Seven Key First Chapter Questions
Abigail Perry’s Seven Key First chapter Questions are touchstones. They apply not only to opening chapters, but to every chapter […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Writing the Last Chapter
Writing the last chapter doesn’t mean getting to the end of the plot. Whatever is in the last chapter is
Direct and Indirect Dialogue
What’s the difference between direct and indirect dialogue? And why do we need both? Listen to the audio version on
Eight Types of Surprises
The reader hook you didn’t know you needed: Eight Types of Surprises to keep the reader turning those pages. Jessie
The Character Growth Worksheet
If you’re stuck developing a character for your story, look no further than Jeff Elkins‘ Character Growth Worksheet. A favourite
Abandonment Issues and the Feisty Heroine
I realise I have two common themes in my fiction: abandonment issues and the feisty heroine. This feeds directly into
Where’s the conflict in every scene?
The question every author has to answer: where’s the conflict in every scene? As we all know by now, without
The Writer and the Moral Compass
The pervasive violence in my fantasy-action-adventure got me thinking about the writer and the moral compass. Death as entertainment, spectacle
Character and the Moral Compass
The pervasive thread of violence in my fantasy-action-adventure got me thinking about character and the moral compass. I know it’s
The Art of the Flash Forward
We’re all familiar with the flashback; but what is the art of the flash forward? The flashback takes us back