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Writing techniques to polish your prose

Writing techniques make individual authors' styles distinctive. From poetic devices (such as metaphor and simile) to narrative strategies, writers use various literary techniques and in doing so create their (often unmistakable) personal styles. Here are writing techniques you can use to elevate...

How to begin a novel: 8 ways to captivate

How satisfying is a novel that sinks its hooks in from the first page? Knowing how to begin a novel so that you captivate readers from the first chapter is key to writing a publishable book. Here are 8 ways to begin your book compellingly: 1. Begin a novel by making your reader need answ...

How to build narrative pace using grammar

There are multiple factors that determine narrative pace, the rate at which your story's narrated action unfolds. Tone and word choice are two factors. Yet having a good command of grammar helps too. Try these tips to build better pacing: 1. Master the participial phrase A participle is a ...

Archetype examples: Write great characters from universals

Archetypes are useful for imagining diverse, interesting characters. Literature is full of jesters and jokers, lovers, warriors, wise sages, and fools. Some of these are literal (the fool is a literal court jester who entertains a king), others metaphorical (the 'class clown' who loves to entert...

Protagonist examples: Creating memorable main characters

What makes a protagonist or main character interesting and able to carry an entire novel or series? Explore protagonist examples from classic and contemporary fiction below, including tips to make your main character memorable: First, a protagonist definition The word 'protagonist' stems f...

Good character flaws: Create complex antagonists

Good character flaws are key to a believable character. Flawed characters create suspense - we wonder whether their flaws will get the best of them. The imbalances in their natures may create weaknesses that give others the upper hand. Here are tips to create flaws for antagonists or villains (i...

Plot structure: How to shape an intriguing plot

Plot structure or narrative structure is a key element of story. Even the most simple children's stories have story events that relate to each other, showing intriguing cause and effect, action and reaction. Here are tips for shaping your story so there is satisfying connection between scenes an...

Character flaws: Creating lovable imperfections

Character flaws serve multiple purposes. Often, they're the faults and shortcomings that create conflict between key players in a story. Yet flaws are also useful for creating attraction between characters. Without them, characters feel wooden, 'too perfect'. Without them, attraction might ...

Foreshadowing in a sentence: Connecting story events

Foreshadowing is one way to connect scenes in a story across your longer story arcs. Here are examples of how to use foreshadowing in a sentence, along with related foreshadowing tips: 1. Foreshadowing characters' fates in exposition Foreshadowing (literally 'showing before') is usefu...

Writing a good book: 10 ingredients of great novels

Writing a good book is something every fiction writer aspires to. When writers ask for help writing a book, a popular question is 'Is my idea good enough?' Having a great story idea to start with helps. Yet a satisfying novel is a combination of many key components. Here are 10 ingredients that ...

How to expand your novel idea into a stronger story

Novel idea generators and writing prompts are some tools for finding ideas for a story. Yet once you have your central idea - the single sentence that encapsulates the key, interesting details - you need to expand this so you're ready to draft. Here are tips for finding interesting plots, sub-pl...

What is a synopsis? Writing intriguing book summaries

What is a synopsis? It's a summary which provides, in one quick read, the unique and compelling aspects of a story. How do you write a synopsis that you can submit with confidence to publishers? Read on for summary-writing tips and examples. First: Beyond defining a synopsis - what should a s...

RBE | Illustration — We made a writing app for you | 2024-02

We made a writing app for you

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