If you've got a scene that should feel gut-wrenching, but it reads more like a shrug, the problem probably isn't your writing. In episode 12, I'm walking you through what happens when a scene looks emotional on the surface but isn't connected to what your hero is really going through underneath.

You'll learn:

1. Why a scene can make you cry while you're writing it and still fall flat for readers
2. How to tell whether your hero's big moment is doing real character work or just wearing a plot disguise
3. What a bestselling romance novel reveals about the difference between caretaking as love language and caretaking as self-protection
4. The one question to ask any scene that keeps fighting you, before you touch a single word

This 20-minute episode is for romance writers who keep rewriting scenes that feel almost right but never quite resonate, no matter how many tweaks you make. By the end, you'll know how to spot when a scene is faking emotion so you can stop wrestling with the words and start asking what the scene actually needs to do.

Resources from this episode:

1. Live workshop: Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method (March 27, 2026) → hi.suebrownmoore.com/cake
2. Community: Join Enemies to Experts → suebrownmoore.com/enemies-to-experts
3. The Character Core Values: Read this free article on the must-have traits for your heroes → https://podcast.suebrownmoore.com/ccvs
4. Spotlight author: CP Rider, urban fantasy romance writer → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/cprider
5. Spotlight author: Lauren Blakely, contemporary romance writer → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/laurenblakely
6. More Resources: Learn from Sue at your own pace → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/learn

• The Character Core Values (CCVs) - Free article: The Character Core Values that define who your hero is at their core, the good and the bad → https://podcast.suebrownmoore.com/ccvs
• Lauren Blakely (author website) - Learn more about Lauren Blakely, the writer I talked about in this episode, on her author website and check out her witty, heartwarming—and also beautifully narrated—stories about the power of love, friendship and sports.
• C.P. Rider (author website) - Learn more about C.P. Rider, the writer I talked about in this episode, on her author website and check out her addicting, immersive, wildly unpredictable urban fantasy series.
• Enemies To Experts™ - Learn more about the Enemies To Experts™ program with Sue Brown-Moore. Because falling in love with your manuscript starts with understanding it.
• Get your ticket - Join Sue for the live workshop, Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method on March 27, 2026
• More resources - Learn from Sue at your own pace at podcast.suebrownmoore.com/learn

Subscribe to the Story Sorcery® podcast with Sue Brown-Moore on your favorite podcast app to never miss an episode.

If you've been making story decisions from anxiety instead of confidence, this episode is going to feel like a deep breath. Because the confidence you want isn't about doing everything right. It's about knowing why you're making each choice so you can make the best ones. In episode 11, I'm walking you through what that feels like in practice, with real stories from writers learned to trust their storytelling instincts.

You'll learn:

1. Why every story decision romance writers make feels heavier than it should
2. What happened when a writer realized the conflict she kept rewriting wasn't the real conflict at all
3. How a D&D interview about childhood bullying shows us how to write romance characters readers believe in
4. The revealing exercise you can try on your own manuscript this week

This 24-minute episode is for romance writers who keep going back and forth on story decisions because you're not sure what your story actually needs. By the end, you'll understand where that second-guessing comes from and what it feels like to start making revision (and drafting!) decisions you trust.

Resources from this episode:

1. Live workshop: Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method (March 27, 2026) → hi.suebrownmoore.com/cake
2. Community: Join Enemies to Experts → suebrownmoore.com/enemies-to-experts
3. Hero growth arcs: The 5 phases every hero needs → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/5-phases
4. Hero “Armor”: The 4 types of hero defenses that affect your story’s scenes → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/armor
5. Brennan Lee Mulligan: Hear his bullying story yourself → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/meetbrennan
6. More Resources: Learn from Sue at your own pace → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/learn

• Hero “Armor” (Augmentations CCV) - Free article: The 4 types of hero defenses that affect your story’s scenes → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/armor
• The Brennan Lee Mulligan interview - Sit back and listen to Brennan Lee Mulligan—one of the greatest storytellers of our generation—talk about how an unpredictable life has shaped a phenomenally interesting and unstoppable career on this interview with Hank Green on the Study Hall YouTube channel: “How DnD Became a Career: Brennan Lee Mulligan’s College Journey” (https://podcast.suebrownmoore.com/meetbrennan)
• Enemies To Experts™ - Learn more about the Enemies To Experts™ program with Sue Brown-Moore. Because falling in love with your manuscript starts with understanding it.
• Get your ticket - Join Sue for the live workshop, Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method on March 27, 2026
• The 5 Growth Phases - Free article: The 5 stages of every character arc → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/5-phases
• More resources - Learn from Sue at your own pace at podcast.suebrownmoore.com/learn

Subscribe to the Story Sorcery® podcast with Sue Brown-Moore on your favorite podcast app to never miss an episode.

You had two free hours to write, and instead you reorganized your Trello board. You love this story. You chose it. So why won't your brain let you work on it? In episode 10, I'm breaking down why romance writers get stuck, what your block is actually responding to, plus how one writer's story block disappeared when she swapped a single word in her heroine's Root Fear.

You'll learn:

1. Why "butt in chair, just write" advice fails most romance writers
2. Three completely different types of creative blocks that show up in romance manuscripts, each needing a different fix
3. What happened when a writer in my group sessions replaced "fear of failure" with something deeper (and why that depth matters so much in romance books)
4. An exercise you can try this week with three questions to help you figure out what your own resistance is about

This 20-minute episode is for romance writers who keep blaming yourself for being lazy or unfocused when the real issue has nothing to do with discipline. By the end, you'll understand why your brain keeps hitting the brakes on your manuscript and have an intuitive way to start working with through resistance instead of against it.

Resources from this episode:

1. Community: Join Enemies to Experts → suebrownmoore.com/enemies-to-experts
2. Live workshop: Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method (March 27, 2026) → hi.suebrownmoore.com/cake
3. Liar, Liar, Plot on Fire: Take the workshop where Hollie learned the 5 growth arc phases → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/liar-liar
4. The 5 growth arc phases: Read this free article to learn your hero's psychological arc → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/5-phases
5. The Root Fear: Read this free article on the Root Fear for your hero → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/5-phases
6. Hollie Smurthwaite, romance author: Visit Hollie's website and check out her books → holliesmurthwaite.com/

• Liar, Liar, Plot on Fire - Learn about my workshop course and the 5 questions to diagnose plot problems → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/liar-liar
• The Root Fear explained (CCV) - Free article: The hero trait that anchors your entire story → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/root-fear
• Hollie Smurthwaite (author website) - Learn more about Hollie Smurthwaite, the writer I talked about in this episode, on her author website and check out her funny, witty romance book style.
• Enemies To Experts™ - Learn more about the Enemies To Experts™ program with Sue Brown-Moore. Because falling in love with your manuscript starts with understanding it.
• Get your ticket - Join Sue for the live workshop, Cake, Not Chaos: The Moment To Moment Method on March 27, 2026
• The 5 Growth Phases - Free article: The 5 stages of every character arc → podcast.suebrownmoore.com/5-phases

Subscribe to the Story Sorcery® podcast with Sue Brown-Moore on your favorite podcast app to never miss an episode.