Journaling to Become a Better Writer: Seven Keys to More Authentic Fiction

Your life is not boring. It is the key to great fiction. How do you capture that spark of life that lifts your story off the page and resonates with readers in their very soul? You delve into your own soul and learn how to wrap words around your unique human experience, that’s how. And the best way to do that is to keep a journal. These seven techniques to apply to your journal will help you marry the authenticity of the real world to the imaginations of your story worlds: • How do you recognize a story worth telling? • How do you bring structure and power to a story? • How do you tap into your own emotions to fill your novel with heart? • How do you hone your observation skills? • How do you engagingly describe your world? • How do you make your characters real? • How do you find your unique purpose as a writer? Not your average book on the craft of writing, the author bares pages from her own journal to illustrate her techniques and the level of storytelling skill that can be achieved in your journal. These same excerpts unfold, in real time, the story of the most traumatic plot twist of her life: the stripping away of her family and her search for someone to finally call “Daddy”—a quest which almost claimed her life. Part writing how-to book, part memoir, part self-discovery guide, this volume will show you what the everyday events of your life have to do with great fiction. Your life, after all, is a story.