Julie Artz works with both award-winning and newer authors across the publishing spectrum from Big Five to small and university presses to indie and hybrid. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach, a sought-after speaker and writing instructor, and a regular contributor to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and a regular instructor for AuthorsPublish, IWWG, ProWritingAid and more. Her work as a Pitch Wars and Teen Pit mentor, a former SCBWI Regional Advisor (WWA), and her memberships in The EFA, the WFWA, AWP, and the Authors Guild keep her industry knowledge sharp. A consummate social and environmental justice minded story geek, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers (when they’re not off at university!), and two naughty furry familiars. She’s built a thriving book coaching business based on her values, her editing chops, and her knowledge of story. Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and subscribe today.
[Wyrd Words Weekly] What the periodic table can teach you about writing
Hello Reader,
Scene is the smallest unit of story, the atom in Story's Periodic Table. And yet it can be difficult to identify what a scene is and how it functions in our stories. A scene:
- Is a finite, relatively short moment in time...
- Takes place in one concrete location/setting...
- Has a beginning, middle, and end...
- Contains a MOMENT OF CHANGE that moves the story forward by advancing the plot, character, or world-building (or all three!).
Just like your larger story, your scenes have a structure--a goal, obstacles, and an outcome--that provide the scaffolding upon which you tell the story with character, world-building, and plot.
Do you know how to make your scenes work for you and your story? Many writers don't. But don't worry, I've got you covered!
In my decade as book coach and story geek, I've developed a simple, yet powerful, approach to scenes that will help you shore up your story logic, increase pacing and stakes, and show your characters' journeys in a way that will keep readers turning pages.
And on February 13, you can learn that approach for FREE as part of ProWritingAid's Romance Writers' Week, February 12-16. The lineup is fantastic, featuring some of my very favorite colleagues. Sign up today: https://prowritingaid.com/romance-week/sign-up
If you're writing romance, or if you're just looking for a quick, easy, free way to get a little inspiration in the new year, I hope I'll see you there!
What I'm Reading
If you're anything like me, you've got a to be read pile that you're never going to conquer. For me, that often means I'm focused on reading books that have come out in the last 1-2 seasons. It's an important part of keeping my market knowledge current, but it also means that I sometimes miss a truly great book. That's why I'm so thrilled that Rebecca Makkai's 2023 release, I Have Some Questions For You, wasn't available at the library last week, but her 2018, The Great Believers, was. Because my goodness, it was a powerful, poignant, glorious read. An exploration of the power of platonic love, a heart-wrenching deep dive into the mid-80s AIDS epidemic, a meditation on motherhood, this book was amazing. If you, too, missed it when it came out in 2018, give it a read or a listen.
Warmly,
Julie
PS - Last call for Round Seven of CP Meet Cute. I'll be making critique partner matches NEXT WEEK! Sign up by February 7 at https://pages.julieartz.com/cp-meet-cute to get all the details.
Julie Artz | author, editor, book coach, dragon
Julie Artz works with both award-winning and newer authors across the publishing spectrum from Big Five to small and university presses to indie and hybrid. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach, a sought-after speaker and writing instructor, and a regular contributor to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and a regular instructor for AuthorsPublish, IWWG, ProWritingAid and more. Her work as a Pitch Wars and Teen Pit mentor, a former SCBWI Regional Advisor (WWA), and her memberships in The EFA, the WFWA, AWP, and the Authors Guild keep her industry knowledge sharp. A consummate social and environmental justice minded story geek, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers (when they’re not off at university!), and two naughty furry familiars. She’s built a thriving book coaching business based on her values, her editing chops, and her knowledge of story. Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and subscribe today.
Hello Reader, I've been neglecting the "What I'm Reading" portion of my newsletter in all the busy-ness of the past few months, so today is a double-header. If you're looking for something to distract you from the news once you get your ballot in, this is the newsletter for you! Even though I'm mostly writing adult fiction these days, my love of middle grade endures. And part of the reason for that is the hope and heart that is so much a part of my favorite middle grade stories. This week,...
Hello Reader, I'm just about on the other side of a month of busy-ness and I'm not going to lie: I'm tired. But I also experienced some deep magic that has rekindled my writing spark. If you've been around here long, you know I'm almost as big a music buff as I am a book nerd. And this past weekend was something I would call once in a lifetime if not for the fact that I got to experience it last summer as well: Joni Mitchell and the Joni Jam. Bear with me, even if you don't love Joni the way...
Hello Reader, Ever since I read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism this past spring, I've been grappling with my feelings about social media. Remember the good old days of Twitter, when we were a cozy little writing community running pitch contests, giving each other support and feedback, and tagging everything with #amwriting and #writingcommunity? At the same time, I was logging into Facebook daily to see photos of my friends and family instead of endless ads and toxic political memes. Sigh....