Beyond the Past: Understanding the Past Perfect Tense
Many writers struggle to use the past perfect tense correctly, so let’s review when the past perfect tense applies to our story and how to use it properly.
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Many writers struggle to use the past perfect tense correctly, so let’s review when the past perfect tense applies to our story and how to use it properly.
Pin ItA common question in writing forums asks when we should italicize a character’s thoughts. How should we format our characters’ internalizations?
Pin ItWe probably think we know everything about dialogue formatting already, but let’s make sure we know all there is to know before assuming.
Pin ItFor a strong story pace, we need to ensure every element has purpose. How can we do that? How can we know if a scene or sentence is pointless?
Pin ItLet’s talk unreliable narrators: What can they do for our story, how can we create them, and what are the pros and cons of using them?
Pin ItA reader asked how we’d place the 12 Stages on Intimacy on a beat sheet for the best pacing. Can we mesh the 12 Stages with romance beats in a story?
Pin ItOnce we know what our character’s backstory makes them think they could never do, we know how to show their path of change and growth over the story.
Pin ItA character’s backstory reveals what they thought they could never do, which gives us ideas for our plot and making them face their fears.
Pin ItA character’s backstory can be mined to add more emotion to our stories, such as by layering how their backstory’s defining moment affected them.
Pin ItA character’s false belief is central to a story’s internal arc, and the defining moment in a character’s backstory is key to creating that false belief.
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