Some terms I got mixed up when I first started studying writing were the phrases plot reveal and plot twist. They both mean new information is given, and they generally shock or awe the audience. But what exactly is a reveal or a twist, and how do writers pull them Read more
It’s time for another post in my Character Under a Microscope series where I discuss the nitty gritty details of character development. Today, I want to focus in on something that everyone experiences—stress! In a good story, your characters are going to face trials, and that will undoubtedly lead to Read more
Throughout the last few years, I kept hearing the about Deep Point of View, otherwise called Immersive POV. This has nothing to do with first, second, or third person pronouns in your narration. It’s the idea that you write so readers feel like they experience the world as if the Read more
A while back I wrote a post on the two functions of scenes: action and reaction. Since writing that post, I found the origin on this concept called Scene-Sequel. It was developed by Dwight V. Swain in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer. Today I want to elaborate on Read more
The other day, I was flipping through one of my notebooks where I’ve written down author tips. I came across a page that made me stop and go, “Wow, this is awesome!” Which is probably what I thought when I first found the tip and wrote it down. Unfortunately, I Read more
After I changed your thinking about plot last week by stating it is NOT story structure, I want to discuss how to merge the two. Plot isn’t like story structures where you know basically where things should happen, like the inciting incident happens around the 10% mark of the book. Read more
Most people agree that stories are created with three key elements: character, setting, and plot. While there are endless resources on character and setting (worldbuilding), I’ve found that most sources skim over plot. I know, you’re probably saying, “But you did a whole bunch of posts on plot with the Read more
Today I want to discuss everyone’s favorite character in any story—the villain! You can have the most amazing hero, but, if your villain isn’t just as amazing, your story will fall flat. A villain provides the needed conflict and tension to make sure the hero’s story is engaging. Villain vs Read more
I think one of the mistakes some writers make is that they listen to too much advice. There is so much out there (and I’m only adding more), but I think all the advice is people just saying the same things in different ways, hoping that one of the methods Read more
Has anyone ever asked for your story’s premise? Essentially, they’re asking what your book’s about. Many people use premise as a synonym for logline, but I see them as separate tools. While they are similar, a premise and a logline have two very different purposes. Today, we’re going to explore Read more