Characters
A Character’s Want Gives a Scene Its Pull
A character’s want gives a scene its pull by turning a quiet moment into a choice, with clear tactics and resistance…
The complete shelf
All stories
Explore the craft of stories through distinct questions about character, scenes, structure, voice and revision. Each piece focuses on choices and their effects, not a formula for every writer.
Scenes
Dialogue or Silence: What a Scene Needs
Dialogue or silence can reshape a scene’s pressure in different ways. Learn how to choose speech, pauses, and withheld…
Structure
The Letter Before the Novel: Stories in Pieces
Stories in pieces use letters, records, and other documents to make readers assemble a narrative while each fragment…
Revision
The Clue That Explains Too Much
Revise an over-explained mystery clue by separating observation from interpretation, then give readers room to infer…
Voice
A Five-Sense Walk for Building a Setting
A five-sense walk for building a setting turns an ordinary route into precise story material, with notes you can shape…