Nicole Bianchi

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Ernest Hemingway’s Favorite Writing Exercise (Video)

Published January 7, 2023 | Last Updated January 7, 2023 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

Let’s start this year with some wonderful writing advice from Ernest Hemingway.

I’ve just uploaded a new YouTube video sharing Hemingway’s 3-step exercise that will help you improve your writing. I hope this video gives you a bit of inspiration as you work towards your 2023 writing goals.

An aspiring writer once asked Ernest Hemingway, “How can a writer train himself?” Hemingway shared an exercise for sharpening a writer’s observational skills so they can vividly describe their experiences on paper. This exercise can be broken down into three-steps and gives us a fantastic way to practice “show, don’t tell” in our writing.

You can click on the CC button for subtitles. My goal is for this video to help as many writers as possible. 🙂 It would be awesome if you could give it a thumbs up on YouTube and share it with a fellow writer. And I always love hearing your thoughts in the comments. Thank you!

Here’s the full text of Hemingway’s article “Monologue to the Maestro”.

**FURTHER RESOURCES**:

  • Join the email list & get the free writing guides: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/
  • Read my short stories and memoir essays: https://nicolebianchi.com/stories/
  • Check out more writing resources on the blog: https://nicolebianchi.com/blog/
  • Support my videos by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/nicolebianchi

Filed Under: creativity, featured, fiction, inspiration, motivation, video, writing

How to Create Story Conflict: The Conflict Triangle with the Stakes Character (Video)

Published February 12, 2022 | Last Updated February 12, 2022 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

I’m excited to share a new video with you today!

You can click on the CC button for subtitles. In this video, I’m looking at a fascinating writing concept that will help you strengthen your storytelling as a fiction or nonfiction writer. I dive into how this concept is used in modern films like Iron Man 3 as well as classics of cinema including It’s a Wonderful Life and Casablanca.

Thanks so much to an email subscriber for suggesting this topic. 

The conflict triangle will help you:

  1. Write a gripping plot so readers care about your protagonist.
  2. Develop a convincing character arc for your protagonist so that they have an unforgettable transformation.
  3. Weave a compelling message into your story that impacts readers on an emotional level.

If you enjoy the video, be sure to give it a thumbs up on YouTube and subscribe to the channel. This lets me know that you found the video helpful and also encourages YouTube to share it with more people on the platform. Thank you!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

  • 🎥 The Ladder of Abstraction (video): https://youtu.be/-UG8StLBiek
  • 📬 My email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter

Filed Under: featured, fiction, video, writing

F. Scott Fitzgerald on How to Write Vivid Character Descriptions (Video)

Published December 16, 2021 | Last Updated December 16, 2021 By Nicole Bianchi 1 Comment

If you’re celebrating Christmas next week, I hope you have a lovely, joy-filled holiday. If you don’t celebrate or if this is a difficult time for you, I wish you peace and happiness this December.

And I have a writing gift for you — I’ve just uploaded a new YouTube video:

In this video, I look at how F. Scott Fitzgerald writes vivid physical character descriptions in The Great Gatsby. I share four strategies that will help you describe people in both fiction and nonfiction so they come alive for readers.

I hope you enjoy this last writing resource of 2021! Be sure to give it a like, leave a comment (comments are awesome), and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one in the new year.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

  • 📚 “The Great Gatsby” book: https://amzn.to/3pV3GF9
  • 🎬 Movie stills from “The Great Gatsby” 2013 film: https://amzn.to/3GMGCiD
  • 🎥 Dinner Table Exercise (video): https://youtu.be/39XZzQrHfxY
  • 🎥 How to Close Read (video): https://youtu.be/VSwNF-wqL_I
  • 📝 Fitzgerald on Writing Masterful Dialogue: https://nicolebianchi.com/3-tips-fitzgerald-for-writing-masterful-dialogue/
  • 📝 Fitzgerald on Writing Masterful Descriptions: https://nicolebianchi.com/writing-vivid-description/
  • 📬 My email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/

Some of the above links might be affiliate links. Thank you for helping to support the blog!

Filed Under: copywriting, featured, fiction, video, writing

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: 7 Helpful Resources

Published October 22, 2021 | Last Updated October 22, 2021 By Nicole Bianchi 4 Comments

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is nearly here. If you’ve never heard of NaNoWriMo before, it’s a 30-day challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.

Now, that’s the official challenge, but I love adapting NaNoWriMo to my own writing goals. It’s a fantastic way to motivate yourself to make progress or get started on any writing project (fiction or nonfiction) that you’ve been procrastinating over.

I’ve put together this article rounding up lots of resources I’ve created over the years to help you crush your writing goals this upcoming month, whether you’re taking part in the challenge or not. Let’s dive in.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: creativity, featured, fiction, inspiration, motivation, productivity, writing

How to Write a Powerful Inciting Incident (Video)

Published September 12, 2021 | Last Updated September 12, 2021 By Nicole Bianchi 2 Comments

The inciting incident or “call to adventure” is the event that launches the main action of a story, whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction.

When your inciting incident is powerful and upends the life of your protagonist, you have one of the key ingredients for a gripping and unforgettable story that your readers won’t be able to put down.

In this video, I share three rules for crafting powerful inciting incidents and also look at mistakes to avoid when writing this critical part of your story.

I hope you enjoy the video! It would be awesome if you could give it a thumbs up and leave a comment on YouTube. This helps me know you are enjoying these videos. Do you have any more tips for writing a gripping inciting incident?

Also make sure to subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already!

I’ve just started making YouTube videos and really appreciate your support. I hope the video inspires you with your writing. Thanks for watching! 

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

  • 📚 Complete Playlist of Story Structure Videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2…
  • 📚 The Hero’s Journey (video): https://youtu.be/yYSTz1H6buc
  • 📚 The Ordinary World (video): https://youtu.be/VM9l1McnPbo
  • 📚 “Story” by Robert McKee: https://amzn.to/2OayIKC
  • 📚 My email newsletter, The Inkwell: https://nicolebianchi.com/newsletter/

Some of the above links might be affiliate links. Thank you for helping to support the blog!

Filed Under: creativity, editing, featured, fiction, video, writing

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Hi, I’m Nicole! I help creatives, business owners, and writers take their writing and copywriting to the next level and grow their online audience. I’m also a published writer of essays and short stories. As a Christian, I seek to follow in the tradition of artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, dedicating all my work Soli Deo gloria.
Find out more about me here.
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“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
– Psalm 45:1

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Nicole Bianchi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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