Blog

Prologues— when done well—can make the reader invested in your story before they’ve even started Chapter One. However, when not done well, prologues are unnecessary or just plain boring, and readers...

In fiction, love shows up across all genres, complicating plots and transforming the protagonist. Even if you aren’t writing a romance novel, love might still be in the cards.

If you’re writing a l...

All writers want to keep readers turning the pages of their stories from start to finish. We want the readers to be captivated by the protagonist’s struggles and successes. We want them emotionally at...

The genre of fantasy covers a broad spectrum of subgenres, including "high fantasy," also called epic fantasy. But how do you write a high fantasy book or series? Does it need to have magic? Dragons? ...

For readers to care about your story, they have to know what's at stake. And you can only know the stakes if you know what your protagonist is trying to achieve— their goal.

So what is a character'...

“Wow, I can’t stop thinking about that story! It was so good!” Every writer dreams of hearing this response from their readers. You worked hard on drawing the reader in and keeping them turning pages ...

A work of narrative nonfiction (also known as creative nonfiction or literary nonfiction) is a true story that is factually written— but reads like a novel. Rather than giving a journalistic, straig...

So you're ready to embark on the journey of writing your first novel. How are you feeling? Excited? Nervous? That's perfectly normal! After all, writing a book is no small feat.

As a new writer, th...