The Climactic Moment is the story in microcosm. The Climactic Moment is where the protagonist’s final relationship to the plot goal is determined by definitive success or failure, as is the character’s relationship to the thematic Lie and Truth. Although the events of the Climactic Moment might not be the “biggest” of the story, they […]
August 9, 2021 by 76 Comments Novel Endings3 Things to Know About the Ending of a Story
There are three parts of a story that are difficult to write: the beginning, the middle, and the ending. (I was going to start the article by referencing the ending of a story as one of the hardest parts, but then I realized… it’s all hard. Ahem.) Each has its own special set of challenges, […]
September 28, 2020 by 38 Comments Beginning Your BookThe Link Between Your Story’s Hook and Resolution
On a theoretical level, art often comes down to patterns. As readers and even writers we are not always conscious of these patterns, but whenever we are able to recognize that a story works—or does not work—usually what we are responding to is the comparative effectiveness of certain underlying patterns. This is perhaps nowhere more […]
July 20, 2020 by 47 Comments Novel Endings4 Questions to Prevent Plot Holes
How peachy would the writing life be if we didn’t have to prevent plot holes. Just imagine—you could write anything you wanted to, and every single thing would make sense. No need to worry about the fact that your two awesome scenes actually don’t make sense side by side. They get to be in the […]
August 12, 2019 by 39 Comments Novel EndingsHow to Evoke Reader Emotions With “Surprisingness”
Have you ever read a book for a second, third, even tenth time—just to experience the emotion the story evokes? Clearly the elements of the story aren’t a surprise. You know exactly what to expect. If so, you were benefiting from an author who knew how to evoke reader emotions. Literary agent Donald Maass says […]
March 20, 2017 by 99 Comments Beginning Your Book8 1/2 Tips for How to Write Opening and Closing Lines Readers Will Love to Quote
When I’m scanning an Amazon preview to decide if a book is going to be worth my time, the first test is always the opening line. A sloppy, casual, or plain-Jane opening line instantly makes me suspect I’m looking at the work of an author who is an outright amateur or, at the best, someone […]
March 27, 2016 by 46 Comments Novel EndingsHow to Know When to Write The End
I wrote my first book when I was fourteen–and I had no idea when to write The End. I printed the manuscript in December 1999 (just in case Y2K crashed the world and I lost my beautiful story). This was a great accomplishment, of course. I’d just finished writing a book. Except, it turned out, I wasn’t […]
January 11, 2016 by 84 Comments Novel EndingsThe Re-Readability Factor: Does Your Book Have It? (5 Ways to Make It Happen)
When I was a young reader, I had a horrendously bad habit. Whenever I started a new book, I would systematically read the front cover, the back cover, the front matter, the back matter–and then the final line of the book. I know, I know. Anathema. I clearly remember the day I swore to never do […]
December 11, 2013 by 21 Comments Novel EndingsHow Many Characters Should Be in Your Story’s Climax?
Your story’s Climax is the moment everything has been building toward—the final test, the big showdown, the emotional payoff. It’s where your characters converge, tensions explode, and all the plot threads tie together (or unravel spectacularly). Whether it’s a battle, a confrontation, or a quiet but intense decision, the Climax needs to feel inevitable and […]
October 16, 2013 by 16 Comments Novel EndingsThe Characteristic Moment Belongs at the End of Your Book Too
Most writers are familiar with the idea that the beginning of a story should feature the protagonist in a Characteristic Moment. The idea is to immediately show readers what your protagonist is all about. Even more importantly, you want to hook them with that character. You want readers to see this character in all his […]
