Years ago, circumstances and opportunities led me to begin writing fiction. Then, I learned my technical writing skills did not transfer to writing fiction. Thus began my journey to build my fiction writing skills.

I read every book I could borrow or acquire and followed a multitude of websites and podcasts about writing fiction. I practiced by writing hundreds of thousands of words. Even as I learned and improved, I was not achieving what I felt I needed to achieve.

Gradually, my understanding and implementation of story structure improved, which boosted my confidence. The magic came when character change arcs clicked for me. That was a life changing moment. Everything I’ve written since has been driven by character change arcs.

There are several types of archetypal character arcs each of which mirrors the experiences of the various stages of a human life. The most famous archetype is the Hero’s Journey Arc. I discovered most of my stories follow the Maiden Arc, which are coming-of-age stories that touch my heart and soul.

My stories aren’t made of words and sentences. They’re made of heart and soul.