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...

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...

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...

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...

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...