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How to evoke powerful images in your reader's mind
Guest author Jerry Jenkins shares his top tips for authors, including 'engaging the theater of your reader's mind' and resisting the urge to explain. A writer wrote me recently and complained she was struggling to get enough detail into her story to give her readers the 'same pictures I see ...
May 9th, 2019
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8 novel writing tips from accomplished authors
Experienced novelists know the focus and determination it takes to write a novel from start to finish. Read 8 authors' advice on writing a book: 1. Discover when and where you write best The Nobel-winning author Toni Morrison shared insights into her writing process with The Paris Review i...
May 21st, 2019
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Giving writing feedback: Improve your craft
Giving writing feedback is not often presented as a core step in becoming a better writer. Yet many distinguished authors were once (or still are) teachers, too. Here are 6 reasons why giving writing feedback improves your craft: 1. Giving writing feedback helps you problem-solve Problem-...
May 26th, 2019
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Grabbing attention with scene beginnings: 5 tips
Writing scene beginnings readers find compelling is a useful skill to develop. Here are 5 ways to write strong scene beginnings, with examples: 1. Start scenes with unusual events in motion Scenes that begin with 'business as usual' can be fascinating in their own right, if we tell them in...
June 5th, 2019
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Writing scene endings: 6 ways to entice readers
How you end a scene determines whether your reader will read another chapter immediately or not. Here are 6 tips for writing scene endings that entice readers to carry on (with examples): 1. End scenes with surprise When we find stories boring, we might say they were 'predictable'. Unpredictabili...
June 10th, 2019
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7 dialogue rules for writing fantastic conversations
Dialogue rules aren't set in stone but help us create believable characters who have distinct, memorable voices. The best dialogue gives insights into characters and their motivations. Getting dialogue punctuation right is important, as is keeping dialogue entertaining. Here are 7...
September 26th, 2019
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How do you write an outline for a novel? 7 easy steps
Many authors enjoy the creative freedom of not having any structure to begin. Yet writing a story outline has many benefits. A flexible plan makes brainstorming ideas, finding possible character arcs and other parts of the writing process so much easier. Read seven simple steps to write an outli...
June 18th, 2019
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Writing first lines: 100 bestsellers' lessons
When telling a story, your opening sentence needs to be catchy, so readers continue. The best first lines of books show us the common devices authors use to grab our curiosity. We analyzed 100 New York Times bestsellers' first lines to share the following insights: 1. Introduce interesting ch...
July 9th, 2019
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Plot structure examples: Creative plot lessons from stories
Concrete plot structure examples teach us how to structure a story with purpose. Read illustrative examples of well-known stories' plot structure, from children's stories to famous epics and novels: First: What is 'plot structure'? 'Plot structure' refers to the patterns the events of a st...
July 15th, 2019
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How to start a short story: 5 lessons from great writers
If anyone can teach us how to start a short story, it's authors famed for their skill in writing shorter tales. Read 5 examples of effective short story openings and what they teach us: 1. Learn how to start a short story from Faulkner: Create intrigue Neil Gaiman wrote: 'Short stories ...
July 22nd, 2019
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How to Start a Chapter: 7 Ways to Hook Your Reader
Itβs not just chapter one that needs to draw your reader in. Here are 7 ways to hook your reader at the start of any chapter.
March 18th, 2025
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Story plot ideas: 8 fun ways to find your premise
Finding story plot ideas that grab hold of your imagination is easy if you know where to look. Try these 8 ways to find a strong premise for your story: 1. Keep a journal to mine for plot ideas Often we overhear anecdotes or have surprising experiences that we forget in the rush of daily l...
August 12th, 2019
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