We all want to write stories that keep readers turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. We want readers to reach the end of a chapter and be gripped with an undeniable need to keep reading. We want to them take a look at the clock and promise themselves, Just one more chapter—and then […]
August 8, 2022 by 37 Comments PodcastHow Perfect Does Your Story’s Structural Timing Have to Be?
Structural timing is one of most prominent features of story structure. This positioning of a story’s important turning points is one of the keys for creating a story that feels right to audiences. As often as not, when something seems off about a story, the problem can be narrowed down to wonky structural timing. This […]
March 25, 2019 by 46 Comments Narrative4 Pacing Tricks to Keep Readers’ Attention
Part 21 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel Stories live or die on their pacing. Great characters and concepts are the heartbeat of good fiction, but even the greatest can struggle to keep readers’ attention if the pacing is off. Pacing is a lot like tone. It varies depending on the type […]
November 19, 2018 by 73 Comments Structuring Your NovelHow to Choose Your Story’s Plot Points
You’ve got a story, and you’ve got characters who are doing stuff in that story. That means you’ve got a plot. But how do you know if you’ve got your characters doing the right stuff at the right time? At first glance, this seems intuitive. Story is (or should be) a chain of causes and effects. Something […]
February 20, 2017 by 73 Comments NarrativeLearn How to Pace Your Story (and Mind-Control Your Readers) in Just 8 Steps
Writing is really all about mind control. Seriously, think about it. You put words on paper, and if you do it right, you suddenly have the ability to control how people respond to what you’ve written. Of course, “doing it right” is the whole challenge of writing, and when it comes to this mind-control gig, […]
September 26, 2016 by 95 Comments Chapter Breaks7 Questions You Have About Scenes vs. Chapters
A chapter is a chapter and a scene is a scene. Or are they? What’s the differences between scenes vs. chapters? Are they ever the same thing? Must a chapter always be a complete scene? Or must a scene always be a chapter? What about scene breaks and chapter breaks? Is there a difference? These […]
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, […]
November 5, 2014 by 41 Comments Chapter BreaksScene Breaks: Why Your Story May Not Have Enough of Them
This week’s video discusses two of the little-considered abilities of scene breaks—and how you can put them to work in your story. Video Transcript: Scene breaks are your friends. Better than that, they’re like your super-secret, totally-ready-and-willing-to-go-the-extra-mile worker elves. They’re this tiny little technique that can be used in all kinds of ways to subtly […]
December 26, 2012 by 12 Comments Plotting Your NovelIs Your Story’s Pacing Moving Too Fast?
Stakes are important in any story. In some genres, readers want to feel a sense of desperation and urgency on the characters’ behalf. One of the best ways to ramp up that feeling is to tighten the story’s timeline and speed up events. Your characters have to disarm a ticking bomb? How much more exciting […]
April 9, 2012 by 7 Comments Plotting Your NovelHere Are 5 Great Ways to Pace Your Story
Pacing is like a dam. It allows the writer to control just how fast or how slow the plot flows through the riverbed of the story. Understanding how to operate that dam is one of the most important tasks an author has to learn. Without this skill, we end up writing stories that variously lack […]
