Surprise versus Suspense
Surprise versus suspense: what’s the difference? And why does one make for more engaging writing than the other? Listen to […]
Plotting
Posts on plotting a story
Dan Wells’ Seven-Point Story Structure
Dan Wells’ Seven-Point Story Structure came from the author’s 2010 BYU presentation. Taking his cue from the Star Trek Roleplaying
Turning Points and Plot Points
All story structures include turning points and plot points. Whether it has seven, seventeen or twenty-four chapters, somewhere in that
More Troubles with Prequels
With a prequel novella in the works for my fantasy series, I’m finding more troubles with prequels. Prequels naturally take
Where Story Lives and Breathes
Lisa Cron guested on a podcast last year discussing internality and backstory, where story lives and breathes. Listening back to
Conventions of the Action Genre
Writing a fantasy series, there’s no way I can ignore the conventions of the Action genre. A solid action piece
Every Story Asks Questions
Not the obvious ‘how does it end?’ but something more basic; every story asks questions. ‘What’s is about?’ isn’t really
The Trouble with Prequels
Amazon’s Rings of Power demonstrates the trouble with prequels like no other. When the outcomes and consequences don’t matter, how
The ‘All-is-Lost’ Story Beat
The ‘all-is-lost’ story beat is obligatory in just about every story structure from the Hero’s Journey to Save the Cat.
Rings of Power: Three Hours of Setup
I don’t generally review film and TV here, but I have a problem with Amazon’s Rings of Power: Three Hours