Jordan K

Contributor

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.

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Recent posts

Plot and setting: Driving stories using time and place

Plot and setting are two essential elements of storytelling. Read tips, examples and exercises to make time and place drive story development: What are plot and setting? Plot is the sequence of related events in a story. It tells us what happens, when, and why. What might have happened (or...

September 21st, 2020

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Writing exercises: 10 fun tense workouts

'What exercises can I do to improve my writing craft?' Writing often and reading a lot are common answers given to this question. Writing exercises targeting specific aspects of craft help too. Dip into these fun, practical writing workouts on using tenses correctly: General tips on tense use...

September 14th, 2020

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How to fix passive voice (and other common issues)

Knowing how to fix passive voice and other common grammar and style issues ensures a cleaner, more impactful draft. Read 7 tips for improving weak writing style: 7 ways to make your language more active: Fix passive voice not used for effect Substitute weak verbs Avoid unintended tautolog...

September 7th, 2020

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Tone in writing: How do you build a novel's tone?

Tone in writing refers to a complex mix of attributes. The mood, register, attitudes and other values conveyed through details such as word choice, sentence structure and the speaker or narrator's attitude to their subject. Read examples of tone in writing that show what creates tone in a no...

August 31st, 2020

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Making external conflict compelling: 6 ideas

External conflict is conflict a character faces that is outside themselves, rather than inner struggle. For example, a sibling rivalry, an oppressive society versus its lone challenger, or the conflict between a town battling for survival and a freak weather event. How do you make external confl...

August 24th, 2020

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Story openings: 10 lessons from hits of the 2000s

How do you write story openings that engage readers from page one? We look at the beginning paragraphs of books Literary Hub listed as defining books of the 2000s. What do they reveal about writing strong beginnings? 10 insights from the openings of the 2000s' defining novels: Share intri...

August 17th, 2020

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