Plot and Story Structure

Plot is defined as a series of events connected together in a storyline. A plot can be many things; a romance, a rebellion, a quest, it all depends on the type of story. But what these different plots have in common is structure. Every story has structure, or should if it’s going to be a...

Story Basics: Main Characters

Your main character can make or break the story, because they are such an integral part. They play a central role in the plot, and the whole story revolves around them. Because of the weight they have in the story, you need to make sure you write them correctly.  In part, it’s important that your...

Learning Story Beats Through Audiobooks

I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, and through listening I’ve come to a better understanding of story beats. In reading, because it takes me so long or because I’m just not paying attention to the length of the story or where I’m at, I struggle to notice similarities in stories regarding story...

Overwriting: Why It Happens And How To Fix It

Overwriting is surprisingly a really easy problem to have. Especially in first drafts, it's really easy to write a lot of stuff the story doesn't need. Fluff, filler, unnecessary scenes and dialogue, drawn out story lines, this can all be contributed to overwriting. Often it can come from being uncertain of what you want to...

Clear Character Design

Clear character design can be a challenge, but it's important to start with the basics and build up from there. There are two parts to character design, internal and external, or personality and aesthetic. Starting with internal design, you want to start with one or two key, defining traits. These are the character's most prominent...

Originality Vs. Authenticity

As storytellers, as writers, we want our stories to be completely unique, unlike anything else. So we strive for originality, when really, it's impossible. There are six basic plot types, and twelve basic character types, and beyond that, most stories resemble each other in some way purely because of the sheer amount of stories there...

Staying Focused On Writing

With most of the world in quarantine right now, we have a lot of time for writing. But also, it's hard to be focused and stay focused on writing. I know I struggle with it, and these are my top tips for staying focused and getting writing done. First off, set aside time to write...

Character Introductions

Don't be tempted to take the introduction of your characters lightly, because their first moments in the story are incredibly important. Those first moments with a character can and should be used to 'set the tone' for that character. Their first scene should be an introduction of their personality, a short peak at who they...

NaNo Help: Plot

Characters may be the most important thing in writing (at least in my opinion), but plot is literally what stories are about. Plot is the backbone of a story, and without a plot you don't really have much. Plot is what pushes your characters forward, its what keeps the story moving, and gives it purpose....

NaNoWriMo 101

It's October now, which means November is coming up fast, and with it, NaNoWriMo!Over the coming weeks, I'll be writing a series of blog posts to help you with NaNoWriMo, should you choose to participate. But today, the basics. What Is NaNoWriMo? First off, what the heck is NaNoWriMo? Honestly, it a good question, because...