Tag: Plot
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Pantsing a Novel: How to Plot a Book as a Pantser
Pantsing a novel, for me at least, is exciting. I get to discover the story as I write. Often, when I start pantsing, I have a lot of momentum. The story flows from my fingertips. However, it doesn’t always stay that way. Pantsers can face many problems. We may get off track with our stories,… Read more
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“Yes, but/No, and” – How to Craft a Thrilling Character-Driven Plot
If you’re like me, you love character-driven stories. You love watching a character pursue their goals, struggle, fail, and eventually grow because of what they’ve gone through. You want to write a story just like that, but when you sit down to write it, you find yourself wondering “How do I write a character-driven story?”… Read more
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How to Write Act 3 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat
At last, we’ve reached the final act of your story. But how do you write Act 3 of a novel? It can be difficult because everything in the book has been building up to this point. You made promises to the reader in Act 1 and made progress on those promises in Act 2. Now… Read more
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How to Write Act 2 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat (Part 2)
We have reached the second half of Act 2 in our discussion of the Save the Cat! beats. By this point, we’re halfway through the book. We’ve come so far, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Don’t fret, I’m going to help you learn how to write Act 2 of your novel.… Read more
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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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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