plotting & planning
all our free writing craft resources on crafting your story’s structure!
Top 5 Reasons Stories Fall Flat (+ how to fix them!)
When stories fall flat, it’s often because readers are missing something. Even if they don’t consciously recognize it, our readers innately know when stories are missing something, and it keeps them from [...]
The Magic of Character Arcs
We've all heard about "character arcs." We know they're important. We know they have to do with a character's journey through the story. But what does that actually MEAN? "Character arcs" [...]
Start Your Story Strong
You likely have an idea of what your story is about and what will happen to your characters—a young woman embarks on a quest to save a prince from a dragon; a [...]
How to Write Act Breaks
Readers are most intrigued by characters that make choices. We’re less interested in what happens to a character than we are what the character is going to do about it. One of [...]
Top 5 Reasons Stories Fall Flat (+ how to fix them!)
When stories fall flat, it’s often because readers are missing something. Even if they don’t consciously recognize it, our readers innately know when stories are missing something, and it keeps them from [...]
The Magic of Character Arcs
We've all heard about "character arcs." We know they're important. We know they have to do with a character's journey through the story. But what does that actually MEAN? "Character arcs" [...]
Start Your Story Strong
You likely have an idea of what your story is about and what will happen to your characters—a young woman embarks on a quest to save a prince from a dragon; a [...]
How to Write Act Breaks
Readers are most intrigued by characters that make choices. We’re less interested in what happens to a character than we are what the character is going to do about it. One of [...]
Create Killer Character Goals
Imagine reading a story where the protagonist doesn’t want anything, doesn’t care about anything, and you have no idea what motivates them. That’s probably a book you’re going to put [...]
How to Nail Your First and Last Scenes
So many writers obsess over the very first line of their story. If I can just get this right, they think, I’ll grab my readers attention and they’ll be hooked! While [...]
How to Shape a Character Arc Using Pivot Points
Stories are about journeys of change. Readers want to see how your flawed main character will fight for what they want, how their weaknesses will hold them back, and how they’ll overcome [...]
How to Pick the Perfect Protagonist
Stories are about change—specifically, they are about how characters change. Characters are the heart and soul of any story, which means that we should develop the story around them—starting with your protagonist. [...]
How Plot + Character Intersect
As readers, we’re engaged in a story’s plot because we know what the main character wants and why—and we’re dying to find out how far they’ll go to get it. We’re not [...]
The Magic of Character Arcs
We've all heard about "character arcs." We know they're important. We know they have to do with a character's journey through the story. [...]
Finding Your Ideal Reader (and why it’s important!)
When you’re daydreaming about your book being in your readers’ hands, who do you envision holding it? Who [...]
Writing Dialogue That Feels Natural
Writers often strive to make dialogue sound real. But the truth is that realistic dialogue (aka, dialogue you [...]
