Helping Writers Become Authors
730 episodes — Page 9 of 15
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 49: Weak Conjunctions
How to Create Awesome Scene Arcs That Surprise Readers
5 Important Ways Storytelling Is Different in Books vs. Movies
The 4 Tweaks to Writing Truly Original Stories and Characters
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 48: No Conflict Between Characters
Your NaNo Novel Is a Hot Mess! How to Edit Your Book
The Re-Readability Factor: Does Your Book Have It? 5 Ways to Make It Happen
Most Common Mistakes Series, Pt. 47: Ineffective Setting Descriptions
How to Study Plot and Character in Your Favorite Stories: 5 Easy Steps
Coincidences in Fiction: What You're Doing Wrong
Not Feeling Creative? 4 Ways to Reignite the "Wonder" in Your Writing
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 46: Anticlimactic Endings
How to Choose the Right POV (What I Learned Writing Storming)
How to Write Multiple Antagonists (What I Learned Writing Storming)
How to Write Can't-Look-Away Chapter Breaks (What I Learned Writing Storming)
6 Steps to Create a Fantastic Narrative Voice (What I Learned Writing Storming)
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 45: Avoiding "Said"
How to Win NaNo Using Totally Doable Daily and Weekly Writing Goals
7 Ways to Keep Writing During NaNo When You Only Want to Watch Football
6 Tasks You'll Love Yourself for Checking Off Your NaNo Pre-Writing List
7 Ways to Use NaNoWriMo to Make You a Better Writer All Year Long
Your Fiction May Be Failing for One Simple Reason: You're Not Being Honest
How to Edit Fiction: Watch Me Correct My Own Story in Real Time
8 Paragraph Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 44: Too Many Participle Phrases
How to Write a Sequel That's BETTER Than the First Book
Protagonist and Main Character- Same Person? The Answer May Transform Your Story!
New Story Ideas Distracting You From Your Book? Find Out What You Should Do
4 Methods to Invigorate Your Prose With Surprising Sentences
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 43: Too Many Exclamation Points!
4 Ways to Write a Likable Protagonist at the Start of His Character Arc
Whom Should You Be Writing For? Yourself or Your Readers?
The Hardest Part of Writing Good Character Arcs-and How You Can Make It Look Easy!
Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 42: When Your Story Stakes Aren't High Enough
3 Ways to Make Writing Your Novel Easier
Ep 266Ep. 266: What Every Writer Ought to Know About the Omniscient POV
What's the problem with omniscient POV? Why are so many authors confused about it? And why are so many editors delivering digital hand slaps because of it?
Ep 255Ep. 255: Never Confuse the Key Event and the First Plot Point in Your Book Again!
Did you know a full understanding of the Key Event, its role in story structure, and its timing will help you write stronger First Plot Points?
Ep 254Ep. 254: Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 41: Inferring Non-POV Characters' Thoughts
Is your narrator killing subtext by inferring other characters' thoughts too accurately? Find out in this latest of the Most Common Writing Mistakes!
Ep 256Ep. 256: A Reactive Protagonist Doesn't Have to Be a Passive Protagonist! Discover the Difference
One of the stickiest questions any writer is likely to face is: What's the difference between a reactive protagonist and a passive protagonist?
Ep 255Ep. 255: Stories That Matter: 5 Necessary Factors for Weighty Fiction
Can you identify the five most important factors in creating weight and substance in stories that matter?
Ep 254Ep. 254: How the Perfect Midpoint Moves Your Protagonist From Reaction to Action
When your story's Midpoint properly facilitates the all-important shift in the middle of your story, your conflict is sure to progress in a powerful way.
Ep 253Ep. 253: Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 40: Unnecessary Scenes
Discover four types of unnecessary scenes that may be sinking your book - and three ways to find them and kill them.
Ep 252Ep. 252: Find Out if Your Prologue Is Destroying Your Story's Subtext
Take a look at how poor prologues sap stories, how no prologue can strengthen stories, and how to determine if your story is one of the exceptions.
Ep 251Ep. 251: My Writing Process, Pt. 2 of 2: How I Use Scrivener to Write My First Drafts
Here's what my daily writing process looks like when using Scrivener for my first drafts.
Ep 250Ep. 250: My Writing Process, Pt. 1 of 2: How I Use Scrivener to Outline My Novels
Today, I'm offering a sneak peek under the hood of my writing process when using Scrivener - and how you can use Scrivener to up your writing game.
Ep 249Want Readers to Adore Your Book? Learn How to Ace Your Climactic Moment
The Climactic Moment is the reason your story is even being told in the first place. Needless to say, it's pretty important you get it right. Find out how!
Ep 248Ep. 248: What Are Pinch Points? And How Can They Make Your Book Easier to Write?
What are pinch points? Of all the important moments in your story, they are most likely to be neglected. But they're crucial to your story structure.
Ep 247Ep. 247: Your Book's Inciting Event: It's Not What You Think It Is
The trouble with identifying the Inciting Event is that the term is applied rather wildly to half a dozen different moments in the story. Which is right?
Ep 246Ep. 246: Want to Know More About the Structure of Your Favorite Books and Movies? Announcing the Story Structure Database!
Today, I'm excited to put an end to the guessing about the "Big Secret" and unveil a new resource for authors. The official Story Structure Database.
Ep 245Ep. 245: For Writers on the Verge of Writing Spectacularly Complex Characters
The ironic thing about about complex characters in fiction is that the essence of what makes them so wonderfully complicated is actually incredibly simple.