There is a lot of advice on how to write a story’s climax. While many sources state you must have an internal change in the protagonist right before or during the external plot’s climax, very few focus on how to create that change. It’s essentially the climax for the internal Read more…
Somehow, I’ve gotten years into writing these posts and have not done one on external and internal story arcs. I reference these all the time so I’m sure my followers have grasped the meaning of these terms, but I want to take the time to explain these arcs and their Read more…
When you decide to write a book, there are several decisions to make, including how many point of view characters to use. Many authors prefer to tell a story from one POV, but often writers like to show different characters’ perspectives. The question is then: how many POV characters should Read more…
Last week we went over Consumer Genres and how readers are drawn to certain ones, and now I want to look at Content Genres. These twelve Content Genre categories divide stories into types based on what the protagonist wants in the story. Since readers follow the protagonist and live the Read more…
A character arc refers to the internal growth of a character due to the plot. It’s how a character’s worldview changes as she endures struggles and overcomes obstacles. These arcs often revolve around the book’s theme, and they portray an argument on how life should be lived. Many writers talk Read more…
In most books, someone dies. Unfortunately, it’s usually obvious who will be the victim. Authors know they need to have some sort of death in their stories, but they may not put a lot of effort into developing that death. It may sound odd, but there is an art to Read more…
I recently finished reading a fabulous book and was left with a mind-blowing question about the writing. How did the author write a plot that ended so badly but left me feeling satisfied? There was no doubt that what could go wrong did go wrong in this book, but I Read more…
I already touched on the topic of internal conflict, and this week I want to dive into it a little more. Character wound is a concept that continues to surface in my writing research. A wound refers to an impactful negative event that happened in the character’s past and created Read more…