• How to form your story’s basic structureIn every story, something happens. These events form the structure of your tale. Plot, then, is the drama and action through which characters com…
Even if your story offers a lot of dramatic tension and the sentences are tightly constructed, it still can feel a bit monochrome or colorless. When that occurs, the writing probably is not particu…
Use bridge to transition from flashback to present
Sometimes when reading a story, readers find themselves doing a double take and re-reading a page or two. This usually occurs because readers are no longer able to make sense of the narration. They…
If you’re tempted to trick readers by having a portion of your story’s plot occur only in a dream, give serious second thought to it. Especially if writing science fiction, such a gimmick is a…
Readers who have reached the end of your novel are prime candidates to talk about your book. One great way to encourage them to do so is by adding a reader’s guide. This provides some boost to…
“…for the right readers, your vision blooms off the page and is absorbed into their minds like smoke, where it will re-form, whole and alive, fully adapted to its new environment.” ̵…
For the full article, click the linked title: • How to pen engaging dialogue for your storyNo doubt your story will include dialogue in which characters speak to one another. Unfortunately, too man…
“Language is the light of the mind.” – John Stuart Mill“Words, whether weaved as poetry or prose, can always find space to survive and thrive.” – Harriet Anena“Among my most prized poss…
One variation of developing a story is to present a crucial event’s consequences rather than directly telling or showing it. Using this approach is called shadow staging, a term coined by Camb…
You’ve just put the finishing touches on your book and are about to send it off to an editor, a literary agent, or maybe even a publishing house. Seemingly countless hours of thought and sweat…
Rob Bignell, Editor/Author
