The Adventurous Author | How to Write a Book, Character Development, Write with Consistency, Creative Writing,Story Structure

Your life isn’t a blank slate. It’s a thousand-piece puzzle. Between kids, work, health, faith, and relationships, “just write at 5am every day” doesn’t fit for everyone. That’s why professional authors build flexible frameworks that adapt to real life instead of forcing routines that break under chaos. In this episode, I’ll show you how to use the Jigsaw Puzzle Method to design a writing system that honors your actual life and still makes writing consistent. You’ll learn: ✔️ Why rigid routines collapse under real-world pressure ✔️ How to name your “corner pieces” and protect your writing block ✔️ The difference between daily, weekly, and seasonal puzzle pieces ✔️ Why flexibility is the secret to sustainable writing ✔️ How one small daily block transforms identity from “aspiring” to professional 🎯 Adventure Challenge: Sketch your life puzzle. Name your corner pieces. Circle one 15–30 minute writing block that actually fits this week. Then write a scene starting with: “When he pressed the last piece into place, the puzzle began to breathe.” Your life is not chaos. It’s a beautiful puzzle. And writing is one of the essential pieces. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. Connect: Send me an email at dk@authordkdrake.com. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

For decades, I wrote in bursts—finishing and publishing four novels over twenty years, but I never truly saw myself as a disciplined author. I thought about writing daily, but I wasn’t actually creating daily. That gap between declaration and demonstration was holding me back. In this episode, I reveal why aspirations alone don’t define identity — actions do — and how to use the evidence from your daily life to build an unshakable author identity. We’ll talk about why most identity work fails, how to spot the gap between who you say you are and who you actually are, and how to install one small habit that proves your identity every single day. Whether you’ve been stuck in stop-start cycles or you’re tired of calling yourself a writer without the daily proof to back it up, this episode will give you the exact steps to start closing the gap today. What You’ll Learn: Why most identity work collapses without outside-in evidence How to identify patterns that reveal your true values How to borrow discipline from other areas of life to fuel your writing habit The difference between aspirational identity and evidence-based identity One daily action that builds your author foundation Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Ever had a character do something totally out of character—and it felt fake? In today’s episode, a charging deer disrupts my dog walking expedition and reveals a storytelling truth: Great character moments come from internal programming breaks. When your character’s default behavior no longer serves them—and they know it—that’s when real transformation begins. 🎯 You’ll learn: Why plot twists rooted in internal change hit harder than shock value How to identify your character’s default operating system The key question that reveals when their “programming” breaks 🎧 Whether your character is a people-pleaser, perfectionist, coward, or control freak, this episode will help you discover the moment they stop being who they’ve always been and become someone new. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

What if you’ve been waiting on the wrong milestone to claim the right identity? You don’t need a book deal, an audience, or a spot on the bestseller list to call yourself a professional author. What you do need? Daily discipline. Conviction. Integrity. And the guts to show up...especially when no one’s watching. In today’s episode of The Adventurous Author Podcast, we expose: ✔️ Why bestselling is a status you can buy, but professional is a title you must become ✔️ The 7 traits that define true professionalism in your writing life ✔️ How to adventurize the grind so you stay joyful, creative, and wildly consistent ✔️ Why adopting the right identity is more powerful than chasing external validation Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 📩 Ready to go pro with a little guidance? Email dk@authordkrake.com with Pro Author in the subject line. Let’s build a writing life that’s both fun and founded on your convictions. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Want to know the secret storytelling formula that powers every great book, movie, and personal story you’ve ever loved? Then listen in because we’re breaking down how to use Hero + Goal + Obstacle to create stories that feel meaningful, emotionally resonant, and easier to write—even when you’re short on time. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll discover: ✔️ Why your brain craves clarity in stories (and life) ✔️ The difference between external and internal goals ✔️ How to create real conflict that fuels transformation ✔️ The 3 clarity questions to test every story idea—fast ✔️ Why this mindset shift makes writing feel inevitable, not optional. Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Grok 4 dropped last week with powers that would have fried our brains twelve months ago: PhD reasoning, quarter-million-token memory, live web claws—the works. Cue the collective panic: “Will anybody even need human writers now?” Hard stop. The truth is the exact opposite: The sharper AI becomes, the more priceless a human creative identity is—if you know how to wield it. In this episode you’ll discover ⬇️ The Creative Identity Principle—why every new AI upgrade multiplies whatever you bring to the table (mediocrity or genius). The three core elements of an un-stealable creative identity (convictions, character, mission) and how they steer any collaboration. A simple 3-question pre-prompt ritual that prevents “AI bland-wash” and keeps your voice unmistakable. Real-world “wrong vs. right” examples so you never hand the steering wheel to the robot. A future-proof mindset that turns every AI release into rocket fuel for your calling. Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

You wouldn’t sprint through an airport without paying attention to the signs. So why write a story without knowing your genre’s rules? In today’s episode, we’re unpacking: ✔️ Why genre tropes aren’t creative handcuffs—they’re your storytelling GPS ✔️ The secret to delivering what readers crave without sounding cliché ✔️ How to twist tropes strategically (instead of confusing your reader) ✔️ A 15-minute challenge that helps you master your genre starting today 🎯 Whether you write romance, fantasy, thrillers—or mix them—genre tropes are your map to reader trust, story clarity, and creative confidence. 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Ever wonder how actors bring characters to life with such depth and emotion? In this behind-the-scenes conversation, we dive into the character work of Megan, a gifted actress who played Maria in The Sound of Music. You’ll see exactly how she took lines off a script and turned them into a fully embodied human being—and what fiction writers can learn from that transformation process. Inside this episode: ✔️ What theater taught her about building believable backstory ✔️ Why understanding your entire cast matters when shaping your main character ✔️ How rehearsals mirror the writing-and-revision process ✔️ Why letting your characters “play” in different scenes leads to stronger stories ✔️ The surprising ways secondary characters shape the protagonist’s arc. 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Ever notice how fast you can move when you're about to miss a train? What if you brought that same urgency to your writing? In today’s episode of The Adventurous Author: ✔️ Why fake deadlines create real creative results ✔️ How time pressure activates your inner pro ✔️ A timed writing challenge that forces focus and execution 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

I crossed the Day 101 finish line—but the real transformation begins here. In today’s final integration episode of The Adventurous Author, we go deep into: ✔️ The internal rupture that writing daily begins to heal ✔️ The difference between chasing goals and pursuing mastery ✔️ Why Proverbs 10:9 holds the key to long-term creative peace ✔️ The practical next step: crafting your personal Finisher Code 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

The 101-Day Challenge is complete—but the transformation has only begun. In today’s powerful final episode of The Adventurous Author, we unpack the truth that daily writing isn’t a hobby or a productivity hack—it’s a public declaration of identity. And if you’ve shown up for 101 days in a row, you’ve built something no contract or algorithm could ever give you: 💥 Unshakable self-trust. Inside this finale, you'll discover: ✔️ Why you’re more credible now than most published authors ✔️ How daily discipline dismantles imposter syndrome ✔️ The spiritual truth behind finishing what you start (Luke 16:10) ✔️ A final writing challenge to solidify your author identity forever 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Ever feel invisible as a writer? You're not. You're pre-famous—and the work you’re doing today is building the strength to carry the spotlight before it finds you. In today’s powerful episode, we uncover: ✔️ Why showing up daily is a public declaration in private ✔️ How obscurity is not a punishment—it’s preparation ✔️ The biblical blueprint for building strength before visibility ✔️ A bold writing challenge that makes your words roar with truth 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

You don’t need to speed up to hit your goal of finishing your book. In today’s episode, I reveal how a broken digital clock taught me the most powerful writing lesson of the year: you can’t fast-forward your way to mastery. Inside, you’ll discover: ✔️ Why rushing the journey sabotages your integrity as a writer ✔️ How daily writing literally rewires your brain to trust the process ✔️ A simple writing challenge to build momentum and beat burnout ✔️ What to write today even if you don’t have a book project yet (I give you the first sentence) 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

You say you're a writer… but does your schedule agree? For years, I told myself I was a writer—called, gifted, meant to steward stories for Kingdom impact. But I wasn't showing up daily. And that misalignment started killing my confidence. Quietly. Slowly. One excuse at a time. In today’s episode, I unpack the painful truth that misalignment between your actions and your assignment erodes your integrity. And I share the one decision that restored my creative confidence: writing every day. I also discuss: ✔️ Why misalignment silently kills your confidence ✔️ How daily writing restores personal integrity ✔️ The real reason you feel like a fraud sometimes (and how to fix it) ✔️ A powerful challenge to close the gap between what you say and what you do 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Still waiting for that magical moment where you finally feel like a “real” writer? That moment isn’t coming. In today’s episode, I share what I’m learning about mastery during my 101-Day Triple Crown Challenge—and why the only way to become who you’re called to be is to start before you feel ready. Inside this episode: ✔️ Why the “ready room” is a lie ✔️ What daily writing actually trains (hint: it’s not just your skills) ✔️ How to grow through action instead of waiting for permission ✔️ An immersive writing challenge to prove mastery in motion 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

You think you’re afraid of failing—but what if success is what scares you most? In today’s episode, I share: ✔️ Why the fear of finishing is scarier than starting ✔️ How daily writing is a death sentence to your “aspiring author” identity ✔️ The real reason you’ve been circling the same story mountain 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

There’s a cost to waiting. And no one talks about it until it’s too late. In this episode, I share a completely made up story about a hiker who had all the tools he needed—but froze because he waited too long to use them. But that story has everything to do with writing. If you’ve ever delayed the story God gave you because you’re waiting for a better time, this episode is the wake-up call. Here’s what we get into: ✔️ Why delay isn’t neutral—it feeds resistance ✔️ How spiritual-sounding excuses can quietly sabotage your obedience ✔️ What James 4:17 says about inaction ✔️ A writing challenge that forces your character—and you—to move 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

Do you have a story you want to write but have been avoiding? In this episode, I share how one story haunted my hard drive for six years—and how 94 days of daily writing changed everything. What started as hesitation turned into confidence. Not because I felt ready. But because I kept moving. Here’s what we get into: ✔️ The surprising way trust is actually built ✔️ Why creative obedience is more powerful than creative clarity ✔️ What it really means to “acknowledge God” in your writing process ✔️ A bold writing challenge where your character must leap without a bridge 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

🎯 Ever feel like you don’t know what to write—or if you’re even on the right track? You do know. You’ve just stopped trusting yourself. In this episode of The Adventurous Author, I unpack: ✔️ Why daily writing is how real creative discernment is trained ✔️ How Hebrews 5:14 gives us a blueprint for practicing instinct ✔️ Why noise, distraction, and comparison feel louder the less you write ✔️ How to rebuild confidence through one 15-minute story challenge 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.

What happens when you say you're called to write—but your actions say otherwise? In today’s episode of The Adventurous Author, we dive deep into what it means to live in integrity with your calling. I shares the exact moment God called me to write—back in 1999—and the twenty-six-year battle to believe it was real. You’ll discover: ✔️ Why daily writing isn’t about talent—it’s about trust ✔️ How internal fracture happens when your schedule doesn’t match your spiritual assignment ✔️ What Scripture really says about showing up with your full yes ✔️ The sacred writing vow that will help you stop ghosting your gift 🎧 Listen now. Keep the words rolling and the adventures unfolding, Bonnie Jean Next Steps: 🔥 Adventurous Enough for a 101-Day Mega Challenge? START TODAY at LeagueOfAdventurousAuthors.com. No cost. Except relentless commitment. Because the difference between ‘wanting to write’ and ‘being a writer’ is simple… you write. Escape into the Land of Zandador (the books I write under my pen name of Author D.K. Drake): Purchase one or all of the Dragon Stalker Bloodline Saga books on Amazon. 📢 Subscribe & Review: If this episode gave you a wake-up call, share it with a fellow writer and drop a review! Your feedback keeps this show alive and thriving.