Hey, how’s it going? I’m Pat Marcello and I’ve written 10 books for publishers like ABC-Clio, Lucent, and Andrews-McMeel. I haven’t been writing for magazines or writing books for years, but I do write every day. I am a writer. And I have writerly thoughts all the time — some twisted, some normal. And so, I’d like to share a little of each with you. Enjoy!

The Fun Part of Your Story… the Middle

You might be thinking, ugh... the middle... lots and lots of writing. Yep... That's true, but you can have fun writing it, especially if you outline fun into the middle right from the start. Writing short stories should have an outline, too, really. I don't think I've...

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Writing a Juicy Middle

We  all know that stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. We've talked about the beginning over the last few days... that should be where you start your conflict or problem. But what happens next? That's your middle. Here's where you turn up the heat on your...

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Writing Conflict: Readers Need to Feel Something

Conflict is uber important in any short story or novel. We've already covered why and how, but what makes it so important? Simple. Conflict makes people feel. Your readers should want to see your main character be successful. Or, in the case of a villian, they may...

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