Do you have the feeling that your stories sometimes feel flat and boring even though there are loads of awesome and creative ideas mixed into them? What you should do is show, don’t tell. I know, it is an old concept that most of you probably have heard about before. Still, I often hear from… Continue reading Show, don’t Tell

Preparation Framing a flashback  There are stories that begin with the end of the story and then they go back to the beginning, telling everything as one long flashback. Their plot is about the events that lead to the ending that the writer has already presented. This method is common in fiction and is called… Continue reading Anatomy of a Flashback

You do not know where to start your story? How to give your character good motivation to get off his arse and finally do something? McGuffin A McGuffin might be exactly what you need! What is a McGuffin? Harry Potter is full of them! Essentially, a McGuffin is an object or person that drives the… Continue reading Well-rounded Plots

Dialogue is an important tool for characterisation, subtle exposition and developing relationships. We will focus on how to keep dialogue flowing in your story naturally by framing it properly in your narration using dialogue tags. Dialogue tags should be invisible The dialogue itself is what is important; the tag is just functional. Try to delete… Continue reading Making Dialogue Flow

Have you ever been in the situation where you have a great idea for a story: Your characters feel just right, and you have the most awesome ending already written out, and then your fingers hover over the keys, paralysed by the pressure to write the perfect introduction to this incredible idea of yours? Here… Continue reading Introducing a Story

Semicolons can be daunting and intimidating, but we are here to clear up any anxiety you may have; that is just what we do. Using a semicolon is easier than you all may think, and it will give your writing a refreshing and interesting boost. Just remember these simple rules, and you will be using… Continue reading Semicolons

Descriptions are often a problem for new writers, but even practiced writers can feel insecure about their descriptions. There can be too little description so it becomes difficult to understand what actually happens, and there can be too much description making readers skip to more interesting parts of the story. Balance is key!  What exactly… Continue reading Compelling Description

There are three types of dashes used in writing. The hyphen (-): Hyphens are the shorter lines that are meant to be used to connect two or more words that function together or have a combined meaning. They are often mistakenly used as em-dashes. In most writing styles, this is actually incorrect. Examples: ‘long-term’, ‘custom-built’, ‘mother-in-law.‘… Continue reading En Dashes and Em Dashes

This round we are looking at the way that we punctuate and write both dialogue tags and action beats within our writing. Initially, we need to define each of them. A dialogue tag is the small phrase at the end of dialogue that indicates who and how something was said: ‘Harry shrieked’ or ‘Hermione sighed’.… Continue reading Dialogue Tags and Action Beats