Happy Preptober! It’s officially Nanowrimo Prep season, and I’ve got some fun stuff planned this month as we approach what I fondly think of as the writerly holiday season. This year is going to be a fun milestone for me: I’ll be writing the first draft of the final book in a series I’ve been… Continue reading How to write a sequel (without getting overwhelmed)
Novels end. It’s a sad fact of life. And an even sadder fact is that writing the ending of a novel can often be the hardest part. You’ve built such a big world over the course of the last 50,000 words – it’s time to show your readers the door, but how can you possibly… Continue reading Story Structure Sunday: How to end a novel
We are now more than halfway through National Novel Writing Month, which means you’re probably starting to think about the climax of your novel. This can feel like a very high-pressure part of your story. Fortunately, it’s also widely considered to be the fun part. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of bringing… Continue reading Story Structure Sunday: How to write the climax of a novel
Happy day 16 of Nanowrimo! We’re officially more than halfway through the month, which means this is a good time to sit back for a moment and take stock of your novel so far. If you’re on track, you’ve written about 25,000 words, and you are probably either at or approaching the midpoint of your… Continue reading Warmup Wednesday: Outlining a novel, for people who hate outlines
If you’re struggling with Nanowrimo right now, you’re not alone. This phenomenon goes by many names – the 30k blues, the saggy middle – and is one of the most common challenges writers face during Nanowrimo. It’s characterized by a profound loss of momentum during the third week of the month. It’s often accompanied by… Continue reading Story Structure Sunday: What to do about the 30k blues
It’s Stupid Advice Saturday! Last week we talked about how said is, happily, not dead. This week’s victim: “Write what you know.” On the face of it, this is actually not bad advice. We all have unique experiences in this world – unique perspectives and stories of our own that need telling. We should write… Continue reading Stupid Advice Saturday: “Write what you know”
“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” -Coco Chanel Aside from being a thorn in the side of everyone trying to rock a maximalist aesthetic for the better part of the last century, this is actually a pretty good piece of writing advice. At least, it is for… Continue reading Warmup Wednesday: Do you really need all that stuff in your novel?
“Write down everything that happens in the story, then in your second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.” -Neil Gaiman Every Sunday of this glorious National Novel Writing Month 2022, I’ll be doing a mini-deep-dive into a particular element of story structure that might be giving you trouble… Continue reading Story Structure Sunday: How to write act one of a novel
One of the most common things to hear from new writers seeking help with their work is, “My story doesn’t make sense.” Everybody has this problem at some point. Sometimes the concern rises from vague feedback. Other times, it’s a feeling you have – a strange, intuitive sense that something is just off. Sometimes the… Continue reading What to do when your story doesn’t make sense
Believe it or not, I planned to publish this the same weekend Part 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 released, way back in the beginning of July. But after witnessing a lot of discourse online, rewatching the entire season from the start, and rewriting this post more times than I can even count, a review… Continue reading Stranger Things Season 4 has some important lessons for writers
