One of the easiest traps to fall into as an emerging storyteller is the one you set for yourself – the writer’s comfort zone. The reason for this is simple to understand. As beginning writers, we are obsessed with the idea that we are not “good enough” or still have “so much to learn” that instead of treasuring that new perspective, we focus completely on developing and improving our work.
Read MoreHi, there! Welcome to the final installment of the #storytellingshift series. In this series, I teach fellow writers how to become storytellers, starting with the key to unlocking endless inspiration. If you're feeling a bit lost and are wondering what the difference is between a writer and a storyteller, jump back to the beginning of the series, where I define the difference for you.
Read MoreAs writers our principle form of activism is our voice. To be more specific, the voice of our pen. However, another form of activism - though far more subtle and long-term in its effects - is in the books we choose to read. With every book you buy, you share, and you tell people about, you are saying that more of those books should be read, and marketers and companies will start to follow that over time.
Read MoreWhen it comes to telling stories, there are a lot of people out there telling you all the rules you should and shouldn’t follow. They tell you not to use adverbs in prose and to avoid voice-overs in screenplays. They tell you the key to a great story is character, but then they tell you it’s plot. With every article you read you become more and more doubtful about what is right for your story, or if you’re even doing anything right at all.
Read MoreWhen the legendary French New Wave director François Truffaut was kicked out of school at the age of fourteen, he decided he would be self-taught. A lover of stories, he created two academic goals for himself: watch three movies a day and read three books a week.
Read MoreVideo games get a bad rep. This is perhaps due in part because to some extent, video games can be really bad for people. There are games that are addictive and remove people from life and games that promote violence and sexist or racist stereotypes.
Yet these traits, especially the latter, are equally as prevalently in movies and books and yet no one seems to be a harbinger of justice for those mediums. And that is because as a culture, we can see how these mediums can also be very good for our culture, parodying what is wrong with it or creating characters who address our current state of the world.
Read MoreHaving devoted a large portion of my life to tennis, I am quite familiar with the idea of creating a ritual before a match or a serve to help me get into the mindset for the game, and as I began to become more dedicated to writing, I carried that practice over with me. One of the most difficult parts about writing that nobody mentions to you is pure mental perseverance.The truth is, sometimes we really aren't in the mood to write, and that's okay. There are days we feel uninspired or unworthy, and even the most seasoned writers face this challenge. But what matters is how we face that challenge, and what sets us apart is that we choose to overcome this challenge and choose to do so everyday. I have found the best way to do this is with a writer's ritual.
Read MoreCreative Writing Coach and Storyteller | Serving creative writers who want to write novels, movies, plays, and video games – and helping them learn how to write all four.
Hey there—I’m E.M. Welsh and I’m a writer and storyteller based in Texas. In my spare time, you can find me reading books, watching TV and movies, and playing video games. I also cook a lot of food and dabble in a plethora of other hobbies.
I’m currently working on my first book, which I hope to have published in 2024.
This blog is basically a diary of what I’m up to, random musings, and progress updates on my book.
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