I don’t write. Is the reality of the situation. I wrote as a teenager. Voraciously. Short stories, songs, poetry, screenplays, ideas for novels and sweeping, epic series. I studied Creative Writing alongside Film Studies at university. And then, I just stopped. No real reason. I just didn’t write anymore. For as long as I can remember, when people ask me the questions “what would you do if; you could do anything in the world / you didn’t have to work for money / you won the lottery…?” I always said write! And yet I wasn’t writing. I think I built it up in my mind so much, that if I went back to writing, and didn’t get published, the weight of that failure would crush me. And so I didn’t write. To put off, what I started to fear was the inevitable failure ahead. I’ve done a lot of work on me lately, on my self-esteem, my self-worth, my conditions of worth, etc. and what’s come out the other side, is someone who is ready to give it a shot. Not to get published, not to become “a writer”, not to get rich (ha!), but just for the love of the craft. For me, it’s time to write. And I can’t wait.

This is a gift for my community. It’s a topic unknown to many, but very important when we pitch our novel to an agent. A strong high-concept premise strengthens your chances of landing an agent and, subsequently, a publisher. In my classroom, inside Creative Writing Basic, you’ll find a clear breakdown of what “high-concept” really means, why agents look for it, and how to shape your idea so it works in a single sentence. At the end of the article, you’ll find a ready-to-use ChatGPT prompt to turn your story into a strong high-concept pitch. If you read it, please leave a comment with your high-concept premise. Also, not every story has a high-concept premise by default, so this is a challenge you might want to take on. 🙂 https://www.skool.com/marcello-iori-7056/classroom/b302f4fe?md=d6a6e730f03f4a4580b04663e53e3a18