Tension and conflict are both key in storytelling. After all, with no conflict or problem–even a small one–is there much of a story? Where conflict is some kind of problem your characters are trying to resolve, tension is what keeps readers turning the page. If your conflict is the big battle, the tension is the…
Your story’s setting–the geography, city/town, culture, beliefs, traditions, etc.–is important. It grounds the story in a world readers can imagine and one your characters can interact with. The setting can further your story by helping or hurting your characters on their journey. So what does it mean to make setting its own character? How do…
In my work as an editor, one question I get asked often is whether the author’s book is young adult (YA) or new adult (NA). I also get asked if NA is even a viable category in publishing. There’s actually a lot of crossover between these two categories of audience, and NA, though a newer…
We seek out fiction to experience an emotional journey with the characters. After all, how boring would it be to just walk through the action of a story without understanding the characters and exploring the human condition? But finding the line between authenticity, sufficient ‘showing,’ and nuance isn’t always easy. How do you tackle emotionally…
When I was an undergrad student many moons ago in 2012, I took my first collegiate-level creative writing workshop. That course brought me two things: The Elements of Style by Strunk & White (a literary world classic) and the phrase “show, don’t tell.” As I shared on my Instagram last month, this introduction to the…
Enemies to lovers is a popular trope, especially in sci-fi and fantasy novels. How can you bring your pair together and make readers ship them? What is Enemies to Lovers? The enemies to lovers trope is when two characters start off as enemies and, over the course of a book or series, end up in…
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