Dive Deeper to Understand Your Protagonist’s Why
It's axiomatic that your fictional protagonist needs a goal; otherwise, you won't have much of a story to tell. But even the strongest goal will...
People Don’t Think That Way: Examples on Writing Deep POV
In a post on Writers in the Storm, Laurie Schnebly Campbell examines deep POV, offering both a definition and good examples of how to...
Emotions Are Your Gateway to Story
Maya Angelou once said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget...
How Trauma Informs an Unreliable Narrator
There are many story reasons explaining why your MC may be an unreliable narrator. They might struggle with mental illness or substance abuse, or...
Leveraging Your Characters’ Biases
In their latest podcast, the Writing Excuses hosts and guest Fonda Lee suggest ways you can leverage your characters' biases in your novel. Regardless...
Use RPGs to Bounce Your Characters Off Real(ish) People
Dungeons and Dragons has experienced a resurgence in the last few years and its reputation is at least 50% less dorky than it was...
When Your Hero Needs to Feel the Pinch
Creating dramatic tension in your story requires you to put your character in some kind of physical or emotional jeopardy, and that requires a...
Structure is a Thing, but It’s Not the Only Thing
Writers are bombarded with advice on structure. Three-act structure, Seven Steps, 22 Steps, the Hero's Journey--you can't swing a cat without hitting Save the...
Sometimes, You Can Skip the Oxford Comma
In a guest post on Janice Hardy's blog, Dario Ciriello discusses how punctuation can help you create a more flowing narrative, and how meter...
What’s in a Character Name? Sometimes, the Success of Your Story
The naming of things is important. God gave Adam the task of naming the creatures of the world. Magical beings withhold their true names,...
