I want to write a cozy mystery. What are the elements of the cozy mystery. How do I write a cozy mystery?
The 5 steps to write a cozy mystery are:
- Develop a great, memorable cozy detective – consider types such as the gifted amateur, the retiree, the...
I want to add conflict in my story to dial up tension and suspense and raise the stakes. How do I add conflict in fiction? Consider 7 Types of Conflict in Fiction:
- vs. Self – internal struggle between a characters's thoughts, beliefs,...
I want to write fiction with emotional impact, so that the reader feels the sweep of emotions from the beginning to the end of the whole story. What are emotional arcs, and how do I use them to plot a story and character transformation?
There are 6 Emotional Arcs:
- Rise - like...
I'm in the middle of writing a story and I need to come up with a mind-blowing plot twist. How do I do it? Here are the 5 MAGIC Rules of Plot Twists:
- Misdirect - red herrings, dead ends, misguided attention, stalking horse
- Astonish - a memorable "wow" factor...
It's not enough to have a great idea, a solid plot, and memorable characters. The story comes alive one scene at a time.
How do I write scenes? Use these 5 Steps to Write Great Scenes:
- Write a SUMMARY of the scene
- Get clear...
The flash fiction story "Getaway" was written in the "Outliner" method, one of the 3 ways to develop an idea into a story. That is: plotting the story in advance of writing it.
Of course, there are **spoilers**, so if you haven't read the story yet, do that first (flash...
I have this great idea. But that's all it is. Just an idea, not (yet) a story. It needs a beginning, middle, and end to become a story. The mysterious (and intimidating) process of fleshing out the idea into a story — there's the challenge.
How do I...
