🎉 NowNovel has a new look! Allow us to introduce ourselves.
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
Read post...
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
Read post...
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
Read post...
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
Read post...
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
Read post...
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
Read post...
How to start a chapter: 25 writers' lessons
Knowing how to start a chapter well is key to keeping your reader engaged. We examined 25 authors' transitions from first to second chapters. These revealed several ways to write strong chapter openings and transitions: 1. Zoom closer into the action Often authors start a chapter by moving...
July 29th, 2019
Read post...
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
Read post...
Interesting plot ideas: 6 writers' insights
Many authors have shared interesting plot ideas, giving insights on how plot works and why it matters. Here are 6 authors' ideas from essays and interviews about plot, and what they teach us: 1. Find the cause and effect between events Defining plot, E.M. Forster gives us the classic quote...
September 2nd, 2019
Read post...
Fix weak style in writing: 9 tasks
Weak style in writing has the power to make a new reader close your book and pick up another instead. Improve style in your fiction with these 9 tasks: 1. Cut out pleonasms What is a 'pleonasm'? Derived from the Ancient Greek word for 'excess', a pleonasm refers to using more words than ne...
September 9th, 2019
Read post...
How do you write a story using three-act structure?
There are many different ways to plan and structure a story. 'Three-act structure' is one that some writers swear by and others shun. Learn what three-act structure is, why it's controversial, and how to make it work for you if you use it to plan and write your story: Contents What is thre...
September 16th, 2019
Read post...
What makes a good novel plot? 6 insights
What makes a good novel plot? A strong plot has many ingredients. The 5 W's - who, what, why, where and when - change in interesting ways. Tension builds and ebbs. Read insights from 10 of the top-rated books on Goodreads: How we chose examples to explore what makes a good novel plot We to...
September 23rd, 2019
Read post...
