‘Betrayal hurts more than actual bullets’ – Claire North on why emotional stakes matter more than death in storytelling.
Claire North explores why emotional stakes, character choices, and consistent worldbuilding matter more than shock endings or deus ex machina moments in speculative fiction. Does this storytelling advice apply across all genres? Join the discussion.
What does the viewpoint character know? A reminder from Nancy J. Cohen.
I’m reading Writing The Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen. Here’s a reminder she gives to writers using the first person or a close third: Avoid out-of-body experiences, such as “If I knew what was going to happen, I’d never have walked through that door.” Who has knowledge of the future? The Author, that’s who.…
What does the viewpoint character know?
I’m reading Writing The Cozy Mystery by Nancy Cohen. Here’s a reminder she gives to writers using the first person or a close third: Avoid out-of-body experiences, such as “If I knew what was going to happen, I’d never have walked through that door.” Who has knowledge of the future? The Author, that’s who. Certainly…
I can help you fix your story.
I love being involved with books in their early stages. Developmental support lets me help writers see what’s working, what isn’t, and how to fix it—so their stories become clearer, stronger, and more satisfying for readers.
Every Writer Needs a Support System
Writing a book isn’t a solo journey. If you’ve ever read an author’s acknowledgements, you’ll know how many people quietly help bring a story to life. Editors, coaches, beta readers, agents: they’re all part of the village.
What a first draft can teach you that a published book can’t. (A writing coaching win!)
Discover how using an unedited manuscript in a writing coaching session helped a client spot craft techniques and grow as a fantasy writer.
Dialogue tags versus action beats
Learn the difference between dialogue tags and action beats and how to punctuate them.
Recognize ideas “when they show up”.
From Stephen King’s On Writing. Let’s get one thing clear right now, shall we? There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make…
What’s the difference between a scene and a summary?
What a Scene Isn’t. This excerpt is from James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure: [Start of quote —] Summarizing is when the author tells us what has happened “off scene.” Think of this as the stuff that is not unfolding for the reader in linear time, beat by beat. A scene is like this: John…
What Are Your Characters Made Of? Fay Weldon’s Take on Character Creation
Do you build detailed character profiles, or let your characters grow as the story unfolds? Fay Weldon shares her unconventional approach.
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