What is your story hook? That can be one of the most frustrating questions for any author—for two reasons. Either you have no idea what your hook is, or you have no idea how to describe it. The good news is both of these scenarios are quite common. The bad news is they’re both deep doo-doo […]
January 2, 2017 by 89 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 55: Beginning Your Story Too Late
Story beginnings are fraught with important decisions. But perhaps none of those decisions is more important than the question of when to begin your story. Too early or too late—either one can prevent readers from engaging with the story and obsessively reading on to find out what happens. Perhaps the more common mistake is beginning your story […]
February 15, 2016 by 94 Comments How to Become a Writer5 Important Ways Storytelling Is Different in Books vs. Movies
These days, everyone is writing movies. Including novelists. Not screenplays, mind you, but even if you’ve never touched a Celtx program and will never see your story on the big screen, you’re still writing movies. Our society is saturated by visual storytelling. It’s the cool kid on the block, da boss. Whether we’re talking Hollywood movies, TV shows, […]
March 22, 2015 by 101 Comments Structuring Your NovelYour Book’s Inciting Event: It’s Not What You Think It Is
What the heck is the Inciting Event? That’s a question just about any writer can answer. The trouble is that sometimes we all have a different answer. Is the Inciting Event the first thing that happens in the story? Is it the moment that kicks off the plot and the conflict? Is it the First Plot […]
February 18, 2015 by 62 Comments Beginning Your BookThink You Wrote a Great Hook for Your Book’s Beginning? Find Out Why It May Not Be Enough
This week’s video talks about one of the most common misconceptions about a great hook for your book’s beginning and shows you how to take grabbing your readers to the next level. Video Transcript: You know all about the hook for your book’s beginning, right? The hook is that tiny, important little bit of awe […]
January 27, 2015 by 32 Comments Beginning Your BookAre You Leaving This Crucial Ingredient Out of Your Book’s First Chapter?
This week’s video shows how you can take a page from Captain America: The Winter Soldier to hook readers with even a small amount of character development in your book’s first chapter. Video Transcript: Your book’s first chapter is hard. There’s so much you have to cram in there in order to get it to […]
December 28, 2014 by 51 Comments Marketing Your NovelHow to Pitch Your Novel: What’s the Difference Between Your Story’s Hook and Your Story’s Heart?
Quick! You’ve got less than a minute to convince me your story is worth my time. What do you tell me? You’ve got to pique my curiosity with mystery and potential, while still conveying the bulk of the plot, theme, and general tone. No problem! you say. But when you sit down to actually figure […]
August 3, 2014 by 72 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 32: Boring Opening Lines
Opening lines are an art form unto themselves. They must introduce a story’s tone, the author’s wit, the plot itself, and, most importantly, a reason why this story is worth the readers’ time. Boring opening lines aren’t something an author can afford. And yet they’re harder to avoid than you might think. The problem is […]
February 24, 2013 by 57 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 12: Frequently Asked Questions
Once authors grasp Scene* structure, their whole approach to storytelling can become clearer and more refined. At first blush, it can be a subject that takes a while to fully grasp and, as a result, can spawn all kinds of questions. But all you clever Wordplayers seem to have caught on without so much as […]
September 5, 2012 by 25 Comments Plotting Your NovelIs Your Scene Break a Lying, Cheating Fraud?
The scene break is dangerous ground. Any time you give readers an inkling of an excuse to set down your story, you’re in peril of losing them altogether. Who knows what fascinating stuff they may find to keep them from returning? Chocolate pudding? That latest rerun of I Love Lucy? A good ol’ snooze? Whatever […]
