Writing Archives - Robin Catling

Likable, sympathetic or just compelling?

What’s the priority for a protagonist in fiction: likable, sympathetic or just compelling? It seems counter-intuitive, but not every protagonist […]

It’s time for Fantasy Book Cover Cliches Gallery 3. Many elements contribute to a cliche cover: concept, composition, typeface, character

They are the mandatory elements of the genre, but what happens when YA tropes turn toxic? Are we offering impressionable

Ever read a novel and concluded the plot is overpowered by coincidence? A chance meeting in the middle of a

Here’s a ten-point story audit that only takes a few minutes and could save your novel in the early drafting

Can you start a story with the early/late-wide/closeup opening? Or is that impossible?

We present our Fantasy Book Cover Cliches Gallery 2. What turns a fantasy book cover into a cliche? Colors? Composition?

If you want less pain the next time you work on a novel, you have to learn lessons from the

Robin Catling / February 23, 2026

The closest I can give you to a writer’s cheat sheet: the six essential elements of story. Among the many

Robin Catling / February 16, 2026

Book covers have to fit in before they stand out. The tone, genre and story type need to be clear