Backstory is a great tool for developing relatable, realistic, and well-rounded characters for your novel. It also helps you shape three-dimensional worlds for your characters to inhabit and explore. But, writing backstory for a character, or for a world—and weaving it into your story in an ...

Regardless of the genre you’re writing in, there are probably some things you’ll want to keep hidden from your readers until the time is right to surprise them. But in order to pull off a well-done surprise, you need to be sure to play fair with the reader from the start. That means you’ll n...

Regardless of whether you fall in the “plotter” or “pantser” camp, having a solid understanding of story structure will help you write a story that works and satisfies fans of the genre. In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to write a well-structured thriller novel using the Three Act ...

In every story, your characters need to want something. They need to have a goal. If you’re writing a murder mystery, that goal might be to figure out who the murderer is and put them in jail. If you’re writing an action story, that goal might be to survive an asteroid headed straight for Ea...

Thrillers are popular fiction for a reason. They combine the criminality and suspense of a good detective novel with the danger and pressure of a scary horror story. And while there’s no fool-proof way of writing a successful thriller, there are ways to ensure that your story is ticking all t...

Thrillers are popular fiction for a reason. They combine the criminality and suspense of a good detective novel with the danger and pressure of a scary horror story. And while there’s no fool-proof way of writing a successful thriller, there are ways to ensure that your story is ticking all the r...

In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to use Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! Beat Sheet to plot your novel. If you aren’t familiar with Blake Snyder’s work, the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet is a popular story structure template that subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 ...

Romance is one of the best-selling genres in mass-market fiction with a large fan base of readers who just can’t get enough. In today’s post, I’m going to go over the key scenes that every romance novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. I’m also going to show you ...

Whether I’m editing a client’s manuscript, studying one of my favorite books or movies, or editing my own work-in-progress, the main thing I want to know is – does this story work? And for those of you that are starting new stories or editing your own drafts, I’m sure you’re wondering the same th...

How do you start writing a book? Is there something you should do first, second, and third? As a developmental editor and book coach, I get asked questions like this all the time. And each time someone asks me what to do first, my answer is the same – first, you need to figure out your story's ...

How many words are typically in a fantasy novel? What about a steamy romance? Or a nail-biting thriller? When you’re starting a new writing project, how do you know how long your book should be? And why does word count matter anyway? Is this really something you need to pay attention to? These...