Writers Helping Writers^®

Middles

Story Not Behaving? Try Going Deeper into Structure

September 14, 2021

Story Not Behaving? Try Going Deeper into Structure

September 14, 2021

With all the writing advice out there, we know that some “writing rules” we hear are more like guidelines. However, story structure is important not just for our writing but…

In a lecture series on Youtube, #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson talks about the three P’s of plot structure: Promise. Progress. Payoff. Promises are particularly important in the beginning of the…

Stuck in No-Man’s-Land: Your Novel’s Middle

November 19, 2020

Stuck in No-Man’s-Land: Your Novel’s Middle

November 19, 2020

If you have hit the point in your draft where you’re looking out at the vast landscape of your novel with no idea where to go next, congratulations…you’ve probably made…

Might as Well Jump—into the Third Act

May 19, 2020

Might as Well Jump—into the Third Act

May 19, 2020

Have you ever been burned by your story? Often, authors get burned in the second act, and when it’s time to start the third act, the writing can feel like…

Why All Writers Need A Structural Toolbox

March 17, 2020

Why All Writers Need A Structural Toolbox

March 17, 2020

What Is A Structural Toolbox? Put simply, a structural toolbox is the foundation work all writers need to put in to ensure they … understand how structure works can apply…

Storytelling Decisions: What’s the Right Pace for Your Story?

March 10, 2020

Storytelling Decisions: What’s the Right Pace for Your Story?

March 10, 2020

As we learn to write, we often hear about the need to create a strong pace in our story. Many seem to think that a strong pace requires a fast…

Fall in Love with Your Second Act

February 18, 2020

Fall in Love with Your Second Act

February 18, 2020

I love me some Billy Joel. I especially love this song. Granted, it’s a song that deals with a serious issue in a gentle way, but I do think that, on…

Avoiding Change: What’s Stopping Our Characters?

September 10, 2019

Avoiding Change: What’s Stopping Our Characters?

September 10, 2019

Stories are about change. Our characters’ world is changing around them, or they’re changing internally—or both. Yet at the same time, we know change is hard. In our own lives,…