Beyond action beats in dialogue
Dialogue without anything else on the page feels like a screenplay—all setup for actors who will never arrive. In a film, the actors carry the scene. In your novel, the […]
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Character journey as story structure
Most writers think of story structure as a dry, architectural plot blueprint. Inciting incidents and pinch points and turning points map out the road as the characters stumble through their world, making
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Critique Technique: Make yourself the most useful writer in your writing group
Critical response process turns you into the critique partner every writer wants: someone who offers actionable observations instead of opinionated fixes. Developed by choreographer Liz Lerman for dance and theater
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What writing in isolation really costs
Most writers strive to show up for editing with a complete manuscript, believing that a finished first draft proves they’re serious about writing. But cranking out an entire manuscript without
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Three Strategies for Creating Progressively Escalating Complications
Unputdownable stories keep readers off balance, as one scene tips into another, and another, and the next. Each scene’s challenge demands a response, and each response spirals into fresh complications.
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Why thinking outside the box is hurting your creativity
I’d be a pretty rotten curator of writing craft advice if I didn’t leap at the opportunity to share some writing craft wisdom that kicked my own butt. Amy Stewart’s
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Do you need an NDA or copyright to send your manuscript to an editor?
One of the quickest ways to make an editor, agent, or publisher not want to work with you is to send them an NDA before you’ll discuss the project. Please,
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The Midpoint Complication: The missing link in three-act structure
In any discussion of story structure, the three-act model inevitably dominates the conversation. Even as plotting methods such as Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, and the Snowflake Method gain
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Making art and life with “The Bear”
My entire household of creatives has been glued to the screen for Hulu’s The Bear for a very specific reason: its unflinching exploration of what it feels like to pursue a creative
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Unlock character arcs with the archetypes of the tarot
This week’s post at The Writes of Fiction explores a topic I’ve been exploring from a writer and book coach’s point of view for some time now: the archetypal world
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