“Move the plot, move the plot—everything in your story must move your plot!!!” So rail all writing professors. Meanwhile, the writers themselves just want to bang their heads against their keyboards in desperate frustration. “Okay, yes, fine, great—I want to move the plot. But what does that even meeeeaaannnn?!?!?!?!” (Enough interrobangs, for you?) (No?) (Okay, sorry: […]
March 31, 2017 by 19 Comments Structuring Your NovelAn Easy Way to Notch Up Your Scene Conflict
Scene conflict is what keeps your story running, chapter after chapter, page after page. Conflict is the heart of each scene, and each of those scenes is one of the dozens of tiny engines keeping your plot moving forward—and your readers glued to the page. It’s helpful to think of scene conflict as not so much […]
March 19, 2017 by 63 Comments Characters3 Ways to Test Your Story’s Emotional Stakes
Part 14 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel You can do almost everything right in a story, and it will not matter. Acing your story structure, constructing a solid thematic premise, and punching your card on every important character-arc beat will not matter—if you don’t also nail the emotional stakes. The craft of storytelling […]
March 6, 2017 by 64 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 57: Dead-End Relationships
Once upon a time there were two characters. They got along very well, cared for each other very much, always had good advice for one another, and always, always, always had each other’s back. The End. Oh yeah, and even though it’s hardly worth mentioning, there was also this subplot character, who once betrayed one […]
January 23, 2017 by 112 Comments How to Become a Writer6 Bits of Common Writing Advice You’re Misusing
Recently, I found myself reminiscing about some of the early books on writing advice that transformed and molded my understanding of storytelling and writing. They opened my eyes, honed my craft, and changed my life. I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without the solid writing advice I’ve received from the writers who have gone […]
December 26, 2016 by 64 Comments CharactersDeepen Your Story With Character Misdirection
In childhood, stories are always about exactly what they appear: “See Spot. See Spot run.” But as we grow older and our life experiences deepen, so do our story experiences. What emerges is often a complex weave of subtext and misdirection. Life isn’t always as we perceive it on its surface—and even when it is, half the […]
December 19, 2016 by 44 Comments Plotting Your NovelThe #1 Way to Write Intense Story Conflict
One of the main pursuits of any writer is story conflict. The old saw tells us, “no conflict, no story,” so we’re always chasing after this little friction-causing engine. But as with so many things in writing, sometimes concentrating on the thing itself ends with us missing the forest for the trees. Story conflict is […]
December 5, 2016 by 115 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 54: Story Events That Don’t Move the Plot
One of your chief jobs as a writer is to come up with story events—stuff that happens in your story. Coming up with these exciting elements is likely why you started writing in the first place. Like C.S. Lewis, you were zapped with the electrifying image of a faun carrying packages and an umbrella through the snow—and […]
November 25, 2016 by 94 Comments Plotting Your NovelHow to Identify Your Story’s Premise–and Its Most Important Part
A high-concept premise can make or break your book—but not in the way you might think. It’s not enough just to come up with a cool idea for your book. You also have to make it work on every single page. Otherwise, no matter how cool it is, it quickly becomes the wrong premise. The key to […]
September 16, 2016 by 104 Comments CharactersHow to Choose the Right Antagonist for Your Story
Part 12 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel What’s the secret of how to choose the right antagonist for your story? If you’re thinking it’s probably a little more complicated than simply making him a “bad” guy who’s out to get your protagonist, you’re definitely on the right track. In fact, how to choose […]
