StoryCraft
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storycraft.bsky.social
StoryCraft
@storycraft.bsky.social
15 followers 11 following 16 posts
A writing education company created by writer/editor Jessica de Bruyn and writer/agent Lindsay Leggett devoted to helping you build your craft skills while creating a process that will allow you to go from idea to outline and beyond with confidence.
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storycraft.bsky.social
How do you choose the right idea for your book project? Jess explores this for her own writing in our latest Substack post. And if this is something you would like to learn more about, join us for our FREE WORKSHOP on Mon Jan 27th at 7pm EST!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/what-is-my...
What Is My Best Idea?
If you’re anything like me, writing a book involves intense focus — not just in terms of creating space within your daily life for writing but also in fending off all of the other shiny and new ideas ...
storycraftorg.substack.com
January 18, 2025 at 7:37 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
Have a goal this year to finish writing a novel? It all starts with the right idea. We are hosting a free workshop on how to develop your concept and create a writing plan.

Join us online January 27 at 7pm EST.

us05web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

#writingcommunity #Writers #writingworkshop
January 13, 2025 at 10:31 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For the last day of Craftmas, we are exploring how to pace and design scenes within a novel.

Read the full article on our Substack and don't forget to follow us for a chance to win a free StoryCraft Workbook and live feedback session.

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/building-r...
Day 12 of the StoryCraft Advent Calendar "Creating rhythm in scenes is one of the most different things to do as a prose writer. When you're working in film or creating something for the stage, you control the pacing - from the way that people speak to what actions hold the audience's focus. In a novel, you only have the words to bring everything to life. So, how can you mimic a living moment where it feels vibrant and real?" "The perspective, tense, language, setting, and action that you choose within a scene are all going to play a role in how it plays out. Understand how each element can be used to your advantage and you will create scenes that read like an eloquent symphony."
December 31, 2024 at 7:16 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For our second last day of Craftmas, we are talking about a writer's voice and how to find one that is uniquely you.

Read the full article on our Substack and don't forget to give us a follow for more like this!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/how-to-fin...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 11 "I like to think of a writer's voice as an innate quality like a singer's tone or the style of a painter. It's the quality of the work that allows you to know whose point-of-view you're exploring. You know a Taylor Swift song when you hear it. Nearly anyone can identify a Picasso painting." "Every moment I spent in those pages felt right, because I was exploring my newfound voice. It's one of those things where 'you'll know it when you find it,' and that can be a frustrating thing to hear, because it's not easy. There is no foolproof way to go about the task other than to experiment and try new things." Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!
December 30, 2024 at 11:13 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
Today you can download our free Worldbuilding Questionnaire for Day 10 of Craftmas!

And don't forget to follow us on Substack for your chance to win a free Workbook and live feedback session!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/worldbuild...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 10 Free Download Worldbuilding Questionnaire Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session.
December 29, 2024 at 11:05 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For Day 8 of Craftmas we break down how to build flawed (realistic) characters.

Read the full article on our Substack and don't forget to follow us there and here for your chance to win a free StoryCraft Workbook and live feedback session!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/how-to-wri...
Day 8 of the StoryCraft Advent Calendar "For most of us, our characters begin as simple shadows of themselves. They might grow from a moment of inspiration -- a visual image, a piece of dialogue, maybe even an attitude. We build them up limb by limb, our own Frankenstein's Monsters. First a brain, then eyes, then hands and feet." "Characters who don't have strong motivations or dramatic flaws simply don't have the promise of conflict, and the reader craves conflict. It's the good stuff that makes the story exciting." Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!
December 27, 2024 at 11:12 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For Day 7 of Craftmas, download our free Character Questionnaire and start explore the backstory and complexities of all of your characters.

Find it on our Substack and subscribe to win a free StoryCraft Workbook and live feedback session.

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/character-...
December 26, 2024 at 7:02 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For Day 6, Jess is talking about her love of adaptation using the new movie Wicked. Read the full article on our Substack and don't forget to follow us there and here for your chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/exploring-...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 6 "I always get excited when a big adaptation comes out. It is one of the few things that has me flying to social media. I love it because there is always a conversation about whether or not the new version of a loved story was done 'correctly'." "When Gregory Maguire created the book Wicked, he used the world and the core of the story as a jumping off point and created a plot that works parallel to the original. When taking this approach, understanding the essence of the original is very important. Why do people love it? What is the story's message? What is the experience that people get with the story?" Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!
December 25, 2024 at 6:23 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For Day 5 of 12 Days of Craftmas, @l_theodoora is talking about how to research a historical piece without getting sucked.

Don't forget to follow us on Substack and here for your chance to win a free StoryCraft Workbook and live feedback session!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/how-much-r...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 5 "I had direct access to those historical events because I'd lived them , so I didn't necessarily think of them as being "historical". Part of that was also me refusing to acknowledge that the 90s were, in fact, thirty years ago. Ouch." "As I was learning the customs and history of the time, I started adding those details to my characters, which provided inspiration for the next plot points. Oh, the French Revolution just happened? That better play a part. Oh, artists were transitioning to pieces about freedom and nature and expression?" Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!
December 24, 2024 at 7:45 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
Day 4 is all about your story’s plotting and structure!

Today's free download is a Narrative Structure Worksheet. Decide your book's major beats so that when you're drafting, you can decide all of the surprises and complications you will add.

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/how-to-use...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 4 Free Download Narrative Structure Worksheet Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session!
December 23, 2024 at 10:30 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
On Day 3, we are talking about your story's dramatic question.

Find the full article on our Substack and don't forget to follow us there and here for a chance to win a free StoryCraft Workbook and live feedback session!

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/what-are-y...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 3 "When I'm working through my outline and the different plots that a story will have, I give each of them a dramatic question. And every scene that I write will be created in service of finding out one or more answers." "What dramatic questions do is force us to get to the root of our stories and what the stakes are going to be for both the characters and readers."
December 22, 2024 at 8:56 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
For Day 2 of the 12 Days of Craftmas, we are discussing How to Find the Best Story Idea.

Read the full article on our Substack:
storycraftorg.substack.com/p/how-to-fin...

And don't forget to follow us in December for a chance to win a free workbook and feedback session.
StoryCraft Advent Calendar Day 2 "There's a certain glimmer in a writer's eye when they're talking about THE book, not just a book, and I believe this is the key to getting through to the end and having it matter to readers." "Why could I write 20,000 words with ease, but then I kept getting stuck? How could I push past this invisible barrier? What I discovered was that I wasn't actually developing entire ideas because I had no structure and no strategy." "The difference has been one of intensity. I know I'm working on the right book when I can't stop thinking about it even when I'm not writing."
December 21, 2024 at 9:48 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
We are counting down our 12 Days of Craftmas until the end of the year! For Day 1, grab the Free Download of our 10 Questions You Need to Ask Before Starting Your Novel Worksheet!

And follow us for an entry to win a free workbook and feedback session.

storycraftorg.substack.com/p/the-storyc...
StoryCraft Advent Calendar 12 Days of Craftmas Day 1 Free Download | 10 Questions You Need to Ask Before Starting Your Novel Join us over the next 12 Days of Craftmas as we examine different topics about writing and building stories. Follow us for a chance to win a StoryCraft Workbook and a live feedback session.
December 20, 2024 at 10:42 PM
storycraft.bsky.social
Hello Bluesky writers! We are here to talk all things writer's craft and how to build the skills and processes necessary to finish books and hopefully have a successful career as an author. Join us for tips and deep dives into the mechanics of storytelling and how you can level up your writing.
November 22, 2024 at 3:59 PM