This is K.M. Wyland and you are listening to the 400, third episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast.

I've been trying something new lately, writing in a coffee shop.

Besides making me feel very hip, the experience has actually surprised me with some

added productivity. In the past I've always resisted the idea of writing in public

since it seemed like such a distracting idea, but actually, shockingly, the opposite is true. Being around

others means I can't randomly start talking to myself, even staring into space comes with way more feelings of self-consciousness.

So instead of looking up from the page and daydreaming away my writing time, I find I'm much

more likely to keep my head talked and my pin flowing.

In fact, the last time I did it, I wrote so much and so fast that my hand cramped, something that hasn't happened in a long time.

I, of course, bring your phones and stream Pandora to block

out the ambient noise and other people's conversations. But so far, it's proven a great

change of pace for the occasional writing session where I'm needing a change of

scenery or maybe just the accountability of other people in my space. If you haven't

tried it, I recommend it. I'm a believer now.

And now I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast. This is the first in what will be a two-part series,

Learn Five Types of Character Arck at a glance.

Today's episode is called the Two Heroic Arks.

Willa Cathar said there are only two or three human stories,

but they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they never happened.

The many different approaches to story theory break down the number of human stories into different categories.

Perhaps there are just two, comedy and tragedy.

Perhaps there are Vonnegut's eight shapes.

...