The Two Imperatives for Compelling Dialogue
Weak dialogue portrays exchanges of information that leave the energy of the scene flat. Compelling dialogue does these two things.
Scenes
How to render scenes effectively
Turning Points Propel Your Story
Turning points are why scenes exist. So it’s essential to understand how and why they work within your story to propel both plot and character.
Irony is Central to Storytelling
Irony is more important to storytelling than you might think. It helps create more poignant story events and ushers in more meaningful character transformation.
Exposition in Dialogue
You can deliver exposition via dialogue, but you have to finesse it a little. Here we discuss how you can disguise exposition so it doesn’t feel contrived.
Earning Story Events
Earning story events means paying attention to three types of context (deep, situational, and immediate) as well as giving the character time to arrive at a response.
Your Writing Needs to Be Better Than Game of Thrones
The writing for the TV series has been in a steep downhill descent for a while, and the 3rd episode of Season 8, which needed to pay off a years-long plot arc, utterly failed to create a cohesive narrative.
How to Create Compelling Story Action
Action is important for stories, but not all action moves characters. Here, we discuss three requirements for action in your stories using a questionable football analogy.
The Key to Epiphanies, Realizations, and Moments of Clarity
Writing epiphanies and realizations can be difficult; how can you make them feel earned and not contrived? Here, we examine the keys to successful realizations in storytelling.
How to Use Objects to Create More Powerful Stories
Objects are crucial to a story’s being unique and affecting. Here, we look at 5 ways to use objects to tighten up your story and make it more powerful.
The Pitfalls of Emotional Body Language in Your Writing
Physical expressions of emotion can be problematic, even though they’re justified by the “Show, don’t tell” mandate. But there are often better, more artful ways to give us insights into the interiority of your POV characters.