Category: Writing

Freytag’s Pyramid vs Story Arcs

Choose your character! That’s part of it yes but including either of these structures into your story can be a useful tool for organizing plots. Order and familiarity help ground the audience’s expectations while giving the writer the means to subvert, confirm, or reject those expectations. You can’t pull the rug out from someone if … Continue reading Freytag’s Pyramid vs Story Arcs →

Crafting an Interesting Character

Let’s start with the most interesting person I know as a template — myself. We join our protagonist sitting on a towel draped chair staring at a Word document so bereft of text the whiteness has scarred his eyes with black and purple worms wriggling left, always left. Twenty minutes later, nothing has changed. Maybe … Continue reading Crafting an Interesting Character →

Finding the Theme of Your Story

In short, just keep writing. In elaboration, if you began your story without its theme in mind then you’re going to find it as you’re writing the story. By adding characters with unique points of view and putting them in challenging situations in an environment which shapes them, you ask yourself – and your audience … Continue reading Finding the Theme of Your Story →

Unplanned Plant and Payoff

Adding new elements, characters, and plot lines are vital to push a story along and keep it fresh. However, the further into the story you are the more problematic these can be. Introducing a new character in the third act doesn’t leave much room to get across their backstory, personality, plot relevance, connections to the … Continue reading Unplanned Plant and Payoff →

What to Cut When Editing Your Story

“Everything that doesn’t advance the plot or reveal characterization.” Now to pat myself on the back and throw my laptop in front of a train. I never liked this shallow advice — as factual and aggravating as it is. Its distillation leaves out nuances in the determination. What’s the proportional focus of your story’s plot … Continue reading What to Cut When Editing Your Story →

Adding Your Interests to Your Writing

Intentional or osmosis, plots to fine details, your interests, hobbies, areas of academic study, and every aspect of your life shape your story. Unavoidable, it must be handled with care to gain maximum impact while acknowledging the common pitfalls. I’m writing a long piece about an army officer which is influenced by my interest in … Continue reading Adding Your Interests to Your Writing →