Turning to Story

You've got your outline and character arcs ready, but the draft isn't drafting! What do you do?! Never fear. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss the one thing that's likely holding your wordcount back: personal stakes.Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra episode notes!

Have we got a treat for you! Authors and fellow podcasters Angela Montoya and Melanie Schubert from Of the Publishing Persuasion join us for a chat about how to handle the lows of publishing as well as tips to ensure your journey has staying power.Follow Angela Montoya and Melanie Schubert on InstagramCheck out Of the Publishing PersuasionFollow the Turning to Story Substack for notes on the episode

We're always told that no writing goes to waste, but what does that actually mean?! Well, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith have got you covered this week. They cover the skills that will follow you throughout the writing journey. From querying to Netflix deals, these are the forever golden techniques to hone.Follow the Turning to Story Substack!Preorder Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith now!

As writers, it's our job to create engaging, dynamic, and precious characters... and then torture them until they complete their character arc! Readers will turn the page just to watch a character fight back against a bully or realize their stubbornness and pride is keeping them from the love of their life. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how putting characters in a vacuum in which they are devoid of the thing they really need can create addictive stories.Subscribe to the Turning to Story Substack for extra info!

We said magic systems deserved their own episode, so we delivered! How do you create a magic system that tantalizes your readers, maxes out vibes, and develops a gut-wrenching theme? Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith go into detail about how you can make your witches, mages, and space wizards do work for you!Remember to check out the Turning to Story Substack for shownotes.Also, pre-order Lyssa's book, GILDED IN VENGEANCE, now!

You know we love tropes on Turning to Story. Cuddling for warmth. Touch-starved. Enemies to lovers. Butwhyare those tropes so darn good? This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith analyze T. Taylor's7 Figure Fictionto uncover the truth about tropes.Follow the Turning to Story Substack for show notes!Pre-order Lyssa's YA fantasy romance, GILDED IN VENGEANCE, now!Check out7 Figure Fiction by T. Taylor

How do you create a world that leaps from the page? What about one readers will print t-shirts and fanart of? This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how make the world of your story work for you. Remember to add Lyssa's new YA romantic fantasy, GILDED IN VENGEANCE, to your Goodreads! Also, follow the Turning to Story Substack for episode notes and extras!

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 Follow the Turning to Story Substack for weekly updates and notes!

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!

Writing is hard enough, soo feedback that makes us excited to dive back in is priceless! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith cover the do's and don'ts of sending and receiving feedback from critique partners and beta readers! 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 Story Substack!

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 ahead! Join the Turning to Story Substack

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

How do you avoid feeling like trash in the writing industry? We wish there was a simple answer, but we can offer something: knowing the difference between dreams vs. goals. Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith separate publishing dreams from writing goals as a way to maintain peace along this rocky road. Buckle up, campers! It's a good one! Get all the extra information and community at the Turning to Story Substack. Also, listen to But-So Salsa because we love that episode.

Alright, Campers! Now that you've got your ideal writerly life designed, what actually gets the word written? Discipline! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith chat about the power of discipline as well as strategies to really focus and get the work done! As always, you can find more information the Turning to Story Substack!

This week of summer camp is all about treating yourself as the amazing writer you are. Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith chat about ways to create an ideal schedule as well as ways to protect that sacred time. Join us at the Turning to Story Substack for more behind the scenes resources and discussions!

It's week one of the Summer of Surviving Publishing here at Camp Turning to Story, and we're covering the arrival fallacy. Sometimes we believe achieving a goal will make all our woes disappear: agents, books deals, movies... Gather around the campfire as authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith debunk arrival fallacies and discuss ways to maintain peace throughout the publishing journey. Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra resources and info!

Query trenches got you down? Submission woes really making you doubt yourself? Terrified about that option book? Never fear! Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith are offering listeners a getaway to a six-week summer camp for writers in this brand new segment all about surviving the publishing industry! Grab your pack, apply some sunscreen, and get ready to learn around the campfire.

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith wrap up the minisodes segment with another AMA! How to decide which novel to query? How do you pitch agents in person? And how many Charlie Swan impressions can Lyssa actually do? Find out more on this week's episode! As always, join the Turning to Story Substack for behind the scenes info and resources!

As the minisodes come to a close, we answer questions posed by Team Curiosity. Which author would we love to have on the podcast? Is the publishing sky really falling? Does Lyssa have the best Charlie Swan impression? Join authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith as they host the first part of their AMA episodes! As always, join the Turning to Story Substack for behind the scenes info and resources!

What makes a query sparkle? What makes an agent request based off a small 300 word pitch? Never fear, author Lyssa Mia Smith analyzes two successful queries of two fantastic authors for craft gold. Big ideas, sparkling phrases, and promise of the premise comps, oh my! Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra info from all our podcast episodes!

How do you take your amazing story to the next level? Line edits! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith offer tips and tricks on how they tackle line edits. Their biggest piece of advice? Don't ice a cake before it cools! Find out more by following the Turning to Story substack!

We know side characters are the best, but how do you prevent them from taking over?! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss what makes a great side character as well as tips and tricks on how much page time to give them. Remember to join the Turning to Story Substack!

This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith tackle one of the most difficult questions: when do you stop research and outlining and actually write the book? Turning to Story SubStack

This week, Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith attempt to organize episodes of Turning to Story into a writing process. Spoiler Alert: The process is always nebulous, but maybe this will help some folks out! Join the Turning to Story Subtack for behind the scenes info and extra resources.

You have your character's misbelief, and you know exactly how they'll grow as a person. Now how the heck do you create a plot that pushes them in that direction?! Never fear! Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith chat about ways you can balance internal change with external plot. Every scene will crackle with electric energy from that third rail!

During their first ever minisode, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith cover all things 3rd rail. Misbeliefs, wounds, and inner conflict all help create electrifying scenes. Follow us on the Turning to Story substack for extra info and resources!

It only took weeks of raving about it, but we finally got Emily Taylor, NYT Bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique, to share how her background in marketing helps her craft big ideas. From conception to execution, the Big Idea can help you craft a story that will stick out on any shelf! Turning to Story Substack

What is story but one event leading to another? WRONG. Well, at least according to Lisa Cron. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith analyze the ten elements every scene should have. It's checklist perfection and the perfect tool for your writing kit!

This week, authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier nerd out about an often overlooked writerly tool: setting. From visceral sensory overload to theme and symbolism, worldbuilding can be used to immerse readers across an entire novel and from scene to scene. Turning to Story Substack

Want to keep readers turning page after page? The key is immersion! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith cover what sucks readers in- and what rips them out. Turning to Story Substack

Do you hear that sound in the distance? The thunder of hooves. Hark! The three biggest monsters you'll face on your publishing journey are here: imposter syndrome, comparison, and loneliness. Don't worry, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith are to help with a productive vent session and tools to help you prepare for the long, wonderful road ahead. Turning to Story Substack Newsletter

You've got your outline, you know your characters, and your aesthetics are ready, but how do you actually sit down and get the words flowing? Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk about their favorite habits for living a creative life. From writing habits to creative mindsets, it all comes down to treating your craft as a worthy obsession! Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra resources and a great community!

Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss what separates a villain from a hero. Spoiler alert: it's not much! From flawed motivations to meanness, they chat about ways to plot a villain arc that will push your characters and your plot. Turning to Story Substack

Plot is a chain of events in a story, but what actually links those events together? According to author Lyssa Mia Smith, it's But-So Salsa! Using the South Park writing concept of "but-therefore", Lyssa and Anna Mercier analyze how you can use it to strengthen every single aspect of your story, from internal to external conflict, from antagonists to protagonists. Join our Substack for extra resources and helpful visuals!

This week, authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier and talk everything pitches with award-winning romance author Alexa Martin. From vibes to hooks, from voice to marketing, Alexa covers it all in a way that will help any writer pitch their novel at any stage in their career. Alexa Martin's Website Turning to Story Substack

This week, authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier uncover all the secrets (or most of them) to writing great dialogue. Lacking conflict? Characters seem flat? Struggling with info dumps? They key to spicing up your novel might be in what the characters say and how they say it. Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra visuals, information, and community! Resources mentioned: The Key to Writing Freakishly Good Dialogue George Lucas: King of Wooden Dialogue

Enemies to lovers and dark academia and road trips, oh my! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk all about how to get the most enjoyment from your story using the power of psychology, reader passions, and vibes. Remember to join the Turning to Story Substack for extra resources and a wonderfully curious community of writers!

We're back for a new season, and we're ready to talk craft, publishing, and... Taylor Swift? That's right! Authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith analyze four iconic Taylor Swift songs, searching for pearls of wisdom about writing enchanting stories. Also, don't forget to join the official Turning to Story Substack where you'll find bonus content, resources, and a community of curious writers! https://turningtostory.substack.com/

While season one comes to a close, Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith take the opportunity to review some pitfalls writers might fall into early in their journey. How do they do this? In the most humbling and heartwarming way possible: reading their own first books. Tune in for general writing tips all centered around two very emo, high-concept young adult ideas. Suggestions for next season? Questions for Anna and Lyssa? E-mail us at turningtostory@gmail.com. You can also reach us on Instagram! Turning to Story Instagram

Want to write a scene that has readers gluing a box of tissues to their eyes? Desperate to write characters that will steal readers' hearts? The secret isn't just a clever plot or carefully mapped out characters... it's emotion! Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how to really dig deep and make readers feel things in a way that imprints your book on their heart.

The end... or is it? Nothing sticks with readers quite like an epic ending, so Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith analyze what it takes to write a showstopper of an ending. From dedicated acts of change to mentors returning for one last piece of advice, these tactics will make sure your ending is one readers will talk about for ages. Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great Writing Resources: Be Your Own Mentor Manuscript Academy The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Got a scene that has all the plot and dialogue, but it still falls flat? Struggling to figure out what makes a chapter less memorable than others? Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk about how to write scenes that maximize screen time and purpose. Keep your reader turning pages as we discuss how to make boring scenes better! Critique Partner Resources: QT Critique

Have an astounding and a jaw-dropping ending, but the points between are hazy? Don't worry! Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discover what can make the middle of your story just as memorable. From writing clearly defined goals to using side plots to work for your character growth, they've got you covered! Also, listeners have sent in the following resources for finding a writing community: SCWBI r/YAWriters

Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss the role and craft of side characters who leave us with the best punchy one-liners. Together, they unlock some interesting concepts about the power of carefully written side characters.

Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how to write a romance that will make your readers swoon. From puzzle pieces of perfection to destination disaster, they cover it all!