Turning Imagination into Stories
Learn to use your favorite stories to ignite your imagination and your writing with a free e-book on how to read like a writer.
You’ll also get monthly-ish writing tips and updates.
My Novels
These novels are all completed but not yet published. They’re “Coming Soon.”
About Amy
Yep, I’m a writer.
I have spent my life as “Amy” to friends and family, various nicknames my big sister concocted throughout our childhood (yes, I answer to Gamer and Amos), “Mom” to my children, Mrs. Isaman to my students, and any number of endearments to my husband, but now, I’m choosing.
At this mid-life point in life, I’m making changes, so here it is . . . I am, Amy Isaman, Writer and Designer.
I used to spend my days in high school teaching freshman English which can be either highly rewarding and entertaining, or horribly grueling and depressing depending on the day – think Shakespeare + fifteen year-olds. I also taught juniors and seniors, Creative Writing and AP Psychology – super fun classes.
Now, I spend my days writing my stories and designing websites for the most amazing clients. I life my life enmeshed in creativity. And I LOVE it.
It took a bit to get back to writing which I abandoned after a particularly horrible creative writing class in college, but I did get there. So far, I have completed one historical fiction novel, The Overlander’s Daughter, a young adult mystery, #Killing It, and a contemporary women’s adventure called The Tarot Cipher, though at this point, none are published. That WILL be changing soon.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
Maya AngelouWriter’s Resources
I’m a writing teacher, too.
Spark Your Imagination
Sometimes we need a little prompt to get our writing juices flowing. Or, we need a little writing challenge to improve our skills or get us thinking about story in a new way. Try one of these prompts to get yourself fired up and writing.
Be a Better Writer
Need help on developing your story? You can find help on everything from developing your characters, building a setting, to crafting a compelling plot. Anything and everything to improve your writing in bite-sized pieces.
Most Recent Blog Posts
My Musings on Writing and my Journey Through Life
This blog also has all of the posts from Where Teens Write, a site for teen writers that I used to run.
Trusting the Next Step
This morning, I woke up way too early and couldn't go back to sleep. Insomnia isn't a frequent visitor, thank God, but when she visits, I feel like something that accidentally got put into the dryer with the laundry. My brain starts flailing and banging around with no...
read more4 Ways your Villain Can Oppose your Main Character (pt. 3 – Villain Series)
As discussed in the first post in this villain series, the whole purpose of your antagonist is to oppose your protagonist/main character (MC). In the second post, I talked about how to develop your villain so that their opposing your main character is believable and...
read moreThe Art of Developing Villainy Villains (pt. 2 – Villain Series)
In the first post in this villain series, I defined an antagonist and also discussed when to introduce your antagonist (hint - right at the beginning of your story). This post is all about how to develop a solid villainous character. Stephen King, in his...
read moreVillains (or Antagonists) Explained (pt. 1 – Villain Series)
Every great story has a powerful and hateful villain. Or do they? The answer to that question is actually much more complicated than it might seem at first glance. So, in honor of the Christmas season and one of my favorite all-time villains, The Grinch, I'm kicking...
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Lose "Said" & Try Action Tags in Dialogue
Dialogue is one of the most fun parts of a story to write. We can really get in our characters heads while writing dialogue. It's our opportunity to let our characters speak, to share who they are. We can also use dialogue to develop our characters not only through...
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Why should you develop your characters’ backstories?
Have you ever read the last few chapters of a book extra slowly because you weren't yet ready to say goodbye to the characters? Can you list favorite characters that you have fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with? I'm willing to bet that if you're a reader, you...
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