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... ...

I took the month of May off. Meaning I didn't write a thing! Shocking I know. However, last week it was my turn to teach a workshop...

The writer says:  It's from a WIP called THE WORD, a YA paranormal romance (?) set in the Regency era. 1) Does the modern-sounding voice...

A writer bravely throws this scene under my red pen: A man’s hand reached out from the smoky-plated mirror and caressed River’s cheek. The...

The information about characters that ends up on the page takes many forms, does many jobs: it's in the narration, in the dialogue, it...

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...