Now Novel
Jordan Kantey is an editor, writer and writing workshop facilitator. He’s been helping authors develop their stories for ten years. He achieved his Honours in English Literature with distinction from the University of Cape Town. He has had poems published in several journals and an anthology. He blogs about writing craft and process at Now Novel and loves to help aspiring authors reach their goals.
Characterization – how you make a fictional character seem like a real, living, breathing person – is tricky. Besides describing characters physically, you need to convey their motivations, goals, personalities and flaws to make characters truly three-dimensional. Here are 5 characterization examples that show how to reveal your characters’ vital qualities:
Conflict is a key ingredient of an engrossing story. ‘Internal conflict’ and ‘external conflict’ are two terms you’ll often hear when people discuss character creation. Read definitions of these types of story conflict, then how to use them to develop your story:
We interview literary agent Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group. Mark shares his insights into the process and benefits of finding a literary agent, the factors that influence publishers’ manuscript choices, and more.
The best book setting ideas are effective. In a novel where the author performs careful worldbuilding, the story setting enriches plot events with atmosphere and mood; context and contrast. Here are 6 story setting examples and tips we can gather from reading them
Naming characters for a novel or short story is sometimes tricky. Finding fictional character names that suit characters’ personalities or carry apt connotations is rewarding, though. Here are 5 steps to choose a great character name:
Writing romance is perennially popular, and romance novels continue to sell in great numbers. Learn how to write a romance novel and avoid clichés in your love story ideas, themes and characters. Start with these 9 romance writing tips:
Understanding how to use writing tenses is challenging. How do you mix past, present and future tense without making the reader giddy? What is the difference between ‘simple’ and ‘perfect’ tense? Read this simple guide for answers to these questions and more:
Learning how to make a good story great requires mastering the essentials of writing craft: Plot (cause and effect), characterization, narration, description and dialogue. If you’ve written a good story but feel it could be more interesting, these 9 steps will help you transform it into a better first draft:
If you’ve tried to write a novel and have put it aside, you might ask ‘What will help me write a book?’ It’s crucial, on the one hand, to choose a book idea that allows for story development, for rising and falling action. Here are 7 steps to make your process easier:
