How to write the end of your novel (conclusion + final battle scene)
How do you know when you’ve reached the end? When the main story goal or quest has been completed. What if you don’t have one of those? You may have lots of interesting [...]
Peak Drama: powerful, satisfying conclusion & final battle scene for your novel
There’s nothing worse than getting through a good novel that fizzles out or doesn’t go anywhere. Many authors can create an intriguing first few chapters, but fail with a weak final [...]
How to add emotional depth and drama to your novel so readers actually care what happens.
This video is week six of my 12-week course on novel writing. This week you’ll be writing towards the midpoint of your novel. In this section (exploring the new world) you’ll be [...]
How to start writing a novel (Act I: hook readers fast)
This is part of my 12 week course on writing novels; this week we’ll be writing the first act, up to the ‘point of no return’. PS… I made a video but the video part [...]
How to add intrigue, conflict and suspense to your novel (without boring infodumps)
A great novel has two parts: 1. story – what happens 2. drama – why it matters. Far too many authors screw this up in the beginning with boring backstory and information, which takes [...]
26 chapter plotting outline (fiction templates – download!)
Update: you can now download this in-depth plotting template in Word, Google docs or Scrivener. There’s also an advanced video walkthrough. Check it out here (free download). [...]
8 critical steps to an engaging novel (plot your book)
This video is an introduction to my 8 point “plot dot” guide to outlining your novel. These are the 8 major turning points that keep momentum, suspense and tension. Without them, your [...]
How to write a novel that doesn’t suck (a 12 step plan)
Every time I help a new author edit their book I comment on the same issues. And even though I’ve spent years talking about book marketing and publishing, recently I’ve been [...]
