The first quarter of your story hinges upon two important and irreversible moments: the inciting event and the key event. I’ve saved our discussion of inciting and key events until this late into the series because these events can take place at any number of the structure points we’ve already discussed. Now that we’ve got a sense of […]
March 4, 2012 by 97 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 2: The Hook
Readers are like fish. Smart fish. Fish who know authors are out to get them, reel them in, and capture them for the rest of their seagoing lives. But, like any self-respecting fish, readers aren’t caught easily. They aren’t about to surrender themselves to the lure of your story unless you’ve presented them with an irresistible hook. Our discussion […]
February 22, 2012 by 30 Comments Beginning Your BookHow to Tell if Your Story Begins Too Soon
Authors are always being warned not to begin their stories too soon. The idea of beginning in medias res—or “in the middle of things”—is popular these days because it plunges readers into the plot right away without dragging them through pages of backstory or setup. But at the same time, you must give readers enough […]
February 3, 2012 by 25 Comments Researching Your NovelWhat Non-Fiction Authors Can Teach Novelists
Do you aspire to write a novel as breathtaking as Huckleberry Finn? Mark Twain cheated. He brought to his fiction a skill set he developed under his given name, Samuel Clemens, as a journalist. Twain the novelist knew that a riveting opening, skillful incorporation of dialogue, and compelling details are all tools he could mine […]
January 4, 2012 by 25 Comments Beginning Your BookHook Readers With a Sneak Peek
This week’s video discusses how to hook readers with a “flashforward” at the beginning of your novel, similar to the one Edna Ferber used in Show Boat. Video Transcript: As many followers of my website probably already know, I am not a big fan of prologues or other gimmicky framing techniques for the beginning of […]
December 7, 2011 by 3 Comments Beginning Your BookHow Much Should You Explain in a Story’s Beginning?
One of the trickiest parts of any story is the beginning. And one of the trickiest parts of a story’s beginning is figuring out how to balance the need to keep the story moving forward with the need to explain lots of important background details to the reader. This is a balance that will be […]
October 2, 2011 by 55 Comments Beginning Your BookMost Common Writing Mistakes: Character Overload
When dealing with large casts of characters—or even just scenes that require the rapid-fire introduction of more than two or three characters—readers sometimes find themselves in grave danger of “character overload.” The common wisdom is that there’s no such thing as too many good characters. But, in fact, too many characters can become way too […]
September 18, 2011 by 42 Comments Beginning Your Book5 Elements of a Riveting Opening Line
The opening line of your book is your first (and possibly last) opportunity to grab your reader’s attention and give them a reason to read your story. That’s a gargantuan job for a single sentence. But if we break down excellent opening lines, we discover a number of interesting things. One of the most surprising […]
August 31, 2011 by 17 Comments Beginning Your BookWhy the Human Element Is All-Important to the Beginning of Your Story
The beginning of your story is a checklist of must-have elements. One of those elements is providing readers with an immediate personal connection to the characters. In some stories, this can be difficult, since complicated plots and settings often demand the author lay down a foundation before exploring the human side of the characters. But […]
August 17, 2011 by 33 Comments CharactersThe Benefits of a Clueless Character
Often, authors enjoy writing about characters who are larger than life. We write about the kind of people we wish we could be: strong, beautiful, smart—particularly smart. We like our characters to be in the know and always one step ahead of the bad guy. But, in some stories, the most useful kind of protagonist […]
