Drafting Archives - Robin Catling

Thirty-eight Elements of Story

Robin Catling / December 10, 2025

The writer’s software ‘Fictionary’ works on thirty-eight elements of story. It’s a long and thorough list of goals, objectives and […]

There are five elements of Universal Story that are the foundation of every successful novel. So says writer and coach

A recent writing craft video by the ‘Bookfox’ considered a novel’s nine opening promises. What promises should an author make?

What makes a good first draft of a novel? The key essential: completion. Until you finish the first draft, you

Robin Catling / February 3, 2025

There are more than five first draft mistakes you can make in a novel. But I read through editor Ellen

Robin Catling / October 23, 2023

First-page speed-dating; full of nervous anticipation you sit down knowing nothing about the ‘date’ in front of you. Will your

Working hard to complete Book Three, I’m building on the foundations of a Dirty Draft. But what exactly do I

A question or an obsession; how do I write a strong opening chapter? How do I hook the reader and

Navigating a path from start to finish of a novel can be hard for both plotters and free-writers; enter the

Never mind that I’m 65% through editing and still don’t know if the novel is any good: do I have