K.B. Krissy

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21 Tips For Creative Writing

1.) Start the story with a hook

2.) Determine conflict and resolution before writing the plot

3.) Determine narrator/Point of View/Person (first person/I, third person/ he or she)

4.) Tense (Present, Past)

5.) Start scene late or close to action

Photo by “My Life Through A Lens” on Unsplash

6.) Establish important characters and setting in less than 500 words

7.) Show actions, describe action concisely

8.) Sensory detail

9.) Start sentence clearly and end gracefully (try to end sentence with a noun)

10.) Get to know the character through thoughts and dialogue/receive pieces of information about the plot

11.) Carefully choose active verbs and potential nouns

12.) End scene early

13.) Use metaphors, personification, similes, human expression, onomatopoeia, interjections, slang (in dialogue/italicize), chiasmus

14.) Use colors and their various shades

15.) Expand vocabulary/use different words accurately

16.) Free modifiers: presumptive, summative

17.) Carry out/follow through with character development/personality traits/tone/accent (use corks-flaws and gradual method of change)

18.) Establish physical characteristics/visual of character in the very beginning (character development, short and concise)

19.) Use tropes, think about movies, books with that trope/cliche of a basic plot. Think of how to change it in several ways (plot/snowflake method of plotting too)

20.) Determine major genre and sub genre (consider a subplot)

21.) Establish what’s important to the main character in the beginning. Let the reader know what the story will be about in the first chapter

Daily Writing Prompt Answer

Daily writing prompt

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

View all responses

Bungee jumping. As I’ve grown older, my stomach just can’t take it. When I was younger, I would only get the jitters a little bit when I was up high. Roller coasters were still fun. Now that I’m older it’s a different story. I think it’s my nervous system. My nerve just can’t take it. It doesn’t feel right not like it did when we were kids. When I was a teenager I used to think bungee jumping was cool. Now I realize it’s a little sketchy. I always knew it. Until you physically feel like you can’t do it, you don’t realize how dangerous it is.

Pencil-Powered Peace: The Wonders of Therapeutic Writing

Do you ever deal with problems beyond your ability to solve? Even if they aren’t your own circumstances, they somehow—indirectly or maybe even directly—affect you. Isn’t the stress of these issues overwhelming? Like you’re carrying the weight of an unjust world on your shoulders? If any of this rings a bell, then this post is for you!

When I’m feeling sad, angry, and downright defeated, I channel those emotions into writing. I let my pen dance across the paper, jotting raw feelings through the ink. Sometimes my words do cry, but my paragraphs always sing. A song of experience, whispered truths, and scribbled out screams. I put statements into formation like soldiers on a page for the battle raging in my conscience. I try to write from the voice that’s in my heart, and I encourage others to do the same.

A close-up of a determined young woman with long dark hair, looking intensely at the camera, with a globe in the background. Imagery for phrase the weight of an unjust world on your shoulders.

Here are 5 reasons why therapeutic writing is such an effective tool for protecting and maintaining your mental health:

A close-up of a notebook page with doodles, including smiley faces and the word 'Emotions', featuring colorful pens. The imagery that defines writing emotions on paper.

1. Catharsis

2. Vigilance

3. Analysis

4. Clarity

5. Community

So don’t be afraid to let your keyboard go clickety-clack. It’s a good place to channel your energy. Scribbling scraps of vengeance is far better than actually throwing punches. Find some time alone, go to a private place, get out your writing equipment and breathe. Figure out what you want to get off your chest, and let your fingers bring your emotions to light. It’s a way of sweating out trauma through diary entries of literary art. Blank pages wait like therapists, offering open space for your feelings to leave their imprints. Your words weave warm quilts around meaningful self-expression.

Let writing become your superpower. Let it heal you!

A smiling man stands outdoors during sunset, with vibrant orange and yellow hues in the sky and green hills in the background. The imagery describes the end result of therapeutic journaling, which is good health.

Thank you for reading K.B. Krissy’s blog. If you liked this post, feel free to like or leave a comment. 😊

Educated: Cautionary Tale or Beacon of Hope?

What happens when parents raise children in total isolation, cutting them off from everyone else in civilization? Imagine reaching the age of seventeen, without ever stepping foot into a classroom. That was a young woman, named Tara Westover’s reality. She had never even seen a standardized test, let alone filled out those infamous multiple-choice bubble sheets. The basic concept of “assigned reading” was foreign to her—she thought textbooks were just for flipping through the pictures. It’s safe to say, Tara was Alice in Wonderland when it came to school.

Her debut memoir titled, Educated, unfolds within the rugged “sediment” mountains of Clifton, Idaho. The town where her eccentric, survivalist family lived off-grid. Tara’s story is as much about place, as it is about people. Her “ultra-conservative” upbringing is rooted in a non-fundamentalist strain of Mormonism that’s far different from the mainstream culture. The cast of characters in her family are unforgettable. The nonfiction storyline reminds me of a mashup between Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me. However, Educated is often grouped more with survival/escape memoirs like The Glass Castle or Hillbilly Elegy.

A view of rugged red rock formations against a clear blue sky, showcasing dramatic ridges and layered textures in the landscape. — The rugged sedimentary mountains of Clifton, Idaho, reflecting the unique landscape of Tara Westover’s upbringing.

Educated is, undeniably, a gripping story. However, it’s still worth acknowledging the privilege that underpins Tara’s journey. Despite her lack of formal education, her writing talent opened doors for her at Cambridge and Harvard—opportunities that may not have been extended to a person of color or someone else with less “intriguing” circumstances. The teachers, who championed her, saw in her a narrative that fit their idea of resilience. Tara is candid about her academic insecurities, especially with math and science. However, she isn’t so revealing about the long struggle to learn the subjects that she was required to pass, or in other words, the variety of prerequisites.

The author’s knowledge of English became her lifeline. Tara never had to deal with the social pressures of grade school from underfunded public schools or the systemic injustices. Instead, she entered higher education, as something of a blank slate, and her trajectory was propelled—at least in part—by the unspoken force of white privilege. Her memoir glosses over just how steep that learning curve truly was, and at times, it reads as if Tara simply leapt from outsider to prodigy overnight. Yet and still, she has earned several awards for her critically acclaimed writing, and I believe her inspirational narrative is worth the read.

Thank you for reading K.B. Krissy’s blog. If you liked this book review, feel free to like or leave a comment. 😊

Brighter When Broken

Book Review

Brighter When Broken: The Chilling Psychological Thriller That Exposes the Enemy in the Bedroom

Have you ever looked at a “perfect” couple and wondered what happens behind closed doors? We’ve all seen them—the charming, successful pair who seem to have it all. But what if that charming smile is a mask? What if the greatest threat isn’t a stranger in a dark alley, but the person who shares your home, your bed, and your secrets?

This is the terrifying premise at the heart of Brighter When Broken, a new psychological thriller by Julie Grayson that will make you question everything you think you know about love, trust, and survival.

A Story That Grips From the First Line

Lachlan Kelley-Mayer wakes up in a nightmare. Not the metaphorical kind, but a literal, chilling reality: shackled in a dank basement, her body bruised, her memory foggy. A masked man named Marek throws a Polaroid on her lap—a picture of herself, unconscious—and a ransom note demanding $5 million from her husband, Jack.

But as the flickering light of a single bulb illuminates her prison, a darker truth begins to surface. The bruises on her skin match the pattern of a “fall” down her own marble staircase. The heirloom ring that was last seen on her finger until it was snatched from her by her captors. The offshore accounts being drained bear her husband’s fingerprints.

Is this a random kidnapping? Or is it the horrifying, final move in a game of manipulation she never realized she was playing?

More Than a Kidnapping Story: A Psychological Deep Dive

Brighter When Broken transcends the typical captive narrative. The real prison isn’t the moldy basement; it’s the years of psychological warfare Lachlan has endured. Through razor-sharp flashbacks, we see the anatomy of a toxic marriage:

* The gaslighting: “You’re being paranoid.”

* The financial control: “Sign the shares over.”

* The degradation disguised as love: “You’re my compass.”

* The isolation from friends and allies who tried to warn her.

The basement becomes a brutal metaphor for the emotional captivity Lachlan has lived in for years. Her fight for physical survival is parallel to her awakening mental fight to reclaim her own reality from the man who systematically distorted it.

Why This Book Will Keep You Up at Night

1. The “It Could Happen to Anyone” Fear: The villain isn’t a monster lurking in the shadows. He’s a handsome, successful man who says “I love you.” This taps into a profound and universal anxiety about trust and the people we let into our inner circles.

2. A Protagonist You Root For: Lachlan is no passive victim. Her intelligence and resilience become her greatest weapons. As she pieces together the clues—both in the basement and in her memory—we cheer for her not just to escape, but to outsmart the brilliant mind that trapped her.

3. A Pace That Doesn’t Let Go: With short, pulse-pounding chapters and a narrative that seamlessly weaves between past and present, the book creates a relentless tension. You’ll find yourself thinking, “Just one more chapter,” well into the night.

For Fans Of…

If you were captivated by the slow-burn manipulation in Gone Girl, the claustrophobic terror of Room, or the financial and marital suspense of The Last Thing He Told Me, then Brighter When Broken is your next must-read.

A Glimmer of Light in the Darkness

The title itself holds the key to the story’s powerful core. This isn’t a tale about breaking; it’s about what happens after. It’s about the fierce, stubborn light that can emanate from fractured places. It’s a story about the resilience of the human spirit and the possibility of rebuilding a life from the shattered pieces.

Ready to question everything?

Brighter When Broken is more than a thriller—it’s an immersive experience into the psychology of control and the breathtaking strength it takes to break free. It’s available now in ebook format.

About the Author:

Julie Grayson is a storyteller with a knack for crafting vivid, heart-pounding worlds across genres. After a decade as a technical writer, she turned to full-time fiction, channeling her skill for clarity into complex, character-driven suspense. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Aaron (Mr. Magnificent) and two furry, feline tyrants. Brighter When Broken is a standout in her catalog of over 35 books.

Find Brighter When Broken and explore Julie Grayson’s other books:

Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/juliegrayson

Author Website: https://juliewritesbooks.com

Find Your Niche

Narrow Down to Your Forever Genre

Writers come in many forms—journalists, bloggers, screenwriters, and many more. Yet, we all face a similar journey: discovering where we belong within this sprawling literary landscape. I call this the process of carving out a niche—not just in traditional publishing, but also in the realms of marketing and cultivating a loyal audience.

Anyone can write a book. But transforming a manuscript into a bestseller? That’s the territory of true authorship, and it begins with an honest sense of purpose. The initial step is always intention: What do you aspire to write? Determining your preferred literary genre might seem straightforward, but in reality, it often demands deep reflection.

a cosmic library arch filled with levitating books, star maps, and floating scrolls, Generative AI

Read vs. Write: Bridging the Gap

What captivates us as readers doesn’t always mirror what stirs us as writers. People read to learn, to gather information, to escape or be amused. Likewise, a writer’s best work emerges when they have researched broadly—delving into articles and novels within the chosen genre, absorbing the conventions and nuances that define excellence in that space. For instance, reading Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us exposes the hallmarks of contemporary romance—subtlety, emotional depth, and what’s unsaid on the page. Even if you don’t personally align with an author’s style, the foundations of genre must be learned if you hope to thrive within its marketplace.

Life Lessons & Literary Expressions

Many people yearn to share the lessons carved from their personal journey, whether through memoirs, speeches, or simple journal entries. Writing can be both cathartic and daunting—few things are more vulnerable than exposing one’s life for public scrutiny. Resist the temptation to hold back. You never know who your story will reach, or what kind of impact you could have.

Claim Your Creative Calling

Perhaps the genre you’re meant to innovate still lies unwritten. Maybe your style sits at the margins of what’s currently celebrated. Instead of being discouraged, seize this as your invitation to invent—your potential contribution to literary evolution. Browse bookstores, both online and in person; study what’s prominent, examine cover art, read synopses. These observations help clarify what’s popular and suggest where your work might fit.

Jump In or Get Brushed Off

Picture niches as market gaps begging to be filled, not soul-searching quests. Think of niches not as existential puzzles but as marketplace opportunities. Start by spying on best-seller lists—track what’s topping charts in genres like thriller, romance, or cozy mystery. Identify their recurring themes and note the tropes: enemies-to-lovers? High-stakes heists? Then, challenge yourself to twist these conventions: What about a thriller starring a forensic botanist, or a romance in an unexpected setting? If bestseller status is your ambition, don’t merely emulate—outdo. Investigate your readers, cultivate your followers, and experiment with sample chapters or sneak peeks. True commercial momentum happens where originality converges with audience appetite.

The Author Journey

I admit, my journey is ongoing. Bursting with ideas and an appetite for diverse genres, I’ve grappled with the industry’s categorical expectations. The traditional model expects writers to conform—one genre per project, one agent, one carefully targeted pitch. While this structure aids readers in finding their next read, it can feel limiting to those with eclectic interests.

To better understand my audience, I’ve self-published short works across different genres: my sole romance, Swans Amidst the Lake; three forays into horror—Red Rum, Bump in the Night, and The Devil’s Precious Soul; a thriller, Cherry Lime Sunset; and my only urban fiction, The Air Lounge.

Of all these, horror has emerged as my true passion. I revel in crafting dark fantasies, inventing macabre scenarios, and pushing creative boundaries. I’m now working on more horror, urban crime romances, and speculative fiction. Engaging with my readers continually shapes my direction, guiding my evolution as an author.

The adventure of writing is hardly predictable, but it is always rewarding—especially when you’re willing to carve your own path and let your creativity lead the way.

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