Once you’ve hooked the reader, your next task is to put your early chapters to work introducing your characters, settings, and stakes. The first 20-25% of the book comprises your setup. At first glance, this can seem like a tremendous chunk of story to devote to introductions, but if you expect readers to stick with you throughout the story, […]
February 26, 2012 by 88 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 1: Why Should Authors Care?
What’s the single most overlooked, misunderstood—and yet most important—part of storytelling? If you cheated and looked at the title, you already know the answer is structure. Most uninitiated writers have two different reactions to the idea of story structure. Either they think it’s great, but too mystical and lofty to be understood by common mortals, […]
February 22, 2012 by 30 Comments Beginning Your BookHow to Tell if Your Story Begins Too Soon
Authors are always being warned not to begin their stories too soon. The idea of beginning in medias res—or “in the middle of things”—is popular these days because it plunges readers into the plot right away without dragging them through pages of backstory or setup. But at the same time, you must give readers enough […]
February 15, 2012 by 28 Comments CharactersDoes Your Story Have Too Many Characters?
For most of us, our characters are the reason we start writing. There’s a voice or a face in our heads, and we have to get it out on paper just to discover what it’s all about. So we start writing, and every time the plot takes a new turn, we add another character. And […]
January 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment CharactersWhat Makes Your Characters Compelling?
Today, I’m honored to be hosted on The Write Practice. Be sure to stop by the blog to read my guest post “What Makes Your Characters Compelling?” Below is a sneak peek: We all know what a compelling character looks like. Han Solo. Anne Shirley. Frodo Baggins. Those are the characters we’ve cheered for, and those […]
January 18, 2012 by 30 Comments Novel EndingsA Must-Know Tip for Writing Slam-Bang Finales
The ending of your novel is make or break territory for your readers. If you’ve convinced them to keep reading this far, you need to have something extra special in store for them come the end. If you disappoint readers in your story’s Climax, you risk losing those readers forever. So how can you dazzle […]
January 4, 2012 by 25 Comments Beginning Your BookHook Readers With a Sneak Peek
This week’s video discusses how to hook readers with a “flashforward” at the beginning of your novel, similar to the one Edna Ferber used in Show Boat. Video Transcript: As many followers of my website probably already know, I am not a big fan of prologues or other gimmicky framing techniques for the beginning of […]
October 23, 2011 by 37 Comments Novel Endings5 Elements of a Resonant Closing Line
As important as the opening line may be to convincing someone to read your book, the closing line is the one that determines how well your story works—and whether or not readers will find your story a satisfying experience. Last month, we talked about the 5 Elements of a Riveting Opening Line, and today we’re […]
October 19, 2011 by 27 Comments Novel EndingsAre All the Pieces in Place for Your Story’s Climax?
The trick to providing readers with a satisfying story Climax is making certain all the pieces are already there. Stories are like puzzles—giant 5,000-piece puzzles you spread all over your table and spend a year putting together. By the time you only have a handful of pieces left—by the time your story’s Climax is coming […]
October 5, 2011 by 41 Comments CharactersDon’t Confuse Readers With Inconsistent Character Names
One area in which authors often create unnecessary reader confusion is in their usage of inconsistent character names. Sometimes the simplest things in a story can create distance between reader and writer. The last thing any author can afford to do is push readers away from the story by confusing them. We want readers to […]
