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Martin Cavannagh

Contributor

Writer, presenter, and Head of Content at Reedsy. As the host of Reedsy Live, Martin has had the pleasure of sharing cutting-edge insights from some of the world's best editors, designers, marketers, and the occasional bestselling author. His newsletters, live streams, and blog posts reach millions of writers each month, inspiring the next generation of beloved writers. 

Martin has appeared on various panels (both virtual and in-person), including the Writer's Summit at the 2024 London Book Fair. Outside of books, his interests include hillwalking, the films of Wong Kar-Wai, and discovering great local noodle dishes.

Recent posts

6 Types of Antagonists in Storytelling (With Examples)

You can't have a story without someone (or something) opposing your main character. In this post, we'll dive into six types of antagonists, with examples from literature and film.

January 29th, 2025

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How to Develop a Story: 9 Steps to an Amazing Draft

So you want to be a storyteller, eh? Well, whether you’re an aspiring novelist or a seasoned writer, mastering the basic elements of storytelling is key to capturing your audience’s attention and imagination. In this guide, I’ll show you my favorite method for coming up with ideas and spinning them into a workable story.

January 24th, 2025

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What is literary fiction? How to develop a literary voice

What is literary fiction? Literary fiction explores subtleties and complexities of language, theme and symbolism. It often tends to be character-driven rather than plot driven. Read a definition plus tips on how to develop literary writing style. How do you define literary fiction? If you ...

March 11th, 2024

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How to write a scene: Nailing purpose and structure

Understanding how to keep a scene interesting is a crucial skill for writing a novel or screenplay. Scenes are the basic building blocks of a chapter or act. Read on for tips on how to write a scene, plus analysis of story scene examples What is a scene exactly? The word scene broadly mean...

March 4th, 2024

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5 ways to start a story: Choosing a bold beginning

Great authors show us there are many ways to start a story. You could begin a novel with a narrator/character introducing himself, like Salinger's Holden Caufield or Dickens' David Copperfield. Or you could begin in the thick of action, as Ray Bradbury's does in his classic novel, Fahrenhei...

January 21st, 2024

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170 plot development questions (plus worksheet)

Productive plot development questions for building stories help you turn the core of a plot idea into a many-layered story. Read 170 plot questions divided into helpful focus categories and answer 'who, what, why, where, and when' questions to brainstorm ideas. 100 plot questions from beginni...

May 8th, 2023

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