Explore the four writing styles, discover the nuances of each, and use these tips to craft your own. Your writing style is a powerful tool for telling a story uniquely. It’s your creative fingerprint, showcasing your personality and unique form of expression. From the words you choose to the rhythm of your sentences, writing style […]
What are Morning Pages? How This Practice Can Improve Your Writing
An award-winning journalist and author on the mindset practice that helped her achieve success. Achieving success as a writer extends beyond raw skill and sheer effort—it’s about mindset and perspective. When you’re grinding away without belief and a positive attitude, you’re working at a fraction of your potential. Of course you need to do the […]
The Hero’s Journey: A Classic Story Structure for Your Novel
Ordinary world. Call to adventure. Final transformation. The Hero’s Journey can give your story shape without making it predictable. After his success with American Graffiti, George Lucas, the visionary creator of Star Wars, started researching folklore. “It came to me that there really was no modern use of mythology… so that’s when I started doing […]
The Snowflake Method: 10 Steps to Outline Your Novel
Start small. Spiral out. The Snowflake Method breaks your novel into doable steps—without losing the big picture. Like most authors, the first time someone suggested that I think about outlining my novels, my immediate instinct was to say no. Not only was I convinced this would take the magic out of the process, but I […]
Use the Three-Act Structure to Write a Fast-Paced Novel
The three-act structure isn’t formulaic—it’s foundational. Here’s how to use it to write a novel that moves. While some readers revel in beautiful descriptions, others are drawn to witty dialogue or compelling characters. Surprisingly, for me, the allure lies in structure—the blueprint a writer uses to tell a story. As a reader, I found myself […]