example:

Someone close to them once stole their work and took credit for it, so now they only want to work on projects alone.Their partner cheated on them, so they push all other potential romantic interests away.They were separated from their family, so they tell themselves they’re better off without each other because they feel powerless to change the situation.

Each of these Wounds would color your story in a different way. One of the ideas you write down while brainstorming will probably feel like a natural choice—go with that. If there is no natural choice, try to unpack why unlearning that lesson feels so essential. The right thing to do will probably appear with enough reflection.

Tip #2: Show the Wound’s impact, don’t just tell.

If a Wound isn’t impactful, it’s not a Wound—it’s just a bad day in a character’s life. That Wound of theirs needs to be on display more than once in a story. I’m not talking about the character bringing up that they were parentified to every stranger on the street; I’m talking about the way they take on extra work at their job, are always anticipating what everyone else needs, that they have more in common with people older than them than their peers, and so on.

In real life, our pasts inform our actions and our thinking patterns. The same should hold true for our characters.

Tip #3: Agitate the Wound when it’s least convenient for your character.

If you want to craft a compelling character arc that shows earned growth, be generous with the growing pains! This could look like the object of their unrequited love rolling back into town just as they’ve opened themselves up to falling for the love interest, or it could look like stumbling upon another layer to the family’s secret when it looked like everything had been resolved. That’s how you create not just a plot twist, but a knife twist.

Bonus Tip: Regularly refer back to the Wound.

The process of writing a story is long, and often longer than even experienced authors think it’s going to be. Trust me when I say that if you’re not reminding yourself of your characters’ arcs, you’re going to get off-message. Jot down your character’s Wound, Wrong Idea, and Right Idea and keep those notes somewhere close!

Now it’s Your Turn to Craft a Compelling Character Arc

If you’re ready to craft a compelling character arc that leaves your readers emotionally satisfied all on your own, go ahead and download my free Character Arc Sparker Worksheet. It’s the same one I use to guide writers through building powerful, transformative arcs during my story coaching sessions.

But if you’re feeling stuck, second-guessing every choice, or just plain exhausted from going in circles…

Let’s talk it out.

Whether you need a full story restructuring or just want a human sounding board who actually cares, I offer two ways to help you move forward:

GET STORY COACHED BY ME OR TRY A FREE FIFTEEN-MINUTE FIX @import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post How to Craft a Compelling Character Arc: From Wounded to Warrior appeared first on Megan Fuentes.

There’s no shortage of writing craft tips on the web. I should know—during my tenure as Writer’s Atelier’s administrative assistant, I wrote a lot of them!

Something you’ll realize quickly if you get to know me is that, while I love to write, story structure is my one true obsession. I live to craft puzzle pieces and drop them into place in the most satisfying way. That’s why this round-up of my WA blog posts will be the longest in this multi-part series—it’s hard for me not to talk about it!

So have no fear—these won’t be the last posts I write on this subject. I’ll continue to share my insights and epiphanies about writing and stories with you via this blog and my newsletter. But for now, let’s dive into the archives.

(Speaking of archives, if you want to see the other parts of the series, you can find them here!)

Character Deep Dive4 Steps to a Can’t-Miss Character Arc

Read this if you’re brand new to the concept of character arcs, and the idea of learning about them, creating them, and weaving them into your plot makes your head spin. (Been there!) This blog post will break it all down.

I’m really proud of this one, and I still giggle at my use of Shrek’s character arc as the example.

7 Things You Need to Know About Your Main Character

Read this if the way you create characters involves bloated docs, spreadsheets, or binders with way more information than you’ll ever need while drafting. Alternatively, if you’re a first-time novelist, this is a great starting point for learning how to craft a protagonist.

How to Make Your Characters Sound More Like Themselves

Read this if your critique group (or your instinct) is telling you that your characters’ dialogue sounds too similar to each other—or too much like you. It’s a common problem, but this blog post definitely has a few tricks you haven’t tried yet!

Read this if you begin every project with too many minutes spent squinting at your first sentence, mumbling, “I don’t think that’s really your name…” Whether you hate naming characters or love the naming process way too much (like me!), these five tips will help you replace all those instances of “[name??]” in your draft.

You might be wondering what this blog post is doing in a round-up of writing craft tips, but consider this: your character’s name—how they got it in the story, what it means, how it sounds—can affect not only how other characters treat them, but how your reader views them. What we name people, places, and things matters.

How to Start a Story3 Questions to Ask Before Starting Your Next Story

Read this if you’ve already done most of the heavy lifting—the characters are crafted, the world is built, the plot is, um, plotted—and now all you need is permission to begin. If you can answer these three questions confidently, congratulations, you’re ready!

3 Ways to Test a Story Idea Before Committing

Read this if you’re staring at multiple options for your next WIP and you need to narrow it down. This’ll also be helpful if you’ve already started more than one, and now you need to pick a favorite because life has gotten crazy. (That latter situation is where I’m at right now, and I’m definitely going to be exploring Option 3 as soon as this post is published!)

How to Write a Story When All You Have is a Few Scenes

Read this if you’re the kind of writer who’s hit with inspiration in the form of crystal-clear interactions, bombshell discoveries, and rattled reactions. And then you realize you have to stitch them together, and you’re filled with dread.

How to Write a Story When All You Have is the Setting

Read this if you can imagine a sweeping world with complex magic, systems of government, and enough lore to fill multiple textbooks, but struggle with how to zoom in on the map to find the stories. This post gives different writing craft tips for character-driven and plot-driven writers, so no matter which way you lean, you’ll get something out of this one.

How to Write a Story When All You Have is the Title

Read this if fate has dealt you its cruellest hand: a simmering title and potentially a book cover design and zero idea for a story to go behind it. This blog post gives you a systematic approach to breaking down a short string of words to find hidden, potential meanings.

On the other hand, if you’re struggling with a title, you’ll want to read this blog post instead!

Story Structure and Planning3 Ideas for Scenes That Work in Every Story

Read this if you need ideas for scenes to fix the too-quick pacing of your story, or if you need to provide a backdrop for character development and can’t think of an organic way to sneak it into your draft.

A little fun fact for you: this continues to be one of the most popular posts I’ve pinned on Pinterest!

A Story Plan For Every Writer (Even Pantsers): Review of Story Planner

Read this if you’re a pantser who wants to dip their toe into outlining a story, or if you have a feeling that the way you’re plotting stories now is not actually the best way for your brain.

Actually, if you’ve never heard of Story Planner, this is a must-read. Not to “spoil” the post, but Story Planner is a site that houses dozens of templates for giving shape to a novel, novella, screenplay, and so on. It’s very neat, and you should go explore it.

How to Actually Learn Story Structure Once and For All

Read this if you have struggled with conceptualizing how all the pieces of a narrative fit together, and maybe even how many pieces you should have to stitch together.

Honestly, this post might be my favorite on the list. It makes a great companion to my mini course, The Definitive Prerequisite to Understanding Story Structure. If there’s one blog post I can recommend reading to get a handle on crafting stories, this would be it!

How to Tell Which Point of View is Right For Your Story

Read this if you have a suspicion that you’ve written your story in a POV that doesn’t work, and you dread making that same mistake twice. Same, friend, same.

How to Use the MICE Quotient to Determine the Length of Your Project

Read this if you can’t tell whether the story idea that just popped into your head is destined to be an epic saga, a novelette, or something in between. It’s not a perfect formula—I explain why in the blog post—but it forces you to count the trees to help determine the size of the forest you’re working with.

The Beginner’s Guide to Deconstructing Your Book and Discovering Its Tropes

Read this if your book is done or one round of revision away from being done, and you have no idea how you’re going to market that sucker. This is one of those writing craft tips that you may not organically realize you need until months after your release date. Don’t get caught not knowing how to talk about your book or who to talk to about your book!

Writing Process & Revision12+ Fiction Mediums to Write Besides the Novel

Read this if the you secretly believe you need to be working on The Great American Novel in order to consider yourself a writer. Not true! Fiction comes in many, many other forms, and you just might find that the most enjoyable one to you isn’t a book, but a script, or a serial, or something more experimental. (For example, writing solo RPGs has been a great brain break from my novels!)

How Do You Learn Your Writing Process? Write Short Stories

Read this if you’ve started and stopped a dozen novels and don’t understand why you never finish them.

This is another post of mine that’s beloved over on Pinterest. Make sure you follow me on Pinterest to keep my resources easily accessible and always at your fingertips.

Writing Tip: For Easier Revising, Leave More Comments

Read this if you’re in the middle of drafting, or you’re about to start your first draft. I’m convinced leaving comments is the way to make revising less painful.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have these revelations in the middle of writing and think, I’ll definitely remember that minute detail I want to add four chapters back. I’m having too much fun right now, so I can’t stop to jot anything down. But that’s doing the work a disservice in the long run. It is absolutely worth it to stop and make those notes because no one can remember thirty different details to be scattered throughout a whole book. If you don’t believe me, read the blog post.

Still feeling stuck, even after diving into these writing craft tips?

You’re not alone—and you don’t have to stay that way. If you’re overwhelmed, unsure what’s missing, or just tired of going in circles, let’s talk it out.

I offer two ways to help you move forward:

GET STORY COACHED BY ME OR TRY A FREE FIFTEEN-MINUTE FIX

Prefer something self-paced? You’ll love The Definitive Prerequisite to Understanding Story Structure—a mini-course built for new and struggling writers who crave actually-actionable steps for learning how to write with clarity and confidence.

@import url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/fonts.css?ve... .ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px}.g-recaptcha{transform:scale(1);-webkit-transform:scale(1);transform-origin:0 0;-webkit-transform-origin:0 0}.sr-only{position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);border:0}.ml-form-embedSubmitLoad:after{content:" ";display:block;width:11px;height:11px;margin:1px;border-radius:50%;border:4px solid #fff;border-color:#fff #fff #fff transparent;animation:ml-form-embedSubmitLoad 1.2s linear infinite}@keyframes ml-form-embedSubmitLoad{0%{transform:rotate(0)}100%{transform:rotate(360deg)}}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer{box-sizing:border-box;display:table;margin:0 auto;position:static;width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer button,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer span{text-transform:none!important;letter-spacing:normal!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper{background-color:#f6f5f3;border-width:0;border-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block!important;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:900px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper.embedForm{max-width:900px;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-left{text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-center{text-align:center}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-default{display:table-cell!important;vertical-align:middle!important;text-align:center!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-align-right{text-align:right}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedHeader img{border-top-left-radius:4px;border-top-right-radius:4px;height:auto;margin:0 auto!important;max-width:100%;width:undefinedpx}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody{padding:20px 20px 0 20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody.ml-form-embedBodyHorizontal{padding-bottom:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent{text-align:left;margin:0 0 20px 0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent h4,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent h4{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Serif Display',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:30px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:center;word-break:break-word}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:20px;margin:0 0 10px 0;text-align:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ul,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ul{color:#000;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol{list-style-type:lower-alpha}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent ol ol ol,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent ol ol ol{list-style-type:lower-roman}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p a,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group{text-align:left!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-block-form .ml-field-group label{margin-bottom:5px;color:#333;font-size:14px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;line-height:20px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedContent p:last-child,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-successBody .ml-form-successContent p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody form{margin:0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent{margin:0 0 20px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow{float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{margin:0;padding:0 0 20px 0;width:100%;height:auto;float:left}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow{margin:0 0 10px 0;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-last-item{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow.ml-formfieldHorizintal{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-webkit-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input::-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input::-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-ms-input-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-ms-input-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input:-moz-placeholder,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input:-moz-placeholder{color:#333}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow textarea,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow textarea{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;height:auto;line-height:21px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-color:#ccc!important;background-color:#fff!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow input.custom-control-input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{border-radius:4px!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 8 8'%3e%3cpath fill='%23fff' d='M6.564.75l-3.59 3.612-1.538-1.55L0 4.26 2.974 7.25 8 2.193z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::after{background-image:url("data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='-4 -4 8 8'%3e%3ccircle r='3' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e")}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input:checked~.custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox input[type=checkbox]:checked~.label-description::before{border-color:#000!important;background-color:#000!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label::before{top:2px;box-sizing:border-box}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;position:absolute;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{top:0!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-control-label::after{position:absolute;top:2px!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::before,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::before{position:absolute;top:4px;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:16px;height:16px;pointer-events:none;content:"";background-color:#fff;border:#adb5bd solid 1px;border-radius:50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after{position:absolute;top:0!important;left:-1.5rem;display:block;width:1rem;height:1rem;content:""}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-radio .custom-control-label::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedPermissions .ml-form-embedPermissionsOptionsCheckbox .label-description::after,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-interestGroupsRow .ml-form-interestGroupsRowCheckbox .label-description::after{background:no-repeat 50%/50% 50%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-control,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-control{position:relative;display:block;min-height:1.5rem;padding-left:1.5rem}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-input,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-input{position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-checkbox .custom-control-label,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-radio .custom-control-label{color:#000;font-size:12px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:22px;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top;font-style:normal;font-weight:700}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-fieldRow .custom-select,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow .custom-select{background-color:#fff!important;color:#333!important;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 28px 10px 12px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important;max-width:100%!important;height:auto;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat right .75rem center/8px 10px;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;appearance:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto;width:100%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:70%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal{width:30%;float:left}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:25px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{box-sizing:border-box;float:left;padding-right:10px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow input{background-color:#fff;color:#333;border-color:#ccc;border-radius:4px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding:10px 10px;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box;overflow-y:initial}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:none;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700;line-height:20px;margin:0!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%;height:auto}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-horizontalRow button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important;border-color:#e6bd57!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow input[type=checkbox]{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;position:absolute;z-index:-1;opacity:0;margin-top:5px;margin-left:-1.5rem;overflow:visible}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow .label-description{color:#000;display:block;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;text-align:left;margin-bottom:0;position:relative;vertical-align:top}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label{font-weight:400;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;display:block;min-height:24px;padding-left:24px}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label a{color:#000;text-decoration:underline}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p{color:#000!important;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:12px!important;font-weight:400!important;line-height:18px!important;padding:0!important;margin:0 5px 0 0!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow label p:last-child{margin:0}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit{margin:0 0 20px 0;float:left;width:100%}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border:none!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:21px!important;height:auto;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button.loading{display:none}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-embedSubmit button:hover{background-color:#e6bd57!important}.ml-subscribe-close{width:30px;height:30px;background:url(https://assets.mlcdn.com/ml/images/de...) no-repeat;background-size:30px;cursor:pointer;margin-top:-10px;margin-right:-10px;position:absolute;top:0;right:0}.ml-error input,.ml-error select,.ml-error textarea{border-color:red!important}.ml-error .custom-checkbox-radio-list{border:1px solid red!important;border-radius:4px;padding:10px}.ml-error .label-description,.ml-error .label-description p,.ml-error .label-description p a,.ml-error label:first-child{color:red!important}#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p,#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-checkboxRow.ml-error .label-description p:first-letter{color:red!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedDefault,.ml-form-embedWrapper.embedPopup{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow{height:auto!important;width:100%!important;float:left!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-right:0!important;padding-bottom:10px}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{width:100%!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal.labelsOn{padding-top:0!important}} .ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:none}#mlb2-6069962 .ml-mobileButton-horizontal button{background-color:#d8a31e!important;border-color:#d8a31e!important;border-style:solid!important;border-width:1px!important;border-radius:4px!important;box-shadow:none!important;color:#fff!important;cursor:pointer;font-family:'Noto Sans',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif!important;font-size:14px!important;font-weight:700!important;line-height:20px!important;padding:10px!important;width:100%!important}@media only screen and (max-width:900px){#mlb2-6069962.ml-form-embedContainer .ml-form-embedWrapper .ml-form-embedBody .ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm{padding:0 0 10px 0!important}.ml-hide-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-button-horizontal{display:none!important}.ml-mobileButton-horizontal{display:inline-block!important;margin-bottom:20px;width:100%}.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .ml-input-horizontal>div{padding-bottom:0!important}} @media only screen and (max-width:900px){.ml-form-formContent.horozintalForm .ml-form-horizontalRow .horizontal-fields{margin-bottom:10px!important;width:100%!important}} Unlock your storytelling potential. Join my list. UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL Loading… Thank you!

You have successfully signed up for my newsletter!

function ml_webform_success_6069962(){var r=ml_jQuery||jQuery;r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-success").show(),r(".ml-subscribe-form-6069962 .row-form").hide()}

The post 18 Must-Read Posts on Writing Craft, Story Structure, & Character Development appeared first on Megan Fuentes.