Learning to become a better writer is more than just reading writing tips on Pinterest. Here you can find all the posts about the craft of writing.
Sometimes, when you want to write something, everything you have to start with is just one plot event, but therein lies this problem: where do you put that plot event on the timeline of your story? Is it in the beginning, the end, or the middle? You just don’t know, and so you don’t start […]
How to start writing from a single plot event Read More »
Readers don’t care about exciting plot events as much as you think – they care about what happen to the characters. If your characters are the dullest people on earth, however… They might not even finish reading your story. In this post, we’re specifically talking about the protagonist and any other characters that have major
7 steps to fixing BORING characters Read More »
It’s a common problem: Your characters simply won’t do what you want them to do. You’ve got plans, they’ve got other plans. Are you supposed to just let them run wild or can you somehow make them actually follow the plot you laid out for them? There’s one trick that can really change things for
How to make your characters do anything you want Read More »
Some writers really struggle to write the middle of their stories, but a boring or “mushy” middle is not something that just happens to stories, it shows a lack of planning and lack of plotting. Did you perhaps miss the steps to writing a novel outline? And how do you avoid a messy middle, or
How to avoid the mushy middle of your story Read More »
Everyone knows your story needs to take place somewhere, right? Your characters can’t just float in a vacuum, and being so vague about your setting that your readers can’t even begin to imagine it would be a pretty bad idea. But how, exactly, do you describe places in your writing? How to describe a location
How to describe places in your writing Read More »
How do you write about a thick, dark forest if you’ve never been in a thick, dark forest? About London if you’ve never been to London? In this post, we’re going to talk about how to write about places you’ve never been in, and how to make those places feel real instead of embarrassing yourself with
How to write about places you’ve never been in Read More »
Creating conflict in your story is no small task, but you probably shouldn’t pull it out of your hat without thinking what actually belongs in your story. In this post, we’re going to talk about what conflict is and how you can insert it into your story without making your readers go “So what?” Learning
How to create conflict in a novel Read More »
Character profile templates and information sheets are popular, but are they actually helpful? Should you use them when writing your novel? In this post, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of using these writer tools and about where you can find good ones. The context for all of my posts is that
Should you use a character profile template for your novel? Read More »
I’m sure you’ve been there before: You read your writing… and you cringe. You want to hide. You consider quitting writing completely. Stop right there! I’m here to fix that problem for you. So if you’ve ever cringed at your own writing and would prefer to be able to read your first draft without dying
How to not cringe at your own writing Read More »
We can’t typically choose how inspiration finds us. Sometimes we’ve got a great plot idea and sometimes all we get to start with is a character or perhaps some kind of a vague vibe. Since I’ve already talked about turning those vibes into a plot, in this post, you’ll find out how to give your
Got characters but no plot? Do this Read More »