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Recipe for a Story
mostly Comedy & Romance
a blog
by Stephanie Bourbon @ 2024
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Stephanie Bourbon
May 31, 20235 min read
Hallmark Holiday Movies Aren't Rom-Coms And Here Is Why
It's frustrating to see so many mislabeling Hallmark's (and other channels like it) as romantic comedies when they are straight-up...
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Stephanie Bourbon
May 10, 20234 min read
How To Write Your 8 Story Beats & Then Add To Them
If you are writing or have written a romantic comedy you will want to know your main story beats. Here are some practical tips for...
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Stephanie Bourbon
May 3, 20234 min read
Romantic Comedies Are A Subgenre of COMEDY
You are writing a romantic comedy, but it's not working. Why? Maybe it's because you are following how to write a romance and not a...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Apr 19, 20233 min read
Is Your Inciting Incident The Same As Your Meet-Cute In Your Romantic Comedy Screenplay or Novel?
The answer isn't yes or no. How annoying, right? Sorry, but that's just the way it is. In my professional opinion, it's better to...
331 views0 comments
Stephanie Bourbon
Nov 8, 20213 min read
Genre Clarity, what is it & why do I need it?
Happy Monday to all the writers out there!! I'm so grateful that you are here. Today I am talking about GENRE CLARITY and why it's so...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Oct 31, 20212 min read
Writing Goals for NaNoWriMo
Good morning writers, I hope you are amazing! It's time for another National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it's called! Use...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Oct 25, 20212 min read
I'm Doing Something Scary--OUTLINING!
Hello, Writers!! This week one of my goals was to get my new romantic comedy novel outlined in the 7 story arcs required in rom-coms. It...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Oct 11, 20217 min read
How To Go Deeper With Your Characters
Hey, Writers! Happy Monday! This week I'm talking about when you get that dreaded feedback that goes something like "I couldn't connect...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Oct 4, 20213 min read
Opening Pages Mistakes That All Writers Make
Hello Writers!! I've been coaching writers with their pitches, including their query letter & synopsis but the truth is if you don't have...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Sep 30, 20213 min read
How to write a novel in a month and win nanowrimo
Hello, Writers!! This week, I'm coaching you on how to write a draft fast and complete NaNoWriMo, which is coming up in just a month....
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Stephanie Bourbon
Sep 20, 20213 min read
The Importance of Writing Goals
Good Morning Writers! This week, I'm behind in everything but the one thing that has kept me on track is that I have a GOAL LIST and I...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Aug 30, 20213 min read
Always Do What You Love For A Living
Happy Monday! Here's a little reminder if you are stuck in a rut! DO WHAT YOU LOVE and accept nothing less for your life and career....
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Stephanie Bourbon
Aug 14, 20212 min read
The Truth About Why You Are Getting Rejected
Happy Monday, Writers! Rejection sucks; doesn't it? And yet, we all go through it, but so many times I see writers posting on forums, in...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Aug 9, 20213 min read
Why Women Characters Need to Be Strong-Realistic
Happy Monday, today, I'm talking about writing strong, female characters who we love, and others will too! It's so important to represent...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Aug 2, 20213 min read
How To Use A Beat Sheet For Your Novel
In film and especially television writing the "beat sheet" is something that is needed to show your showrunner or director the beats of...
76 views0 comments
Stephanie Bourbon
Jul 26, 20212 min read
WHAT YOUR CHARACTERS SAY MATTERS
This week, I'm talking about characters and dialogue~ How people speak is the one thing that I find writers struggle with the most. I’m...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Jul 19, 20216 min read
Show vs Tell
Happy Monday!! This week I want to talk to you about this concept of showing versus telling. It's important, and writers are still not...
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Stephanie Bourbon
Jul 12, 20214 min read
How To Crush Your Query Letter
This week I want to talk to you about your query letter. If you already have an agent then you may not need this, but you can always also...
16 views0 comments
Stephanie Bourbon
Jul 1, 20212 min read
How Goals Help Your Writing Career
Hello, Writers! It's the first day of July, and I asked on social media what your goals for the month are, so I decided to talk a little...
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