Category: plot
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Quense tells how he writes his books and doesn’t apologize for it
Here is my review of Hank Quense’s Planning a Novel, Script or Memoir as it appears in Goodreads and Amazon: I’ve read many books on writing fiction and after a while I see the same theories and best practices over and over. This is not necessarily a bad thing because a reminder is always helpful. However,…
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What I’m learning as I write my novel, part 2
In my previous blog entry, I began listing some things I’m learning as I write my current novel. Here are some more: Let the story unfold like a snowflake. When writing the discovery draft of a novel, I like to use the snowflake method. This is a method created by writer Randy Ingermanson. I mentioned…
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Fiction writing workshop: story structure
When planning a novel, the most helpful tool I’ve found is a thousands-year-old recipe called the three-act structure. It’s helped me plan out my novels more effectively than any fiction writing software. What is the three-act structure? Greek philosopher, Aristotle, came up with this structure. He said a good story has three acts: a beginning,…
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Periodic table of storytelling
Let this periodic table of storytelling destroy your writer’s block.
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Hero’s Journey
I found this helpful for writing fiction: The Hero’s Journey. “The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves…
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Writing Blog Roundup: villian characters, scene stealers, draft plan, reasons why, toddler talking
You might find this interesting: Fifty shades of villain: how to characterize without cliche. This past weekend, ABC Family had a Harry Potter marathon . . . Scene stealers: sensuous writing. Welcome to Scene Stealers, our series of writing prompts designed to flex your creative muscles . . . The five-draft plan. How many times do…
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Writing Blog Roundup: Wrong Advice, Plot Twist, Writer’s Block, Telling the Truth and Character’s Clothes
Some blog articles I’ve read lately about writing: Words of advice from famous authors that are just wrong. I imagine this post is bound to draw some criticism, but bring it on! . . . Five ways to write a killer plot twist. I love plot twists. Mistaken identities, sneaky plans, sleight of hand—it’s all…
Andrew M. Friday 