Hi Reader!

This little guy was sitting in my lap this morning while I proofed today's podcast episode (you can skip right to Episode 15 here), and it reminded me of how important keeping promises is.

We make so many promises every day, some of them so small that you might not even realize, and most of them are completely implied. Like...

💖 I'm going to rub Walter's ears when he asks for pets. (He is such a sweetheart—and so soft—so how can I not?)

🥓 I'm going to give him a treat every night before bed. (It's a bribe, but he doesn't know that.)

🏐 I'm probably going to throw the tiny bright pink balls he drops at my feet (because it's his favorite thing, and also I don't want to trip).

Moments like those ☝️ are a social contract. 📝

Sir Walter and I have one. My partner and I have one. You and I have one. And...

⚡ You and your readers have one.

A "social contract" is really just a promise. And some of them are never made out loud.

🤝 Your story is making promises to your reader, even if you don't realize it.

That's what this month's podcast episode explores.

👀👇 Listen to Episode 15: What 'Oh, Hell No!' Promises​

🎧🤩 LISTEN NOW!

If you haven't set up your hero's growth journey in the early chapters of your manuscript, you're not just missing an opportunity to hook your reader. You're making accidental promises that your mid- and late story must deliver.

❣️ Do YOU know what you're promising your reader?

Does your story set up an early story moment that says, 'Right here. THIS is the hero's line in the sand. And eventually, she's going to have to cross it"?

Because if not ☝️, your late story will fall flat no matter what fancy plotting techniques you try.

🎧⚡👇

​​Listen here​!

☝️💡❣️

This 27-minute episode is 🥰 one of my favorite so far. It took way too long to produce, but it was totally worth the time and effort. Because the Opportunity moment is one of the Plot Milestones I don't often talk about, outside of my Liar, Liar, Plot on Fire course.

And I share a Bridgerton example 💐 that demonstrates WHY the Opportunity is so important for the hero (and the reader) to experience.

✍️ I also give you a DIY exercise that will help you understand what your story's early story is promising.

Hope to "see you" soon (in your 🎧 earbuds)!

⚡📆 In this episode, I talk about the Opportunity Moment, which is the twin opposite of the Turning Point we tested in our May E2E module. And next month, I'm showing you how the Opportunity moment works together with your hero's Turning Point to perfectly 🎀 frame their hero growth journey.