Tense relationships make suspenseful stories. When the main characters are stuck together AND in conflict, the most suspenseful plots emerge.

In this podcast, I'll discuss how these character relationships work and how to create them in your stories.

Learn how to

• Optimize characters for conflict
• Use different scripts to create conflict between characters
• Use the principles of the crucible to add tension
• Create exciting relationships in your B-, C-, and D-stories, or subplots

Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly tips, tricks, and inspiration: http://www.yourbeststory.net

Knowing your characters is crucial when you're writing a story—in fiction and in narrative nonfiction.

So, what do you need to know about your characters? In this podcast, we'll discover how to use psychology and human behavior to engage your readers with real and relatable characters.

Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free coaching call with me: http://www.yourbeststory.net

What is a character exactly? And how does understanding that help you create an authentic character for your story?

In this podcast, I share my insights on:

• What a character is
• What readers want from a character
• What a character needs to come alive in your readers' brains

This is part 1 of a double episode on character development. In part 2, we'll be discussing character psychology and character discovery in nonfiction.

Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free one-hour coaching call with me: http://www.yourbeststory.net

Conflict is the most important ingredient for storytelling. And writers who know how to use it won't have trouble getting their readers through the middle part of their books.

In this podcast, I show you how conflict in narrative works and how to use it. And I'll share a few classic examples from literature, film, and theater.

Would you like a free writing coaching call? Go to http://www.yourbeststory.net and subscribe to my newsletter!

One problem all writers face: their readers have other things to do than reading. Chapter endings are the perfect places to close a book and start doing "something useful."

How do you make sure your reader will pick up your book again at the first available opportunity?

Make sure your reader is hungry for more.

In this podcast, I show you how to use the 5W1H method to create engaging chapter endings, and I share many examples from published works.

Would you like to have a free coaching call with me? Go to http://www.yourbeststory.net and subscribe to my newsletter.

When is your book or article ready for publication? In this podcast, I'll give you a strategy to figure it out.

For weekly tips and inspiration, and a free coaching call, subscribe to my email list:

http://www.yourbeststory.net

Also in this podcast: Writing about controversial topics and finding the right attitude and tone. And, for those who care, a little bit about my vision.

Would you like a free coaching session with me?

Go to http://www.yourbeststory.net

(Use the pop-up or scroll down to the form.)

• What do the masters say about short sentences?
• How do you avoid boring prose?
• Can you be informal without losing credibility?
• How many pages should a nonfiction book be?
• How can you use 5W1H to create tension?
• What's the editor's role in the writing process?

In this podcast, I discuss these and many more questions with a coaching student.

Would you like a free coaching session, too? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter to schedule one:

http://www.yourbeststory.net