Why You Should Still Write a Book This Year
2020 has been one of the strangest years ever. I’ll never forget the feeling at the start of the year. The decade seemed like an entirely blank slate, ripe with possibility. Plenty of [...]
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 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 [...]
