Writing

No matter what kind of format you want to write in, whether it’s books or scripts, every writer should spend some time learning story structure. There are many ways to do this, but one particularly helpful way is to study movies. Why movies? Movies are visual and compact: a story unfolds visually from beginning to […]

Last Updated: January 27, 2025 Resistance is one of the most common barriers to writing. I, myself, have been dealing with periods of writing-resistance for many years now.  It is like an invisible force, keeping us from completing projects if not outright abandoning them. If you’re a writer, I’m sure you’ve dealt with resistance before,

Deciding to be a writer can be a very daunting experience. You are making the choice to pursue your dreams without a guarantee that it will work out or that you’ll have any support. But you have a passion: you love what you do and you want to see your dream come true. Welcome! You’re

When I was a child therapist a few years ago, I had a 10-year-old client who was obsessed with RPGs (role-playing games)—it was the only way I could get him to speak to me about his day. He’d make up his own RPG; all he needed was a board game—any board game—and he was set. 

Did you know that writers need warm ups just like athletes do? When a runner prepares for a race, they have running practice. Before they run for the day, they warm up with some stretches. Warming up loosens up the muscles and prepares the body for movement. It’s the same with writing. Before you jump

Let’s be honest, there’s no one way to get ideas. In fact, half the time we don’t even know where they come from. Your brain collects information, makes associations and boom, an idea emerges to the surface. However, there are ways to stimulate your mind. I have found that using a set of questions helps

This summer I went to a free writing workshop hosted at Bryant Park here in NYC in hopes of finding new ways to improve my writing. Every year they host these workshops and offer a variety of writing courses from fiction to memoir writing. The workshop I attended was about writing short stories. I walked

So, I’ve written my first draft. Now what? It’s time to revise! Revision When it comes to the writing process, the bulk of the work lies in the revision and editing stages because this is where you take the mush of words and ideas that you churned out in the first draft, and turn them

Happy Holidays fellow writers! With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m taking this time to thank my readers for supporting Shantal Writes. I made this blog to help writers like me, who are struggling to get words on the page, to get started. It has been such a joy to get to share my experiences with