Have you ever been a bit hazy on the difference between conflict and tension? If so, you aren’t alone. It’s common to confuse the two because they’re often used together to deliver a one-two dramatic punch. The difference between them is subtle, but important: Conflict is a force that stands … [Read more...] about Tension and the Power of Unanswered Questions
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How to Generate Powerful Story Conflict
Conflict is a powerful tool for storytellers, allowing us to place roadblocks, challenges, adversaries and more in a character’s way so the road to their goal is much more difficult. Deployed well, conflict creates tension and intensity for reader, capturing their attention for the length of the … [Read more...] about How to Generate Powerful Story Conflict
Failure in Fiction
Writers need to have a sadistic streak to inflict pain—emotional or physical—on our beloved characters repeatedly, but failure is important in fiction. Without it, the story drags. Why to Include Failure Without failure, we decrease the stakes, consequences, and slow the pace. And, most … [Read more...] about Failure in Fiction
Scene Mastery: Navigating Common Goal-Driven Scene Pitfalls
Goal-driven scenes are akin to the classic joke setup, “A _____ and a _____ walk into a bar …” A _____ and a _____ walk into a bar. The scene begins with the entrance of the protagonist and antagonist. The first guy says … The first guy, … [Read more...] about Scene Mastery: Navigating Common Goal-Driven Scene Pitfalls
Strong Character Relationships: From Friendships to Romance
As a romance author, I’ve learned how to portray deep romantic relationships between my characters, focusing on techniques to make the relationship believable, healthy, and something readers will root for. Believe it or not, some of those same techniques can also help us portray strong friendships … [Read more...] about Strong Character Relationships: From Friendships to Romance
Five Elements of Relationship Plotlines
Whether you are writing romance, adventure, fantasy, or mystery, nearly every well-told story has a relationship plotline. Unfortunately, though, entertaining banter or fiery arguments alone aren’t enough to sustain that plotline. Your characters may be love interests, friends, neighbors, allies, … [Read more...] about Five Elements of Relationship Plotlines
Tips for Writing a Successful Story Climax
Escalation is an important element of story structure. The opening pages are often quiet as key players are introduced, the setting is established, and readers are given a glimpse of what's wrong in the protagonist's world. The catalyst then provides a choice, where the hero leaves their ordinary … [Read more...] about Tips for Writing a Successful Story Climax
NaNoWriMo: Top Tips for Smashing Out 50K
The iconic NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge has many of you rolling up your sleeves to pound out a novel. Becca and I love this event because it is a great time to become explore deep level ideas, experiment, and show ourselves we are absolutely capable of putting a novel-length … [Read more...] about NaNoWriMo: Top Tips for Smashing Out 50K
Three Ways to Make Readers Care About Secondary Characters
A common mistake I see in client manuscripts is a cast of secondary characters that simply exist to help or to outright block the protagonist. They’re either ready, willing, and able to drop everything to help that protagonist reach their own goal. Or they’re a character who is out to make the … [Read more...] about Three Ways to Make Readers Care About Secondary Characters
Writing Flawed Characters Who Don’t Turn Readers Off
No one in the real world is perfect, and so characters shouldn't be either. To seem as real as you or me, they should have flaws and strengths, and these sides of their personality should line up with who they are, how they were raised, and reflect the experiences they've had to date, good and bad. … [Read more...] about Writing Flawed Characters Who Don’t Turn Readers Off
Writing About Pain: Invisible Injuries and Conditions
In this series on pain, we've covered everything from minor injuries to major and mortal injuries. But there's another source of pain that can push our characters to the edge of coping: invisible injuries and conditions. When readers see a bruise, cut, or gunshot wound, it's easier for them to … [Read more...] about Writing About Pain: Invisible Injuries and Conditions
Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Christ Figure
In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—"universal images that have existed since the remotest times." He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different … [Read more...] about Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Christ Figure