The WRITE Prompt had a chance to talk with K.M. Weiland, prolific writer and the author of the only self-help books you need to build the perfect story.

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso.

She is the award-winning and internationally-published author of Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, Creating Character Arcs, and Writing Your Story’s Theme. She writes historical and speculative fiction and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

TWP: What was the first book you published and what was your journey toward that milestone like?

K.M. Weiland: The first book was a western, A Man Called Outlaw.

I self-published it in the days before print-on-demand, so I initially ordered 500 copies. I think I probably still have 200 of them!

I knew absolutely nothing about publishing at the time, but family and friends were urging me to move forward with my writing in some way. So I gave it a shot.

All good stories boil down to three distinct but intertwined aspects: plot, character, and theme.

My career might have died right there if not for the fact that Amazon’s Kindle and the print-on-demand revolution kicked off right around the time I published my second novel, a medieval story called Behold the Dawn.

TWP: You have published in both the fiction realm and the nonfiction. Have you found different challenges in each or are they similar?

K.M. Weiland: On the whole, non-fiction is far less challenging.

I’m a very linear-brained person, so non-fiction always seems to just flow. If I know my subject, then it’s easy enough to create something cohesive about it.

Fiction is much more difficult, harder to pin down. You just have to trust the muse.

TWP: Your blog contains a lot of great information on how to write engaging stories. In your opinion, what do all good stories have in common?

K.M. Weiland: All good stories boil down to three distinct but intertwined aspects: plot, character, and theme. They work together, one driving the other.

Understanding the details of your craft is what sets the pros apart from the amateurs.

Plot as the external conflict and character arc as the internal conflict mirror each other, each powering the other. Together, they create theme. If a story is lacking in any one of these areas, it will also lack in the other two.

TWP: Lastly, what advice do you have for aspiring writers who hope to someday become successfully published authors?

K.M. Weiland: Don’t scrimp on the small stuff.

Understanding the details of your craft—and the publishing industry—is what sets the pros apart from the amateurs.

If you’re really serious about selling stories, professionalism needs to be a constant goal. In a cutthroat market such as we have today, nailing the small details will make all the difference.

---

Are you a published author or industry professional? Our readers would love to hear your story! Please reach out to us today.