Writing Craft

The Decision That Shapes Everything Before you write a single scene, you must answer one question: Who is telling this story? The answer—your choice of...

Setting as Character: Beyond the Backdrop Amateur writers treat setting as a backdrop—a painted curtain behind the real action. Professional writers know setting is a...

The Hardest Skill in Fiction Dialogue looks easy. People talk all day; how hard can it be to write conversations? Then you try it, and...

Why Structure Isn’t a Cage—It’s a Foundation Beginning writers often resist plot structure, viewing it as formulaic constraint that kills creativity. Experienced writers know better:...

Why Character Development Matters More Than Plot Readers forget plot points within weeks of finishing a book. They remember characters for years. Elizabeth Bennet, Atticus...

The Skills Nobody Teaches Writing programs teach theme and symbolism. Writing books teach character arcs and plot structure. But the craft fundamentals that actually make...

Plot Development: A Complete Guide to Story Progression Plot development is the structural backbone of any compelling narrative. It’s what transforms a simple sequence of...

Third Person Point of View: Understanding Omniscient vs Limited Point of view is one of the most consequential decisions a fiction writer makes. It determines...

Exploring the Art of Understatement Understatement is a rhetorical device often employed to make a situation seem less important or serious than it is. By...

DNF Books: When and Why to Stop Reading DNF—”Did Not Finish”—has become a common acronym in reading communities, representing books that readers started but chose...