Looking to brush up your writing skills or learn a new trick or two? You've come to the right place! Check back weekly for helpful tips and articles that make your writing better.
In my last post, we established a basic definition of a scene — specifically that each scene has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Next, we'll look at several key elements that every well-crafted scene in a novel should contain. These elements determine how effectively the scene will engage readers and advance the narrative.
When writing fiction, try ensure each scene contains the… read more
Depending on how your plot is structured and the way your scenes are woven together, both your narrative and your readers may benefit from being able to experience your story through multiple different narrators.
The Easy Stuff
This storytelling choice allows the readers to experience different moments and episodes within the plot, perhaps when one… read more
Welcome to the first of five articles about creating a narrative voice.
Deciding who your narrator is going to be is not only vital for you as a creator —because without someone to tell the story on your behalf, you can’t tell it at all—but it will also effect how and why your story is exists at all. This makes narrative voice the most important decision you can make before… read more
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Every story needs a main cast, but which characters qualify? How do we know who is important and who plays a supporting role? Let's talk about characters!
Stories have heroes. Stories also have villains. Sometimes stories have neither. But that's a special case. Let's break things down first.
Protagonists
"Exposition" can be a scary word. In some writing circles, "experts" will warn you to exercise extreme caution when using it, or they'll make it out to be a difficult but necessary evil. But ultimately, exposition is just another writing tool, and it's used in all sorts of writing, even beyond fiction. Think of it this way: no matter what you're writing, you want your… read more
All good story beginnings should accomplish four things: Introduce the Character, Introduce the World, Introduce the Themes, and Introduce the Conflict.
Introduce the Character
This is the first time we meet your protagonist. You’re going to want to offer the reader an introduction to their mood, their general way of speaking or thinking, and any facts about this… read more
