There is a secret to writing good scenes. And since scenes are the heart of story itself, it’s ultimately one of the most important secrets to writing good stories, period. You may be surprised to learn this secret is not scene structure (in the classic sense of goal / conflict / disaster / reaction / dilemma […]
February 28, 2016 by 46 Comments Structuring Your NovelHow to Create Awesome Scene Arcs That Surprise Readers
December 16, 2015 by 32 Comments Structuring Your Novel3 Smart Tips for Structuring Powerful Scenes
It’s common wisdom that in structuring powerful scenes, we should open in media res—that is, while something is happening. And it’s generally best to bow out while things are still happening: close the dinner conversation with the last line of dialogue, not after everyone has fallen silent, gotten up from the table, washed the dishes, […]
May 3, 2015 by 59 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 40: Unnecessary Scenes
What is a story but scenes? Put one scene after another–and you have a story! Of course, it’s a little more complicated than that. Those scenes have to hang together in a way that makes sense. They have to create a contiguous arc. Every one of those scenes needs to be integral to that arc. If a […]
January 9, 2015 by 26 Comments CharactersSee How Easily You Can Track Your Character’s Emotional Arc in a Scene
Most authors try to understand what a character is feeling at a particular moment: He’s angry here. He’s happy there. Many authors also consider how the character’s emotional arc changes over the course of the entire story: He begins insecure. He ends confident. But few think about how the character’s emotional arc develops over the course […]
January 4, 2015 by 58 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 37: Unnecessary Filler
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” However, creating that quality of brevity isn’t so much about writing short as it is about making every word count. As we continue to discuss the most common writing mistakes, we’d be remiss to leave out the all-too-prevalent faux pas of unnecessary filler or padding. The 4 Reasons Unnecessary Filler […]
November 14, 2014 by 30 Comments DialogueAre Your Characters Talking Too Much?
Dialogue drives both narrative and character development. The key for creative writers is including just enough dialogue to meet those needs and no more. The last thing you want is to have your characters talking too much. Many novelists approach a scene by writing until they feel they have included sufficient dialogue to meet their […]
October 29, 2014 by 42 Comments Structuring Your NovelWhy You Might Be Ruining Your Story’s Best Scenes
This week’s video talks about why appropriate repercussions will always be the earmark of your story’s best scenes. Video Transcript: Stories are about stuff that happens. But even more, they’re about stuff that happens because other stuff happened. In short, they’re about repercussions. Every event in your story needs to create character reactions that are […]
September 14, 2014 by 21 Comments CharactersHow to Use Rewards and Punishments to Get Your Character to Change
How do you get your character to change? As simple as this question may seem, it’s also a super practical and important question that deserves an equally practical answer. At this point in our journey through character arcs, I hope you’re as stoked as I am about the potential of well-structured inner journeys for your […]
September 7, 2014 by 32 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 33: Telling Important Scenes, Instead of Showing
“Show, don’t tell” is arguably one of the most important principles of writing fiction. It’s the foundation of all of dramatic storytelling. “Telling” may get the bones of a scene across. But “showing” is what brings it to life. So it should come as no surprise that failing to show important scenes in your story […]
October 6, 2013 by 52 Comments Most Common Writing MistakesMost Common Writing Mistakes: Characters Who Lack Solid Story Goals
Characters have to want something, right? That’s the whole point of a story. The character wants something; the antagonistic force gets in his way; conflict ensues. Bing, bang, boom. So it’s totally a no-brainer to point out that a book in which a character lacks solid story goals is a book that’s not going to […]
