Act three is also called synthesis. It has three beats. This part fuses the first two acts. Things finally get fixed here. It starts about eighty percent of the way in the story. There is a breakthrough. The hero finally…
Act three is also called synthesis. It has three beats. This part fuses the first two acts. Things finally get fixed here. It starts about eighty percent of the way in the story. There is a breakthrough. The hero finally…
When you are starting a story, you need to know approximately where things should happen. It helps you to maintain the pacing of your story. There is a great tool for this process — the beat sheet. I use a…
Time lines are useful things. They can help you keep the timing of your story going. I’ve used them to plot the story in broad terms. This is something like saying this happens then this happens and so on. It…
Fan fiction is the practice of writing stories for your favorite TV shows, movies, books, etc. These usually use the worlds, characters and norms created by someone else. This is perfectly legal as long as you don’t claim it as…
I use several tools when I’m developing a story. There are two word documents I created. The first, I called Project Development sheet and one I call World Building Document. I have them pre-created in that there are headings and…
One of the most underused tools in a writer’s toolbox is the time line. This can be a very elaborate creation or just a simple list of scenes and dates. It can be a detailed as chronicling events hour to…
A subplot is a mini plot. These types of plot can enhance the premier plot of your story by breaking the action up. Nothing enhances tension like a suspenseful cliffhanger or a series of cliffhangers. To weave subplots into your…
There are two aspects to the preparations for writing. One is physical. You can write if you are uncomfortable, but it is so much easier to write when you are comfortable. So you want your writing space to be comfortable,…