Story in Seventeen Chapters
Writers recommend many different story structures including the classic story in seventeen chapters. It’s built around the Fichtean curve and […]
Writing
Posts on the craft of writing
The Magic in Magical Realism
Proving how certain genres defy definition, here’s my fourth attempt to define the magic in magical realism. I struggled so
Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing
From a master of crime fiction, Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing carry a lot of weight. Leonard began his
Final-Third Frenzy
The notion of final-third frenzy comes from a Reedsy webinar The Top Suspense Novel Pitfalls. Taking the broad category of
Seven Deadly Fears of Writing
What’s been stopping you from producing that magnum opus? From the opening of Jurgen Wolff’s 2007 Your Writing Coach, what
Outlining a novel
Outlining a novel? Why not? Sixty, seventy, eighty thousand words or more. That’s your typical novel. Somehow you have to
Planning a Series
I set out to write one book and found myself planning a series. I’m defining a series as a number
Five publishing design clichés
BBC Arts’ Tom Churchill mocked up five publishing design clichés that pervade the book stands. From the airport blockbuster thriller,
No Story without Conflict
There is no story without conflict: when opposing values and viewpoints clash head-to-head. Without conflict, there is nothing to overcome.
Unreal Reality in Fiction
Ever considered the unreal reality in fiction? Fiction isn’t reality. Contemporary stories and fantasy stories exist in different planes of