Book Structure
How to Organize Research for Your Book
If you’re writing a book, at some point, you’ll need to research, whether it’s a tiny factoid to supplement a scene or story, or a deep dive into psychological studies to build your argument. Conducting research is part of the job description. The challenge comes in organizing the information so that we can find it…
Read MoreDoes this “flow”? A checklist to check for and create flow in your writing.
Every writing teacher or coach ever has had a student ask this question, “Does my writing flow?” I’d bet money on it. Writers ask it because they know that the piece isn’t flowing, but they have no idea how to fix it or even how to define flow. They just know they haven’t achieved it.…
Read MoreHow to Write Chapter 1: Include the 4 C's and a Q
[originally published 11/2014; updated 5/2021] Starting a new project is often the most exciting stage. As creative writers, we get to put our imaginations to work dreaming up witty and fun characters, fantastic settings, conflicts that would destroy anyone but our stalwart protagonist, and plot twists that readers never see coming. We get it all…
Read MoreWhat is a Character Arc?
Is a character arc a giant boat for characters that Noah built? Or perhaps it’s a lovely arched rainbow for our characters to walk through? Nope, it’s none of those. A character arc refers to how a character changes through a story. Your characters, especially the main characters, should experience some sort of change throughout…
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