Turning to Story

Betray their family? Leave home for an adventure? Reveal that your skin sparkles in the sunlight to the girl you love? This week is all about character choices. Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith chat about what makes strong choices as well as the power they have to send your plot in directions your readers will love. Add Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith on Goodreads

Grab a warm cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and prepare to take your characters to therapy! This week, Lyssa Mia Smith puts on her psychologist hat to guide us through character behavior patterns and how they can help us build story from the character up. Join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith uncover the secrets of Pixar's powerful writing. It starts with internal conflict and ends with jaw-dropping, personal themes. Analyze craft and cheer on football players making touchdowns?? Join the Turning to Story Substack

Writing is hard, and the way we present and learn from feedback can make it easier! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith cover some do's and don'ts of giving and receiving feedback. Join the Turning to Story substack for show notes and extra info!

Want to know a trick for writing compelling side characters? What about a trick for mapping character change? And how about something that helps you generate scene ideas? No, it's not magic. It's four corner opposition. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss and apply John Truby's advice to scenes, chapters, and acts. Get extra resources at the Turning to Stor

What makes the perfect twist? Just when your reader thinks they have it all figured out, how do you turn them in a different direction? Reversals! From first chapter hooks to gasp-worthy midpoints, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk about reversals that keep your reading guessing! Join the Turning to Story substack for show notes and extra resources!

This week, we're tackling our favorite topic: romance! Authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier discusses the list every crackling romance needs to make your readers swoon! Get extra info and show notes at the Turning to Story Substack

We're back for a third season of deep dives on craft, vampire jokes, and fun surprises! This week, we dive into what makes a scene perfect, and we're not just talk about conflict or characters. Join authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier they analyze scenes to see if they hold up to the perfect scene test. Join the Turning to Story Substack for behind extra resources!

Congratulations, Campers! You made it to the final week of the surviving publishing boot camp. To celebrate, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith wanted to take a moment to acknowledge some of the truly heinous ways the publishing industry can kick you while you're already down. We share this in the spirit of catharsis and as a way to help prepare for the very rocky road ah

While dreams are events we cannot control, that doesn't mean that we can't work toward them. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith apply their favorite tool-- deliberate practice-- to all things outside of the writing craft! Get behind the scenes info at the Turning to Story Substack