#23: Constructing a Satisfying Mystery

Satisfaction comes from sustained tension leading to a climax. The tension in a mystery is usually an unanswered question: who, why, or how.

#22: Passion Projects and Practice Projects

You can't thrive by only making art that feels safe and easy. But you also can't be brave all the time; you need rest, and play, and learning, and sustenance.

#21: Stopping and Starting

Nothing gets in your way more than a creative writing degree and a lot of practice doing other kinds of writing, both of which fill your head with all sorts of ideas about what writing should be like.

#20: How to Choose a Title

If you think of a title as communication, rather than as a summary that is somehow meant to encompass everything the story is while not giving anything important away, that can help you decide how to shape it.