Escape Generic Storytelling by Asking “Why?”
The most important question we can ask to get in touch with every aspect of our story is “why”—even helping us escape generic or cliché storytelling.
Pin ItCharacter Internalization: To Italicize or Not to Italicize?
A common question in writing forums asks when we should italicize a character’s thoughts. How should we format our characters’ internalizations?
Pin ItWriting Craft: How Point-of-View Affects Dialogue
We often want to share both characters’ reactions during dialogue. How can we do so without causing point-of-view, head-hopping, or attribution issues?
Pin ItWriting Craft Basics: How to Format Dialogue
We probably think we know everything about dialogue formatting already, but let’s make sure we know all there is to know before assuming.
Pin ItWhat’s Your Personal Story?
Many are struggling with anxiety, but stories have power in a crisis. Beyond the stories we write, there’s also the story we tell ourselves about our life.
Pin ItStory Elements: Give Them Purpose
For 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 ItDo Your Stories Have Deeper Meanings?
A joke about authors vs. English teachers has circulated online for years. What can it teach us about how readers interpret our story?
Pin ItUnreliable Narrators: The Pros and Cons
Let’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 ItHow Can We Make Our Protagonist More Proactive?
Why is it important for characters to be active or proactive rather than reactive or passive? How can we fix a passive protagonist?
Pin ItStory Endings: How to Write a Strong Resolution
Our story’s opening is important for gaining readers, but our story’s ending is what sells readers on our next book. What makes a story resolution great?
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