Story outline and story structure—are they different terms describing the same thing? This is a question I frequently receive, and the answer is, “No, they’re completely different concepts and tools.” But learning how to structure your story’s outline is a crucial part of the preparation process. So what’s the difference between outlining and structuring? Outlining is a process, in […]
November 7, 2016 by 26 Comments Outlining Your Novel3 Tips for Weaving Together Your Story’s Pieces (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 6)
Figuring out how to outline a novel is not a linear process. Particularly in the early brainstorming stages, outlining is not a simple progression from Step A to Step B. Your brain is going to be bouncing all over the place: Step A makes you realize something about Step Z, which makes you realize something about […]
October 3, 2016 by 90 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Outline for NaNoWriMo: Should You Outline Your Novel?
Welcome to October—otherwise known as Cram Like Crazy for National Novel Writing Month (maybe we should call it LiCraFoNaNoMoWriMo—it’s got a certain ring, right?). Maybe you’re a NaNo veteran. Maybe you’re a tentative first-timer. Or maybe you’re not interested in writing 50,000 words in 30 days, but just want to figure out should you outline […]
August 5, 2016 by 69 Comments Structuring Your NovelHow to Get the Most Out of Your Sequel Scenes
Part 8 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel Sometimes just the mention of “sequel scenes” makes writers cross their eyes. Isn’t a sequel, you know, a followup to your first book? What does it have to do with individual scenes? The answers to these questions are important, because the sequel makes up […]
July 29, 2016 by 72 Comments Structuring Your NovelDon’t Make This Mistake With Your Story Structure
Part 7 of The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According to Marvel I talk a lot about how important story structure is. But let’s be honest. Story structure is a complicated beast. Few stories ace every single beat to perfection every single time. I’ve read (and watched) incredible stories that were incredible in spite of the fact […]
June 10, 2016 by 58 Comments Plotting Your NovelHow to Write the Perfect Plot (in 2 Easy Steps)
How do you create a story? You start writing and stuff starts happening. Right? True enough that’s how you write a story, but it is not, in fact, how to write the perfect plot. That takes a little more forethought and effort. When we first start out as writers, we tend to have this belief that telling […]
June 6, 2016 by 8 Comments Structuring Your NovelAnnouncing the Structuring Your Novel Box Set
As you may know, I’ve written both a book and a workbook on Structuring Your Novel. They’re designed to be used hand in hand, with the workbook providing questions and exercises to help you put the principles in the main book into practice in brainstorming and creating your own stories. Now you can get them both in […]
April 28, 2016 by 56 Comments Structuring Your NovelHow to Write Scenes Your Readers Will Rave About
Ever sit down at your computer, ready for the day’s writing session, only to wonder how to write scenes your readers will actually care about? There are a lot of considerations when it comes to how to write scenes. But really, there’s only one that matters to readers: Is it interesting? This is a totally obvious statement. […]
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February 12, 2016 by 80 Comments Structuring Your NovelReady for Advanced Story Structure? [Free Download]
If you’ve read all the books on story structure and concluded there has to be more to it than just three acts and a couple of plot points, then you’re absolutely right! It’s time to notch up your writing education from “basic” to “black belt.” My book Structuring Your Novel came out a few years ago. They have […]
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, […]
