Story is complex. It has multiple layers of ingredients working in cohesion to create a believable, enjoyable and emotional experience for the reader. Often our focus as writers is on the more obvious: prose, dialogue, character, setting. But what about the festering, bubbling emotions underneath the surface? The things left unsaid or what is implied? … Read more
This article is by Mareth Griffith. In crafting a protagonist, one major factor to consider is the main character’s relationship to the story’s setting – whether the protagonist is an insider or an outsider. A protagonist’s connection to the culture or world in which the story takes place sets up key assumptions that help determine … Read more
What’s a Novella? A novella sits somewhere between the short story and the novel — too long to be a short, too short to be a novel. You might ask how long it is, and depending on who you ask you’ll get a different answer. If you’re measuring word count, the novella comes in at … Read more
A couple of months back I wrote an article about how I’d decided to take a step back and re-learn the basics of storytelling (here). It’s been working out really well, and today I’m here to share a little of what I’ve learned so far. What am I doing, and why? First of all, a … Read more
This article is by Kyle Malone. Foreshadowing has come to rank as my favourite literary technique. This is not due to the fact that it is the hardest to grasp (far from it), but because when used correctly it remains one of the most powerful. The art of storytelling, of whisking readers into other worlds, … Read more
This article is by S.C. Sharman. When readers pick up your book you want them to have a hard time putting it down. Even if that means staying up all night until they’ve read the whole thing. The way to achieve this is by building suspense. Here are four proven ways to keep the suspense … Read more
This article is by S.C. Sharman. Foreshadowing is a literary tool in which a writer hints at what is to come next for the audience. Offering slight hints of what is to happen next is a proven way to keep the reader on the edge of her seat. The trick to using it properly though, … Read more
We’re all different. We come from different backgrounds, live different lives, and we’re all the main characters of our own stories. These stories too are all different, and they take place in different worlds – our own. A consequence of this is that we see the world in different ways. We have different opinions, and … Read more
One of the best ways to engage readers in a story is to include personal interests. Some interests are shared by lots of people: pets, or baseball, for example. People who love pets usually cry when a furry secondary character dies. Baseball isn’t just a game, it’s a culture, a team, a relationship with your … Read more
This article is by Neil B. Tafani. A novel needs a strong ending in order to tell a good story. This doesn’t mean that you need to have a “happy” ending, or even an ending that gives total resolution. Your primary focus when writing an ending is to make it memorable and enjoyable to read. … Read more