Fri, 27 Sep 2013 17:13:40 +0000 Assisi, Italy, www.carolineallen.com   I'm working on a series of four novels, EARTH, AIR, FIRE and WATER, two of which are expat novels (stories set in foreign countries). In EARTH, my protagonist is rooted to a farm in America. In AIR, she floats above the culture in the Orient. In FIRE, her ego is burned up, her life left in ashes in London. Finally, with…

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 22:13:51 +0000I had a dream. I was seated at the defendant's table in an old-fashioned courtroom. My attorney, a soft round woman, held my hand beneath the table. I could feel she believed in me. Jealousy was suing me. Jealousy was on the stand and was bright red, like the devil card in the Visconti Sforza tarot deck. He was enraged. He was telling his lawyer, who was…

Fri, 26 Jul 2013 22:11:21 +0000  What would happen if you combined novel, memoir or screenplay writing with psychic channeling? Could you psychically explore your protagonist to get down to the core of his or her belief system? Could you channel a plot? Don't many famous writers say that they feel like they're "channeling" when they write, with information flowing from a muse or a higher power of some sort?Could you channel…

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:17:13 +0000 Please welcome guest blogger and new Art of Storytelling intern Acea Spades Black.  In this blog, the 21-year old Portland native explores his childhood love of LORD OF THE RINGS and the power of fantasy. Acea is serving a 3-month sentence as AofS's intern, and is already helping put us on the map with press releases sent to major Pacific Northwest publications. He'll be researching…

Wed, 03 Jul 2013 16:05:25 +0000The pianist, Yerevan, Armenia, www.carolineallen.com Here's a trick for writing dynamic dialogue. A client and I were recently creating dialogue between a husband and wife who've known each other for years. How can you capture the subtlety, the subtext of the relationship? How can you not over-write it, not state the obvious? How do you capture the familiarity? I use this in writing workshops. It's an exercise called: Dialogue: A…

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:54:49 +0000 Art of Storytelling Coach and Editor Jon Sternfeld was the agent for T. Geronimo Johnson's novel Hold It 'Til It Hurts, which was nominated today for the PEN/Faulkner award. Here's the novel blurb: When Achilles Conroy and his brother Troy return from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, their white mother presents them with the key to their past: envelopes containing details about their respective…

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:12:28 +0000 In the ten years that Art of Storytelling has coached writing clients on novels, memoirs, and self-help books, we’ve noticed a certain process evolve organically for almost every writer. The process is one of commitment. Still, how many times have you heard someone say, “Commit to your writing”, but then you don’t know how or where to begin? What does commitment really mean? We’ll explore…

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 21:21:23 +0000 Self portrait, oil bar on paper, www.carolineallen.com As a coach, novelist and visual artist, I'm passionate about exploring, excavating, and empowering VOICE. I realized recently that a lot of people are confused by what it means to find your voice as an artist. No, it does not mean that you speak loudly and everyone listens. It does not mean dominating a conversation. For women, it…

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 21:09:35 +0000Former NYC agent and current AofS coach Jon Sternfeld discusses screenwriting in Art of Storytelling’s ongoing series of guest blogs on the writing process. Jon has worked under the VP of Development at a major independent production company, Good Machine Inc. (The Ice Storm, In the Bedroom, Happiness) under writer/producer James Schamus. In charge of reading the screenplay slush and referral pile, Jon was a valuable…

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:16:23 +0000 The time is now! Commit to your writing by filling out a Commitment Statement. Download your FREE Statement Template on my website. http://www.artofstorytellingonline.com/#!free-downloads Use the Commitment Statement to solidify your goals for writing. A Commitment Statement clarifies questions like: What is the writing project you want to complete? How many hours will you write? Where will you find support? What is your deadline? What are some…