This is K.M. Island and you are listening to the 438 episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast.

So this week I'm still chugging along on the final climactic chapters

of my portal fantasy sequel Dreambreaker. I don't know why but this

book's finale has been hard. Climaxes usually are more or less write themselves for me most of the time, but these last few chapters have been

slow going for me. I think possibly it's because this is the second book in the trilogy,

the first second book I've ever written. It's kind of my Empire Strikes Back within

the trilogy, so it ends on the least triumphant note of any of the books I've written.

That's been fun and interesting on a lot of levels, but I do wonder if that's why it's been such a different experience for me in comparison to other books I've read.

Still, it's all coming together, slow but steady. I'm hoping to be completely done within another couple weeks or so.

And now I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast.

Four tips for how to turn an idea into a story that rocks.

Ah, ideas.

To a writer, is there any sweeter word?

But as we quickly learn whenever we try to trap those ideas on paper,

the real magic trick is figuring out how to turn an idea

into a story that first works and then rocks.

Bar none, my favorite part of the writing process is the conception stage.

That magical moment when an idea comes to me like a surprise gift and fills me up with its effervescent fiz is the high that keeps me toiling at my computer through the difficult stages of the process.

I also enjoy working on ideas. That's why outlining is my second favorite part of the process.

There's no spit and polish at that point. There's no finicky prose or narrative techniques to fuss over.

There's just me playing catch with my idea, like a kid bouncing a baseball against the wall of a garage.

But in itself, an idea doth not a story makeeth.

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