Pantsers love the freedom and flexibility of diving into a story without knowing where the characters or their problems might lead, but coming up for air can be a huge buzz-kill because of the tangled mess they created. While pantsing isn’t the most effective approach to writing a quality story … READ MORE
Whether you’re a panster or a plotter, you will need to have an idea of your story’s plot, why your characters are on their journeys, and what will happen when everything comes together at the end. A novel outline can help you organize your big ideas so that you can … READ MORE
A plot hole is a gap in your story where you are lacking critical information. Such gaps create confusion and lack of credibility in your story. Some plot holes are minor and only require a tweak here or there, where others are severe enough that it affects the entire storyline. … READ MORE
Stories resonate with readers more effectively when they come full-circle. Characters need to undergo some kind of change or growth (for better or for worse), and this change is best gauged by how they see their outer world and their inner landscape compared to their views at the beginning of … READ MORE
A catalyst for change, the Inciting Incident must be strong enough to launch your protagonist out of their Current World through a Call to Action they cannot deny. Is your Inciting Incident doing the job it needs to do to crack open your protagonist’s comfort zone and push them into … READ MORE
Show, don’t Tell is a common guideline authors hear over and over. But does this mean you should never “tell”? No, of course not, but it does mean we have to figure out the best places in our writing where “telling” is better than “showing” and vice versa. In this … READ MORE
Your first page needs to contain six must-have factors that pull readers into the story and propel them to turn the page. In this blog post I’ll discuss the six things you need in your first page to create a strong story opening so that you have a better chance … READ MORE
Before you start writing your book, it’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with the story you want to tell. This may make you think you can’t freely explore your story, but this is actually a great way to get to know your story better so you can write it … READ MORE
There’s resistance swirling around out there about story structure, so writers avoid it like the plague. This is too bad as structure can be the difference between the story you love and the story your audience loves. In today’s blog post I’m going to share my take on why you … READ MORE
Writing productivity is directly affected by your Natural Writing Forces, the traits, habits, strengths, limiting beliefs, and values that you bring to your creative life. In today’s blog post I discuss how you can tap into and develop your personal Natural Writing Forces so that you can increase your productivity. … READ MORE