Pride and Prejudice as a YA novel
Consider Pride and Prejudice as a YA novel. Not only the archetypal romance, but the mother of Young Adult fiction, […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
Nesting Sub-Plots in Parentheses
Nesting sub-plots in parentheses: it’s a way to ensure all the plot threads are tied off in the course of
Worst Protagonist for the Plot
In order to write a successful story, you need the worst protagonist for the plot. Hear me out: the main
Don’t mess up the ending
No matter how well you write your beginning and middle, don’t mess up the ending. The end of a story
Campfire Character Building
There’s a well-established trope I call campfire character building. This is a scene where characters sit around a campfire and
Not the Chosen One?
What if the protagonist of your fantasy story is not the Chosen One? A well-worn trope of fantasy fiction is
Unreliable Magic
Too much of the magic in fantasy just instantly works, on demand; what I want is unreliable magic. The kind
No Ordinary World
None of my stories do what the craft books say; there’s no Ordinary World opening for my protagonists.
A Novel’s Nine Opening Promises
A recent writing craft video by the ‘Bookfox’ considered a novel’s nine opening promises. What promises should an author make?
Writing a YA Heroine
For books four and five, I’m writing a YA heroine. But do I know how? How do I write a