Three videos on the art of pacing

Posted on January 19, 2023 at 8:59 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Desmond Hall is back with an all-pacing edition of Desmond's Drops. The three video segments each address a technique that...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writer Unboxed, Writing advice

Keep your story's stakes front and center in these three moments

Posted on January 15, 2023 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Writers have a reputation for, shall we say, not exactly coddling their characters. And Kathryn Craft's post for Writer Unboxed...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writer Unboxed, Writing advice

How authors can apply chaos theory to their fiction writing

Posted on January 5, 2023 at 9:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

For some of us, our love of reading and writing was rivaled only by our hatred of math. (Or is...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writer Unboxed

Writing experts share the biggest mistake they see in novels

Posted on January 4, 2023 at 3:30 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Editor Ken Brosky and book coach C.S. Lakin — both of whom are also authors themselves — recently shared pieces...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Tips on gradually raising the stakes in your story

Posted on October 4, 2022 at 10:03 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

On one hand, as we enjoy beautiful autumn weather in the Midwest, the sight of the word "snowball" makes us...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

How to make your story's plot more than just a road map

Posted on September 26, 2022 at 10:53 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

As has been discussed before, your story idea might be born of an intriguing character or fascinating plot — and...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative, Writing advice

Three ways to improve the escalation in your novel

Posted on September 19, 2022 at 3:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Writer Unboxed's Desmond Hall has previously hit upon how to improve the escalation in your novel. Now, he's diving in...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Characters, Plot / narrative, Writer Unboxed, Writing advice

Don't let subplots bury your story's central conflict

Posted on September 13, 2022 at 9:22 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Becca Puglisi, co-author of the The Conflict Thesaurus, expects that most writers have heard the advice to have conflict in...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Plot / narrative, Writing advice

The questions an author wants a reader to be asking

Posted on September 7, 2022 at 2:58 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Make no mistake — as an author, you do want your reader asking questions. You just don't want those questions...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: Jane Friedman, Plot / narrative

Feel stuck? Ask yourself what your novel's theme is

Posted on August 25, 2022 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

Your story doesn't need to be pushing a particular message. But, says C.S. Lakin, it should be about something that...

Categories: Behind the scenes

Tagged As: C.S. Lakin / Live Write Thrive, Plot / narrative, Writing advice