Category: Writing
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How to Write Act 2 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat (Part 1)
Wondering how to write Act 2 of a novel? You’re not alone. Many writers consider the second act to be the most difficult. Act 2 covers about 50% of the story—that’s a lot of pages to fill! The basic Three-Act Story Structure doesn’t give much guidance for Act 2. Luckily, we have other story structures… Read more
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How to Write Act 1 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat
I didn’t pay much attention to structure until I started editing other people’s stories and novels. Only then did I see how much structure can help a story. If you learn how to write Act 1 of your novel, it will help you set up a satisfying story. But without some kind of structure, the… Read more
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Essential Elements of Act 1 – How to Write Act 1 of Your Novel
Writing the first act of a novel can be difficult. You have to juggle setting up the story, introducing the main characters and conflict, and establishing the setting while trying not to bore readers with information. And it’s not enough just to not bore them, you must attempt to engage them so they keep reading.… Read more
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First Chapter Checklist: What Makes an Engaging Opening Chapter
The first chapter of your novel is perhaps the most difficult and most important chapter of the entire book. The opening chapter is the first thing readers will read, and it will determine if they decide to keep reading. No pressure, right? Luckily, there are hallmarks that most great first chapters follow. If you’re lost… Read more
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Steal My Revision Strategy – How to Revise a Novel
So you’ve written your book (congrats!) and realized it’s got some issues. Maybe halfway through you cut an unnecessary character, maybe there’s a big plot hole or your main character’s arc needs a better setup, maybe the beginning is full of info dumping. Regardless of the issues, you’re now wondering, “How do I fix all… Read more
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How to Turn a Passive Protagonist into an Active Protagonist
Have you ever had this thought while reading a book or watching a movie: “A lot of things are happening, but I’m just bored,” or “I’m not sure I care what happens to this character”? Me too. The culprit may not be obvious, but these thoughts can be the result of a passive protagonist. Protagonists… Read more
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Show, Don’t Tell: Finding Balance Between Showing and Telling
If you’ve been in the writing community for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard the advice “show, don’t tell.” This is one of the most common recommendations in the writing world. And for good reason. When a story is full of telling, it’s boring. Readers want to be immersed in a narrative. They want… Read more
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A Story and B Story Explained
What Are A and B Stories and How to Connect Them There’s a lot of confusion out there about what an A Story is and what a B Story is. These terms get thrown around in both screenwriting and novel writing, but what do they mean? What’s a B Story character? What’s the difference between… Read more
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How to Organize Your Worldbuilding for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds
Have you ever come to a spot in your book where it is time to discuss some piece of worldbuilding, so you look through your notes but can’t find the details you need? You look through notebooks, journals, documents on your computer, and notes on your phone, but can’t find what you’re looking for. If… Read more
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A Guide to Writing Dialogue in Novels and Stories
How to Format Dialogue and Tips for Better Dialogue Writing dialogue can be complicated. From knowing where to put a comma or a period to knowing when to use single quotes, there are a lot of rules to keep in mind, not to mention you have to make sure the dialogue sounds authentic. This guide… Read more