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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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). [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
She’s on the run. He lusts for violence. Will theirs be a dark romance or a fatal attraction? Cora Swan’s pampered life in New Mexico has just shattered into pieces. When death [...]
Geoffrey Madeley has a problem. His wife, Claire has a secret hidden on her mobile phone, and the more she tries to hide it from him, the more he thinks he knows what it is. Geoff can forgive [...]
