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 […]
Writing
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
Mix Short and Long sentences
Apparently authors are supposed to mix short and long sentences to captivate the audience. Recently, a writing tool accused me
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
How Many Orphaned Protagonists?
Ever thought how many orphaned protagonists there are in fiction? Why are there so many? Is it a staple, a
Baiting the Character Hook
Can you draw readers in without baiting the character hook? Genre and plot mean nothing if there isn’t a compelling
A Protagonist with no Backstory
Can you defy convention and write a protagonist with no backstory? I started a new project to explore just that.
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