
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
Whether you’re brainstorming your first story or publishing your ninth book, there comes a point when all writers wonder the...
A cliffhanger is not a trick, but a promise. As a storyteller, you want to grab your reader’s attention and...
Theme ideas aren’t something tacked on to the end of a story. They are central to the narrative, and woven...
Have you ever found yourself staring at the blank page and waiting for the spark, but it doesn’t come? So...
The Magician archetype is a character who comes into the story and transforms everything. They don’t wield a specific authority...
Have you ever wondered why some stories stay with you, while others fade from memory before you even close the...
The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for. They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling...
With storytelling, if your reader isn’t engaged within the first few chapters, you run the risk of losing their attention....
What happens after a story’s climactic moment? What comes after the protagonist wins the girl, or defeats the bully, or...
Ever since humans have been able to communicate, we share stories, weaving the tapestry of our shared existence. These stories...
Rising action refers to the series of events that lead from a story’s inciting incident to the climax. In this...
In his book, Poetics, Aristotle laid the foundation for story structure by stating that all stories must have a beginning,...

Backstory includes all the events from your characters’ pasts, details about their origins, plus any essential background information necessary to advance the

In simple terms, storytelling consists of three things: the beginning, middle, and end. However, this basic structure can often hide extremely complicated

There’s no rhythm without some repeated notes. Certain literary and rhetorical devices are so ingrained in how we speak and think that

Misdirection — the art of strategically concealing and revealing information — is one of the most potent literary tools that can enrich

Try to recall your favorite story. How did it begin? What were the first words? If the first lines of a book

What is a story without a plot? Not much! A plot is the sequence of events that helps give a story its

It’s a tale as old as time. The protagonist is torn from their ordinary life and sets off to face a challenge.

All stories must eventually come to a conclusion, or “resolution.” As an author, your job is to ensure that the plot threads

For some writers, just getting the story started is the toughest part. There’s so much you want to say, but you have

Theme is a way of making a series of events which are personal to the protagonist universally relatable to a wide audience.

Rising action refers to the series of events that lead from a story’s inciting incident to the climax. In this article, we

With storytelling, if your reader isn’t engaged within the first few chapters, you run the risk of losing their attention. So, what

What happens after a story’s climactic moment? What comes after the protagonist wins the girl, or defeats the bully, or triumphs over

The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for. They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling in love

Story is always a journey of self-discovery “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Embarking on a creative endeavor, especially

At the heart of every story lies a dilemma. It is not a question of whether or not your protagonist has a

Story is the most powerful way we have to express ideas. We can actually see the journey that a human being takes

A director told me once that if you put two actors together in a scene without directing them or staging the scene,
Backstory includes all the events from your characters’ pasts, details about their origins, plus any essential background information necessary to...
In simple terms, storytelling consists of three things: the beginning, middle, and end. However, this basic structure can often hide...
There’s no rhythm without some repeated notes. Certain literary and rhetorical devices are so ingrained in how we speak and...
Misdirection — the art of strategically concealing and revealing information — is one of the most potent literary tools that...
Try to recall your favorite story. How did it begin? What were the first words? If the first lines of...
What is a story without a plot? Not much! A plot is the sequence of events that helps give a...
It’s a tale as old as time. The protagonist is torn from their ordinary life and sets off to face...
All stories must eventually come to a conclusion, or “resolution.” As an author, your job is to ensure that the...
For some writers, just getting the story started is the toughest part. There’s so much you want to say, but...
Theme is a way of making a series of events which are personal to the protagonist universally relatable to a...
Rising action refers to the series of events that lead from a story’s inciting incident to the climax. In this...
With storytelling, if your reader isn’t engaged within the first few chapters, you run the risk of losing their attention....
What happens after a story’s climactic moment? What comes after the protagonist wins the girl, or defeats the bully, or...
The climax. This is the moment your reader has been waiting for. They’ve spent hours immersed in your story, falling...
Story is always a journey of self-discovery “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Embarking on a creative...
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma. It is not a question of whether or not your protagonist...
Story is the most powerful way we have to express ideas. We can actually see the journey that a human...
A director told me once that if you put two actors together in a scene without directing them or staging...