Backstory: What to Reveal and When
Backstory includes all the events from your characters’ pasts, details about their origins, plus any essential background information necessary to advance the […]
Jungian Archetypes for Character Building
Stories that endure tend to tap into something deeply human. Philosophers, mythologists, psychologists, and more have theorized about different ways audiences resonate […]
What is the “Story Circle”?
In simple terms, storytelling consists of three things: the beginning, middle, and end. However, this basic structure can often hide extremely complicated […]
The Writing Process
Writing is an act of magic. Out of thin air you’ve conjured something and put it onto the page. People come up […]
What is Magical Realism?
Magical realism invites the impossible into the ordinary. This genre asks us to accept the fantastical without question. The supernatural appears alongside […]
“How Many Words in a Novel?”
How many words long should your novel be? The short answer is . . . as long as it needs to be. […]
Parallelism: Crafting Meaning in Repetition
There’s no rhythm without some repeated notes. Certain literary and rhetorical devices are so ingrained in how we speak and think that […]
The Dark Night of the Soul
The “dark night of the soul” is that moment in a story where all seems lost. It is the biggest challenge your […]
What is “In Medias Res”?
Some stories drop you straight into the middle of chaos in the first scene, giving little to no explanation. This might feel […]
High Fantasy vs Low Fantasy
All stories have some magic in them. On one end of the spectrum, you have stories spanning across galaxies with space wizards […]
The Art of Narrative Misdirection
Misdirection — the art of strategically concealing and revealing information — is one of the most potent literary tools that can enrich […]
The Tragic Hero
Tragic heroes are like a falling star, burning, hurtling to their doom, but are a sight to behold all the same. They […]
Setting: Establishing the World
Setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a signal, cueing the reader how to read what comes next. Before a character speaks a […]
The Antihero Explained
Stories are not always about morally spotless heroes, nor should they be. Truly compelling protagonists have flaws that affect their choices and […]
How to Write a Hook
When you’re at the bookstore surfing for a good read, you’re often trying to get a sense of the tone and texture […]
What is a Hook?
Try to recall your favorite story. How did it begin? What were the first words? If the first lines of a book […]
Symbolism in Storytelling
Does the word “symbolism” give you unwelcome flashbacks to your high school English classes? The idea is foreign when we first hear […]
How to Write an Effective Synopsis
Previously, I unpacked the theory behind synopsis writing, explored the mechanics of what makes a synopsis work, and defined its purpose. A […]
