Are you afraid that your storytelling might be falling short? Maybe you’re a brand-new writer and know that with more skills or experience you’d have more confidence as a storyteller. Or maybe you’re a little farther along in your writing journey and you’re looking for ways to spice up your stories, introduce more variety, or avoid falling…
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Understanding story structure is critical if you’re going to write successful novels. Knowing how to set up a story, build to a climax, create reversals that surprise your readers, and tie-up loose ends will make the difference between a powerful narrative and a meandering anecdote. There are many different story structures that have been established…
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Wondering what’s the most effective way to start your novel? The first few lines and pages of your novel are critical to get right. There’s a lot for you to achieve. From hooking the reader to establishing your story world to setting up the ending — in this article we’ll look at why it’s so…
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What do people mean when they talk about Round Characters? We instinctively feel Round Characters must be good things to have in our novels, but what makes a Round Character different from a Flat Character? And where do Dynamic and Static characters fit in? Should all your characters be Round? How do you make them Round…
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People may be drawn to your novel for the idea, or the plot, but the characters are what keeps them reading. If the reader likes your main character, roots for them, rejoices in their successes and feels the pain of their defeats, they will be immersed in your story. But if your main characters are…
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There are many different plot structures and ways of ordering your story—many of which overlap and mirror each other. In this article, we’ll take a look at the most ancient plot structure of all: The Three Act Structure. We’ll find out a little background and then break down the ‘three acts’, looking at what they…
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This is a guest post by Rhiannon Elton, author of the Wolflock series.A personal account from an author who has battled her demons and come out on top. Introduction to the Protagonist’s World I was born with a galaxy of libraries in my eyes. But it took a long time to transform them into the words…
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Conflict is the driving force behind most powerful novels. Without conflict, there is no story. But getting conflict right isn’t simply a matter of adding gunshots and fistfights. There are many different levels of conflict, from a life of death battle with the forces of nature, to the muttered passive-aggressive comment. And of course some…
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We’ve created this quick reference for the Hero’s Journey so you can easily check the steps. If you’d like to learn more about the Hero’s Journey, we’ve created a comprehensive guide which you can find here. Below is a JPG version of the infographic, feel free to copy, save and print it. If you like…
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We’ve put together this checklist to help you decide whether your novel is ready for submission to agents, or for self-publishing. It’s just a guide, don’t take it too seriously! Details on each of the checkpoints can be found below. You can get a PDF version here. Great core concept Is the central idea unique…
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