When you read a line spoken in formal diction such as, “I regret to inform you that your services are...
Suspense is all about what might happen. It’s not the moment of danger itself that evokes suspense, but the growing...
The Seeker archetype is a character beset by a divine discontent, an inner yearning for something just beyond their reach....
Is first-person omniscient narration even possible? Most writers are taught point of view as a set of hard and fast...
You’ve finished your manuscript and you want to get a book deal with a traditional publisher. Where do you start? ...
“Can you send me your writing portfolio?” For many writers, that’s the moment everything stops. You might feel like a...
Coming of age is never easy. You might have been the popular kid in school, armed with academic excellence, physical...
Occasionally, tucked somewhere between an introduction, epigraph, and dedication, a book might have a prologue. This is the story before...
Magical realism invites the impossible into the ordinary. This genre asks us to accept the fantastical without question. The supernatural...
A powerful way to shift the perspective of your audience is to employ dramatic irony. This literary device lets the...
The first time you experienced the magic of storytelling, odds are it was a personal story you heard in first...
Motifs are one of the best literary devices you can have in your writer’s toolbox. Essentially, a motif is a...
The cumulative sentence is a versatile sentence structure that helps writers develop rhythm, reveal character, and enrich description within a single line.
Dialogue tags are essential to keeping up the illusion of storytelling. Dialogue ceases to be words on a page, and readers start
Typically, we view a scapegoat simply as a plot device — an innocent bystander blamed for a criminal act, or the black
Almost every writer has, at some point, re-read something they worked hard on and realized it wasn’t quite right. It lays flat
Previously, I went over third person omniscient and third person limited points of view. There’s one more to consider: third person objective
For writers, implying subtext can be difficult, but it is also essential. The challenge lies in knowing what needs to be said
The Fichtean Curve takes a different approach from other story structure models. Most structure templates take a little time to establish the
You may have heard the conventional wisdom that passive voice misuse means it should be stricken from your writing entirely. While it
Writers often quote a poem within their own work. This can help to set the tone, build deeper thematic connections, or key
As a writer, your goal is to keep your readers immersed by drawing them into the world your characters inhabit. One way
Think of story structure as the skeleton of your tale. We all have different lives, different styles, different appearances. But for the
If you’ve found yourself enchanted by tales of a bygone era, you’re likely a fan of historical fiction. In this genre, the
Every writer at one time or another thinks: I need to write faster. The page is blank. The clock is ticking. And
One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was: read your work aloud. When you do, you begin to
Your goal as a writer is to immerse your readers fully in your story, to help them experience what it feels like
If you want to become a better writer, flash fiction is a powerful way to strengthen your storytelling muscles. Flash fiction is
There’s a particular kind of courage in writing about the world as it actually is. Although our imaginations can take us to
Can you recall some of the most well-executed foreshadowing examples in books you’ve read? Or in your favorite films? In a great
The cumulative sentence is a versatile sentence structure that helps writers develop rhythm, reveal character, and enrich description within a...
Dialogue tags are essential to keeping up the illusion of storytelling. Dialogue ceases to be words on a page, and...
Typically, we view a scapegoat simply as a plot device — an innocent bystander blamed for a criminal act, or...
Almost every writer has, at some point, re-read something they worked hard on and realized it wasn’t quite right. It...
Previously, I went over third person omniscient and third person limited points of view. There’s one more to consider: third...
For writers, implying subtext can be difficult, but it is also essential. The challenge lies in knowing what needs to...
The Fichtean Curve takes a different approach from other story structure models. Most structure templates take a little time to...
You may have heard the conventional wisdom that passive voice misuse means it should be stricken from your writing entirely....
Writers often quote a poem within their own work. This can help to set the tone, build deeper thematic connections,...
As a writer, your goal is to keep your readers immersed by drawing them into the world your characters inhabit....
Think of story structure as the skeleton of your tale. We all have different lives, different styles, different appearances. But...
If you’ve found yourself enchanted by tales of a bygone era, you’re likely a fan of historical fiction. In this...
Every writer at one time or another thinks: I need to write faster. The page is blank. The clock is...
One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was: read your work aloud. When you do, you...
Your goal as a writer is to immerse your readers fully in your story, to help them experience what it...
If you want to become a better writer, flash fiction is a powerful way to strengthen your storytelling muscles. Flash...
There’s a particular kind of courage in writing about the world as it actually is. Although our imaginations can take...
Can you recall some of the most well-executed foreshadowing examples in books you’ve read? Or in your favorite films? In...