Providing advice, tools & resources for online writers
Suspense- What it is, and what it’s not. Let’s get one thing straight, Suspense is not synonymous with horror, thrillers., or mysteries. Suspense is a pivotal aspect of all storytelling. Suspense drives stories, all stories. Whether your writing a romantic comedy or an epic fantasy, Suspense is a required ingredient of every genre. Think of
In today’s popular culture we are awash with anti-heroes. You have your Walter White, your Tony Soprano, Dexter, Tyrion and Jaime, Bond, Bourne, Holmes, and Solo. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an anti-hero. Now, I’m not complaining. I’ve espoused my love for anti-heroes on this very blog. Anti-heroes are great when we
Learn how to outline your story using the four act structure!
Do you know what one of my greatest challenges as a writer is? Creating good, believable characters. When I began my writing journey, creating characters seemed simple enough. Make up a name. With me it was usually something stupid like “Deacon Devlin.” Then, tell the reader what this person looks like- He had dark hair,
What is Setting? Yes, its the background to your story. It’s the city or the house, or the mystical land where your characters interact, but it’s also much more. The setting is the foundation of your story. It’s what keeps your reader grounded in the fictional world you’ve constructed. So how do we write a
What do you think is the most important element of a story? Some people say the plot. Others say the characters. They’re both wrong. The most important element you need to develope for your story is a theme! So, today we’ll learn how to write a strong theme. Sure stories are meant to entertain us
Some people say the ending is the most important part of a story. I’m inclined to agree. Mess up the ending, and your reader will feel cheated. Like they’ve wasted their time. The greatest premise in the world won’t mean squat if you can’t stick the landing. That’s why we’re talking about how to end
This week I want to talk about anti-heroes. In this morally ambiguous time, it’s no longer popular to write about classic heroes who are purely good and righteous. I mean, where’s the fun in that? Gone are the days of swashbucklers like Ivanhoe and Robin Hood. Even the most recent incarnation of Superman has a
You’ve knocked out your First Act and you have a killer Inciting Incident. What now? Well, it’s time for your Second Act, and in this act, your protagonist has one job- To Respond. A good First Act will end with a major plot point that will disrupt the protagonist’s life in a significant way. Need
When I started writing fiction I had no idea what I was doing. The stories I produced were what I like to call amoebas. They were amorphous blobs with no structure and very little plot. My stories were basically daydreams that I transcribed onto paper. I soon realized that my writing sucked. What I couldn’t
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