Welcome to the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast. I'm K.M. Wyland, and I am here to take you

deep with story theory, writing techniques, and the incredible wisdom of story. I believe story is the

greatest power on this earth, and that as writers, we carry the torch of wielding that power with responsibility, passion,

and skill. There is no such thing as just a story. Today, it is my honor and my purpose to help

you write your best story, astound the world, and maybe change your life.

Hello and welcome.

You are listening to Season 17, Episode 1, reflecting on six life-changing lessons in 2024.

No lie.

It feels strange to be sitting here recording this episode.

Every year, I open the new year with a reflection on everything I learned in the previous

year and I look forward into my intentions for the year to come.

When I first started this tradition, I focused mostly on the specific lessons I was learning

in my own writing.

But as time went on, their writing lessons have had such an

impact on my life, and the life lessons have had such an impact on my writing that these

retrospective posts have expanded into something much broader and more personal. So one year ago,

I sat here and told you about how I felt the previous year had been the culmination of an important flat arc period for me.

I talked about what this period had taught me about the importance and complexity of flat arcs.

These are character arcs in which the protagonist does not change, but builds upon previously integrated truths

as the foundation for eventually evolving the status quo yet again in future change arcs.

I hinted, I was coming to the end of that particular flat arc in my own life, and standing

on the brink of something new and momentous. In this podcast, I don't share too much

...