There are so many novels being released into the world every day that you might think you're biggest challenge is being unique--finding ...

I’m currently rewriting a dystopian story. It’s gritty, it’s harsh. It’s cruel. And even though I’d planned out the rewrite as I always do, ...

LDStorymakers 2014 Writer's Conference Recap Rachelle J. Christensen taught a great class on plotting that was slanted toward Sus...

Well that didn't work out to plan. See the point here is for someone to send me something to critique, and if there was an interesting t...

Many times (and many different places) I've heard that writing short stories can help you become a better novelist. For that reason and ...

It I asked you what the structure of a good story was...what would you say? Would you draw me a diagram? Maybe something like this... ...

Resolution It's also known as the falling action. This is the part after the big climax, when things begin to settle down. The  fallout...

Inciting Incident Photo by Sigurd Decroos, available at sxc.hu This is where it all begins. This is the thing that set everything in m...

First Plot Point This is sometimes called the point of no return. This is the first step taken toward the climax of the story. Your charact...

Other Plot Points Photo courtesy of sxc.hu This is the tricky part. This is where you plot the course down the mountain -- if we say t...

Climax This is the scene I often see first -- the big, dramatic one where everything has come to a head. The characters are shouting, fig...

There are many ways to plot a novel. In general, stories build from the beginning to a climax, then wrap up and end. You can use a three-act...