Hello there, I’m David, and I roar in my sleep.

My growling wakes up my wife so I ask her what animal I sound like.

She says a lion. Then a tiger. Wait, I’m a cub.

She giggles. She laughs. At me, not with.

That’s okay, I know I’m an odd one…

* End frowned upon semi-dream sequence *

I’m odd with eyes wide open, too. I just conceal it most the time. It’s exhausting.

Maybe that’s why I love to write. I’m more open with my keyboard and let my oddities shine on the page. You’re a writer like me so I’m thinking you’re different, too.

If so, thank the Lord because that means you’re unique.

Your uniqueness helps you create a story no other writer can duplicate. And a one-of-a-kind story has the ability to connect with people.

It can inspire them.

It may change them.

It must entertain them.

But before it can do any of those, you have to develop your compelling story that only you can put into words. Assuming you’re open to a new perspective, I think I can help.

How?

With design.

Okay fine, design is really just code for structure. But structure and creativity can coexist. Better yet, they can complement each other.

Straight up, I believe structure can help you craft a story that connects with readers.

Because people have been encouraged to receive stories in a certain way. It’s based on countless years of structure being used in nearly every form of entertainment. Right or wrong, it’s there.

Almost every novel I’ve read had structure living inside it. The same goes for movies, and television sitcoms and dramas. Even the 20/20 murder special I watched the other night used it.

Story structure is everywhere. Once you grasp it, you may be surprised you didn’t see it before. It definitely opened my eyes.

I became lucid in that moment.

My confidence got a crazy boost, too. I saw how grasping basic storytelling principles would help me craft a story that moved readers. My current WiP uses these structures and it’s the novel I’ll be proud to publish. (Finally!)

This blog is where I share everything I’ve learned about what goes into a well-designed story. I share visual guides, ways to release your true writing voice, my take on life and the craft, and the final steps of my journey to publication.

I invite you to be among the lucid.

Oddly,

David Villalva (Vee-yahl-vah)
Lucid Storyteller (Self-proclaimed)