Not-so-accidental Tropes
Unplanned, unintended, unhinged; the finished novel is full of not-so-accidental tropes. Welcome to genre fiction.
how-to
The Fool Who Longs for Home
In a re-interpretation of the hero’s journey, the true hero is the fool who longs for home. It’s about the
Five tasks on page one
According to writing coach Eva Langston, any novel has to complete five tasks on page one. We can agree those
Six Essential Action-Genre Story Beats
What are the six essential action-genre story beats? The lack of which strips the novel of both genre and story?
When YA Tropes Turn Toxic
They are the mandatory elements of the genre, but what happens when YA tropes turn toxic? Are we offering impressionable
Overpowered by Coincidence
Ever read a novel and concluded the plot is overpowered by coincidence? A chance meeting in the middle of a
A Ten-point Story Audit
Here’s a ten-point story audit that only takes a few minutes and could save your novel in the early drafting
The Early/Late-Wide/Closeup Opening
Can you start a story with the early/late-wide/closeup opening? Or is that impossible?
Eight Lessons from the Edit
If you want less pain the next time you work on a novel, you have to learn lessons from the
Six Essential Elements of Story
The closest I can give you to a writer’s cheat sheet: the six essential elements of story. Among the many