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The Memoirist’s Private Journal: 7 Prompts to Uncover Your Book’s Core Theme
Journaling is a secret engine behind powerful memoir writing. It gives authors a safe, private place to explore raw memories and feelings, ultimately distilling them into a meaningful story for readers. Editors and book coaches use guided prompts to help writers dig beneath surface anecdotes and reveal the deeper themes that will shape their memoirs,…
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Memoir is Not a Diary: How to Tell Your Story in a Way That Resonates
A memoir is not a diary. It is an artful act of storytelling, crafted to take readers on a journey of meaning and empathy instead of showcasing a list of private thoughts. While diaries chronicle daily events and emotions in chronological, personal detail, memoirs deliberately select, shape, and organize life’s moments so they resonate with…
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Does Your Psychological Thriller Hook Readers Instantly?
When it comes to psychological thrillers, the hook in those first ten pages is make-or-break. This is where readers decide to settle in or slip away. Nail the opening and you set the emotional temperature and suspenseful tone for everything that follows. Let’s break down a practical checklist for achieving that irresistible hook, using five…
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Writing a Psychological Thriller? Don’t Forget the Emotional Pacing.
Every psychological thriller needs its signature elements: the unreliable narrator, inner crisis, mind-bending twists, and authentically complex characters. But if you want your thriller to truly grip readers – page after breathless page – you can’t neglect one essential ingredient: emotional pacing. What is Emotional Pacing? Emotional pacing is the careful choreography of suspense, tension,…
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What Makes a Memoir
Welcome to the third installment of “What Makes a . . .” In What Makes a Memoir we will take a look at five elements that will have your readers lining up to learn and be inspired. What Makes a Memoir Work? What makes a memoir work? How does memoir differ from an autobiography? A…
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What Makes a Fantasy Novel
Welcome to Part 2 of the series “What Makes a . . .” What Makes a Fantasy Novel focuses on five elements that hook your readers and take them on an incredible journey in fantasy. Check back next month for the next installment, What Makes a Memoir. What Makes a Fantasy Novel Work? What draws…
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What Makes a Psychological Thriller
Welcome to Part 1 of “What Makes a . . .” a series of posts where I will be sharing the top principles of what makes a certain genre really thrive. This post is all about what makes a psychological thriller work. Discover the five elements that will keep your readers guessing and questioning reality…
