Advice and thoughts on story structure.
The inciting incident is often misunderstood. Even seasoned writers sometimes make claims that there can be multiple inciting incidents or that it can occur before the story even begins. But I would argue that most of those claims are rooted in a misunderstanding of the role the inciting incident plays within a story.
Story is a vortex; a character circles around the climax, wanting and not wanting to get to the center of the vortex, where they will be transformed.
The back-cover synopsis lays out the book’s premise and piques reader interest. Here’s how and why you should write one early and often.
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.
Freytag’s Pyramid provides the most ubiquitous plot diagram for story structure, but is hated by many. Here’s why the pyramid doesn’t deserve the hate.
Writing “by the seat of your pants,” aka “discovery writing” works better for some writers than outlining does. Read about the rationale for pantsing here.
Irony is more important to storytelling than you might think. It helps create more poignant story events and ushers in more meaningful character transformation.
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.
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.
Sometimes, the main source of tension in a story comes from a lingereing “urgent story question” that nags at the reader. You should be conscious of your story’s USQs so that you can make the most of them and create a more gripping story.
