How to Write a Novel

Perfect characters fall flat. Here’s how to introduce enough character flaws in each to make them feel real. Perfect characters are boring. No one wants to read about someone who’s always right, always good, and never struggles. What keeps readers hooked is watching flawed, real characters fight their battles, make mistakes, and grow. A well-crafted […]

What do bestselling stories have in common? The answer might be simpler than you think. (Hint: Save the cat.) Does your plot feel like a chaotic mess that no amount of rewriting can fix? Enter the Save the Cat Beat Sheet—a plotting superhero that helps transform chaos into a compelling story. Created by screenwriter Blake […]

Fight scenes aren’t just about fists and fancy footwork—they’re about tension, stakes, and keeping readers on the edge of their seats. There’s nothing worse than a fight scene that reads like a bad stage direction. He punched. The other guy ducked. Someone grunted. It was intense. No, it wasn’t. It was a list of things […]

The secret to gripping storytelling? It’s all in the build-up (or what’s called “rising action”). Every great story has a moment when things start to shift—the calm before the storm fades, tensions rise, and the real drama begins. That moment isn’t just exciting; it’s a crucial part of storytelling. This is the rising action, the […]

Forget the formula—this is how you craft fiction that lingers, challenges, and stays with readers long after the last page. Literary fiction isn’t just about telling a story—it’s about exploring the depth of human experience, making readers feel, think, and question. It’s the genre that dives into the intricacies of characters’ minds, their flaws, their […]