Romancing the Sub-plot
If the main character believes in destiny, are we still romancing the sub-plot? There’s a core problem with the main […]
Plotting
Posts on plotting a story
Clarify Nothing until Act Two
“Clarify nothing until Act Two,” says the host of Escape the Plot Forest, Daniel David Wallace. According to writer and
Escalating Stakes Stack the Odds
Book Three of my fantasy series features an impossible mission, while escalating stakes stack the odds against my protagonists. Over
Restoring a Deleted Scene
Editing is a strange process, especially when you find yourself restoring a deleted scene. Listen to the audio version on
Hidden from the Reader’s View
A vital consideration in plotting your story: what is hidden from the reader’s view? Author and coach Susan deFreitas posed
Make Inciting Incidents Happen Sooner
Forget the old ‘rules:’ make inciting incidents happen sooner. The same conclusion I reached over a year ago came from
The Badly-Plotted Deus Ex
How many stories fall into the badly-plotted Deus Ex Machina ending? A miraculous resolution to a seemingly doom-laden ending, the
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,
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