The Best Characters are Problematic
One of the key tenets of fiction is that your characters must be well-rounded. Your protagonists must have strengths and flaws. Your villains should...
Let Your Story Tell You What It’s About
Many writers don't fret about theme. They might have a basic idea about moral, but rarely delve into the meatier element of theme, preferring...
Tie Setting to Character to Create an Immersive Experience
In a new post, Mary Carroll Moore offers advice for creating settings that allow your readers to get lost in your story world. "I...
How Side Quests and Subplots Can Beef Up Your Story
Side quests aren't just for D&D or WOW - in a post on Well-Storied, Kristen Kieffer says that add-on goals or other distractions from...
Genre is a Distinction Without a Distinction
What's in a genre? Are Fahrenheit 451 and Slaughterhouse 5 science fiction novels, because they involve a dystopian future and time travel, respectively? Or...
How to Crack into a Character’s Head
Sometimes writers are lucky enough to have a character (or three) arrive fully formed in our heads. We know their wants and desires, their...
The Joys of Big Casts
Writers are often told not to feature too many characters in their novels. You'll find it hard to keep track of them all. Readers...
Watch Out for Unnecessary Redundant Words
In a post on Killzone, writer and writing coach James Scott Bell says writers should be wary of "gilding the lily" - over-explaining or...
Bring Your M.I.C.E. Together for a Satisfying Story
In the latest edition of their podcast, the Writing Excuses hosts have their final discussion about the M.I.C.E. (Milieu, Inquiry, Character, and Event) elements...
Six Great Ways to Open Your Story
As writers, we obsess over introductions. Introducing our characters, their goals and conflicts, our setting and story world. But one element many writers fail...
