Welcome to my newsletter!

"Open the closet and let the family skeletons out?"

Have you ever done that, Reader?

Have you thought about it?

Let's say you want to write a story based on something that happened to you in real life—something deeply personal.

You might ask yourself, WHY?

Do you want to do it because it'll make a good story?

Do you want to do it to work through feelings you’re still wrestling with?

Is it a form of redemption?

Why do you want to do it?

Answering that question might help you determine how much you want to reveal. Telling the hard stories is hard.

We often tap into memories, feelings, and thoughts that we haven't quite processed in a way that allows us to move forward.

Maybe we're worried that people reading it will discover things about us that we don't want to share with the rest of the world, but at the same time, we’re driven to write about them.

If that’s the case, ask yourself why you want to do it and how much you want to do it.

Then, understand that there are ways of writing about the hardships, challenges, and heartbreaks you've experienced without revealing that they're yours.

On July 31st, I'll go live and share tips on how to do that when I go live. More on that later.

Meanwhile, if you're thinking about writing a story about something deeply emotional, ask yourself … WHY?

That's it for today. Now go forth and be ... inspired.

Best,

Alex Simmons

*Would you like to add links to my recorded writers' tips to this newsletter?
If so, please Click This Link.

*If you do not want to continue to receive this newsletter, please feel free to unsubscribe.

If you need any help telling it, let me know.

CLICK HERE

3959 Saxon Avenue, Bronx, NY 10463
Unsubscribe · Preferences

What The Heck Is A Solid Story Structure? (Simmons Says #184)

Welcome to my newsletter! Hi Reader, I've got another question for you... What makes a solid story structure? There are several answers to that question. But here is the one I live by, and I share it with my students. To start, a story structure is a framework. It's a way of telling a tale, and it can be personal, professional, or instructional. The same basic rules apply whether it’s a screenplay, novel, cartoon, or comic book. Every story has three basic components. B.M.E.; Beginning,...

8 days ago • 3 min read

Writing Through Fear: Why You Should Keep Creating (Simmons Says #183)

Welcome to my newsletter! Why the hell should we keep trying? Can you answer that Reader? What do we do when we face writer's block and other creative challenges? Why should we keep writing or creating when we're worried that it won't be good enough? Why should we do it when we fear what other people might say? Why should we even write stories with comedic throughlines or happy endings when the world is going through so much hell in a handbasket? And if we are supposed to do that, how do we...

15 days ago • 3 min read

Are You Ready For A Writing Challenge? (Simmons Says #180)

Welcome to my newsletter! One year, I determined to write a short story every month. I didn't promise to write a publishable short story, just a short story. Some people do this once a week, some every two weeks, and some every day. I challenged myself to write a short story once a month. With everything else I was working on, I would write one short story. How I set that up and met the challenge is another story. I'll tell you bits of it as we go along, but I now challenge you to write a...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read