The role of subplots in your novel
Discover how subplots enhance your novel and learn how to create secondary storylines that support the main plot without overshadowing it
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The unnecessary prologue: How to avoid the info-dump trap
The unnecessary prologue: How to avoid the info-dump trap I keep hearing that the publishing industry is fed up with prologues. I keep seeing new novels with prologues get published. Clearly, the publishing industry is not so fed up with prologues that it won’t publish novels with prologues. So what gives? Well, I’m not a
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Dump the info-dump: How to do exposition without boring your readers
Keep your fiction writing fresh by cutting down on info-dump. Learn how to use exposition that holds readers’ attention and moves your story forward.
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The power of pauses: using silence in dialogue
The power of pauses: how to use silence effectively in fictional dialogue This is going to sound contradictory, but… silence matters in dialogue. Sometimes, it’s as important as what’s actually being said. The thing is, real conversations aren’t just about words flying back and forth at lightning speed. In fact, some of the most memorable
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Dialogue vs exposition: finding the balance
Dialogue vs exposition: finding the balance So, here’s the trouble with showing and not telling: showing usually takes a lot more words. There’s a wonderful quote from Anton Chekhov that goes: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” I love it and I use it a
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When (and how) to use fragmented dialogue for effect in fiction
When (and how) to use fragmented dialogue in fiction You know how real conversations rarely sound like perfectly polished sentences? People um and ah, interrupt each other, trail off mid-thought, or just don’t quite say what they mean. So why would fictional dialogue want to look like a grammar textbook? I’ve talked elsewhere about how
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Dialogue tags: what they are and how to use them
Dialogue tags: What they are and how to use them Dialogue is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal—but it’s also the tool that causes the most anxiety in emerging writers. Keeping your characters’ conversations flowing while injecting expository information, managing each individual voice, avoiding clunky phrasing, and charting a path around
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The importance of the narrative climax in storytelling
The importance of the narrative climax in storytelling Ever set off a firework and instead of soaring majestically into the air and exploding into all the colours of the rainbow it just kind of… fizzles? I mean… no, neither have I. I’m actually scared of fireworks. But I’m imagining it, and I bet you can
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How much backstory is too much?
How much backstory is too much? You may have heard it said that prologues are falling out of favour in the publishing industry. Like just about every rumour of its kind (“Publishers and agents are fed up with first-person present-tense narratives!” or “Young Adult dystopian fiction is on its way out…”) this one isn’t really
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How to make sure your protagonist’s character arc is doing what it needs to do
How to make sure your protagonist’s character arc is doing what it needs to do When writing your story, one of the most crucial elements is your protagonist’s character arc. Readers want to see growth, transformation, and evolution—it’s part of what turns a series of interconnected events into a narrative. So… how do you make
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