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Lindsay Elizabeth

Fantasy/Romance Fiction & Creative Living

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The Soul Broker

THE SOUL BROKER

An angel and a demon meet in a bar and experience a connection that will change them both forever.

A magical realism short story.

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hey beautiful

I’m Lindsay, an author and creative living blogger. I'm sharing advice on writing, tackling creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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It's kind of crazy to think about how every novel

Writing a short story was one of the best things I

Writing a short story was one of the best things I did for myself as an author.⁠⁣
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I've always been a sucker for series (books & TV). The longer the story, the better because I just don’t want to let go. (I love fantasy and watch daytime soap operas, after all ─ I'm good with something going on forever if the writing quality can be sustained.⁠)⁣
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Honestly, I just love going deeper and deeper into a fictional world and watching the characters develop gradually over time.⁠⁣
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⁠As a writer, this means all of my projects inevitably end up with the same fate. The three I have in development are all series and I've been working on them for a while.⁠⁣
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Living with the same stories for so long on such large scales can mess with your mind. They're marathons, not sprints and that's okay, but it was weighing on me not to have held a finished story in my hand for a long time.⁠⁣
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So, a while ago I took a break and wrote a short story, which I've shared for free on my website (link in bio). It's an urban fantasy about a demon and an angel who meet in a bar and experience a life-changing connection.⁠⁣
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⁠Writing this short story was challenging for many reasons, but it gave me a boost of confidence as a storyteller that I could overcome all of them when I stayed committed. Not to mention, it was *incredibly* satisfying to bring one of my ideas to complete fruition.⁣
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Here are a few benefits of writing short stories:⁠⁣
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⇢ You get to practice your skills at writing a complete narrative from beginning to end on a small, digestible scale.⁠⁣
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⇢ You get a quicker pay-off. Writing a novel can be a long, arduous process, so a short story is a great way for you to flex your storytelling muscles, get a confidence boost that you can do this, and have something to share with readers to get real feedback on.⁠⁣
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⇢ It challenges you to keep your story tight and focused. When you don't have a lot of room to make an impact, you're forced to be more creative.⁠⁣
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If you're feeling restless while working on your WIP and/or questioning if you have what it takes to be a writer, I highly recommend writing a short story.⁠⁣
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How do you feel about short stories?

Hi friends! I've been seeing a lot of new faces ar

Hi friends! I've been seeing a lot of new faces around here (welcome 👋🏻), so I thought it was time for another "Get to Know Me" post with a few customary random facts.⁠ 🤓⁠⁣
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⇢ I'm a certified master life coach because I went on a self-growth journey to overcome my own crippling creative blocks and fell in love with learning about how our brains work. I decided I wanted to help other people on their own journeys, which is why I also love to blog about the mental challenges of living a creative life.⁠⁣
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⇢ I write fantasy, usually with a healthy dose of romance. My current WIP is a romantic fantasy series set in a fictional South Florida town with a supernatural underground.⁠⁣
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⇢ I'm a sucker for morally grey characters, redemption arcs, and slow-burn love stories.⁠⁣
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⇢ My favorite fairy tale is Alice In Wonderland. The book in this photo is from a really cool series of classics with pulp covers, which I'm collecting.⁠⁣
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⇢ I love to watch science (especially on cosmology & astrophysics) and history documentaries. I watch one before bed almost every night.⁠⁣
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⇢ One of the things I miss most from pre-quarantine days is writing at coffee shops.⁠ Though, I'm not a coffee drinker; I prefer tea (usually mixed with lemonade). ☕️ ⁠⁣
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⇢ I really want to learn how to scuba dive because I love love love the sea.⁠⁣
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𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴? (𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀!)⁠

A few weeks ago, I posted a sneak peek of my WIP w

A few weeks ago, I posted a sneak peek of my WIP which I described as "a paranormal romance series of standalone but connected romances."⁠⁣
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This project has always been a series but originally, it was going to be a trilogy that included multiple POV's and a large overarching story that connected all of them.⁠ I already had this almost completely outlined and some of it written.⁣
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As I did more research on the romance genre to figure out how it would fit into the market, though, the more I questioned having multiple POV's in one book. So, I decided to split them up into standalone romances and move the story around to suit the new structure.⁠⁣
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There were a lot of pros to this. Besides being easier to market, I really liked that I would get to spend a lot more time on each couple's story. Even though it would require me to sacrifice certain story elements that I really loved to make it work, I came up with new ideas that excited me so I thought, well, it's an even trade.⁠⁣
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The thing about storytelling is that the story that wants to be told will never stay quiet for long.⁠⁣
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The further I went into the production on the new structure, the more the original one called to me. New ideas started rushing forward. The answers to plot holes I'd previously struggled with clicked into place.⁠⁣
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It became clear to me that, although both versions would be fun for me in their own ways, the one that was really on my heart was the original plan. A romantic fantasy series with multiple POV's.⁠⁣
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Game of Thrones meets The Vampire Diaries.⁠⁣
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I'm not sure how it fits into the market yet, but I'm following my heart and taking a leap of faith.⁠⁣
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Sometimes, you’ve got to make like Ross Gellar and not be afraid to PIVOT.⁣
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And what’s interesting is that during that time of trying to do it with a new structure, it helped me unlock a lot of new ideas that I’ll be taking with me back to the original.⁣
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Changing things up can help you see things from a fresh angle.⁣
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𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲?

LET'S TALK PLOT HOLES. 🙃⁠⁣ ⁠⁣ I've been

LET'S TALK PLOT HOLES. 🙃⁠⁣
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I've been running into my fair share through the process of writing my WIP. I've been working on this series on and off for years now. (Literally.)⁠⁣
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It started as something very different from what it is now, due in large part to several major plot holes that caused me to take long, extensive breaks from it.⁠⁣
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But I'm really thankful for those plot holes because they've led me to a story that I love even more than the one that I started with.⁠⁣
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Writing is a journey. Some stories will unfold easier than others, but I've come to believe that they all unfold in the way that they're meant to when you stay true to yourself and trust the process.⁠⁣
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Here's some advice on dealing with plot holes:⁠⁣
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⇢ Don't panic. Look at it as an opportunity to really stretch and explore your creativity. Some of my favorite, most unexpected ideas have come from instances where I was trying to solve a plot hole that I thought was ruining my story but it ended up taking it in an exciting new direction that I never would've thought of otherwise.⁠⁣
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⇢ Be willing to kill your darlings. If one thing is throwing everything else out of whack and you can't figure out a way to make it work, will sacrificing it make the story stronger? You may find a way to incorporate it later into a different way or use it in another story.⁣
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⇢ I've started using James Patterson's outlining method, which doing a complete, deep outline of a story scene by scene so you can work out all of the kinks and plot holes before you dive into the actual writing. It's working really well for me because it keeps my head in the storytelling phase without the temptation to edit as I go (a biiiig problem for me).⁠⁣
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⇢ Take a break from your WIP to take the pressure off. Your subconscious will keep working on the problem so you may find that the answer flows effortlessly to you when you least expect it. At the very least, you’ll be able to return to it later with a fresh eye.⁣
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⇢ Try working through the plot hole while you’re doing something else, like taking a walk or driving.⁣
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲?

𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘠 by Robert McKee has been of t

𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘙𝘠 by Robert McKee has been of the most influential books in my life as a writer. I read it over a decade ago, but I come back to its lessons often for a refresher.⁠⁣
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Though it's written with screenwriters in mind, the advice on story structure is universal. He goes to the root of how to tell a powerful story, get people invested in it, and keep them engaged.⁠⁣
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There are a lot of gems in this that get to the root of what works in storytelling and what doesn’t. He teaches you how to craft a compelling story that is driven by your characters.⁠⁣
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This will give you an amazing foundation to work with that you can apply to every story you write, regardless of the medium.⁠ (You can find it linked in my bio under 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵.)⁣
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𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁?⁠ ✨

When you think of something you want and your nega

When you think of something you want and your negative self-talk kicks in telling you it's impossible, put your lawyer pants on and hit it with the question, "is it actually, 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 impossible?"⁠⁣
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If the answer is "well, no, but it's not LIKELY─"⁠⁣
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That's a good enough reason for you to move forward. Because all that means is that what you want is POSSIBLE.⁠⁣
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It’s possible that your book could become a bestseller.⁣
It’s possible that you could live in that beach house you’ve always dreamed of.⁣
It’s possible that you could have everything you’ve ever wanted.⁣
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Dwell in possibility. 🖤

I usually have 3 books in rotation that I'm readin

I usually have 3 books in rotation that I'm reading at one time:⁠⁣
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⇢ Something fictional⁠⁣
⇢ Something for self-growth⁠⁣
⇢ Something on business or writing⁠⁣
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This helps me stay consistent with my reading routine because one of my biggest barriers (whenever I've fallen off the reading wagon) is that I don't always feel like reading one specific book.⁠⁣
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I like to have my options depending on my mood!⁠⁣
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Right now, the 3 books I'm reading are:⁠⁣
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⇢ 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘺: 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝟸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 by E.E. Holmes⁠⁣
⇢ 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 by Gabrielle Bernstein
⇢ 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘺𝘴 by Bridget Brennan⁠⁣
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What are you currently reading? 📚⁠

Struggling to connect with your work-in-progress?⁠⁣
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Throughout the long process of writing a novel, it’s common to lose that sense of connection with your story at least a few times.⁠⁣
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Try these easy tips to nurture, deepen, and reignite the connection whenever you feel it slipping:⁠⁣
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⇢ Create a mood board with images that capture the essence of your story, characters, and settings so you can tap into the magic of it on-demand.⁠⁣
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⇢ Create playlists with music that evokes the feel of your story as a whole, as well as music that is scene- or character-specific. Not sure where to start? Look up scores/soundtracks from movies/TV shows similar to your WIP.⁠⁣
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⇢ Explore your story's setting through travel vlogs, home tours, movies/TV shows with similar settings, and ambient music (like 'sounds of a busy coffee shop in the city').⁠⁣
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⇢ Connect to the emotion of the story by journaling as your characters or writing scenes that won't necessarily end up in the book but will help you explore your character's feelings and psychology.⁠⁣
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⇢ ⁠Check out other works that have the same essence as your WIP to help you get into the vibe and mindset of the story.⁠⁣
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𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 & 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 (𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼)!⁠ ✨⁠

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