Today’s topic is all about backstory: what is backstory and why it’s important and what three things you need to know about how to use backstory the best way possible. Brandi shares solutions on how to use backstory to write an engaging book while avoiding the dreaded info dump. (Yay!)

Welcome to Season 2 of Creative, Actually with eight episodes dedicated to the art of storycraft with Fictionary Instructor and Editor extraordinaire Brandi Badgett.

Today’s topic is theme: what it is, why it matters, how to identify the theme of your book, and how to weave it throughout your story without becoming preachy.

Ruana is the co-owner of Dunie, a multidisciplinary design studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She shares how having a special needs child has affected her life and her creativity as a writer.

Sweet romance author, Fictionary Story Coach Editor and Instructor Linda O’Donnell explains why all compelling romance protagonists carry an emotional wound and how that wound shapes the romance arc.

Writer, editor, and Fictionary-certified Story Coach Editor Alexandria Yandt shares how she balances writing books and teaching outlining courses while homeschooling six kids.

Creativity coach and strengths-focused editor Julia Gandrud shares how the Enneagram can help writers get to know themselves better and write complex characters perfect for different genres.

Author and editor Brandi Badgett reflects on writing her new YA gamer romance and the challenges of writing middles in stories, plus how to be mindful of ever-changing market trends.

Sociologist, author, editor, and perfumer Angie Andriot explains how sociology can deepen character development and offers practical ways to get uncooperative characters back on track.

In the first conversation of Creative, Actually, Elizabeth Carter chats with retired ER nurse and author Jo Taylor about discovering her love of writing while completing an English degree to make a career pivot, and how decades in healthcare shaped her understanding of human nature.