It’s so fun to start a new story. You’re in the honeymoon phase, crafting characters that make your heart twinge and throwing challenges their way to make them squirm. You’re exploring new worlds, casts and themes. It’s exhilarating—until you hit that inevitable 20-25% mark. Suddenly it’s time to launch into [...]
I love magic. When magic is well-designed, I feel it, picturing myself as a user, unleashing its power through my fingertips alongside the characters. To me, reading a well put-together magic system lights up my imagination and places me firmly inside the story. Creating a magic system, on the other hand, [...]
While reading, we become active participants in a point-of-view character’s journey (seriously, our brains become the character). This means that when characters undergo a deep journey of change, we do too. Character arcs are the method through which authors move hearts, change minds, and influence the world. What is a character [...]
You finished your first draft! That is a huge accomplishment. Do you know how many people in the world wish they could say that? Do you know how many unfinished manuscripts are out there gathering dust in the world? You’ve actually completed a draft of a novel. It’s real. [...]
The climax moment of your story is everything. It's Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy making up (+ making out). It's Katniss and Peeta agreeing to eat the poison berries. It's Jon Snow choosing between his brother's war and his Night's Watch vows... It's the scene of highest emotion, the point [...]
Scenes are the building blocks of stories. A scene has its own beginning, middle and end. The best scenes contain plot problems that push your protagonist to make a character-revealing decision that changes them or their world. To ensure your story is driving forward, with your character at the helm, [...]
Start with cultural values + environment. One of the reasons we read fantasy and science fiction is to experience new cultures and world views. We crave interesting governments, bizarre moral codes, and unique rituals. We’re fascinated by how these cultures survive in environments that are foreign to us—huge [...]
This post/page contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Golden May will only ever recommend products or services that we fully stand behind! Thanks for your support. A story that sticks with us is one with a strong point—a [...]
Great scenes build an exhilarating push and pull between a story’s plot and characters. Plot events drive characters to make choices, and their choices in turn shape future plot events. This wave of tension locks in readers, compelling them to read chapter after chapter. With the 15 key elements in this guide, you can claim this page-turning power as your own! We’ve included two analyzed, annotated scenes to show you how it all works.
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