How to Escalate a Series
It’s a common writing challenge: how to escalate a series. How do you create a bigger ‘bang’ for books two, […]
Plotting
Posts on plotting a story
Cross-country Travel in Fiction
Chase, quest, military campaign; suddenly you’re an expert in cross-country travel in fiction. Listen to the audio version on our
Enter Late and Leave Early
Valuable writing advice: enter late and leave early. It applies to scenes, chapters and whole stories. You’re welcome. You want
Maximise the Midpoint at the Core
How do you maximise the midpoint at the core of your story? According to writing coach Abigail Perry, the midpoint
Embracing Scene Structure in Story
Embracing scene structure in story took me longer than it should. While I recognised the scene as the basic unit
Three Plots Make One story
Mastery of plot structure isn’t about a single thread, more like three plots make one story. So says writer and
Internal versus External Plot
What really makes a story is the interplay between internal versus external plot. I upset some folks when I say
The ScriptShark Critique Sheet
I rediscovered the ScriptShark Critique Sheet from 2009. It’s another useful tool by which to evaluate your manuscript. Listen to
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 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