The Sensational Secrets Behind Every Single Story Arc
Readers of my books How Stories Really Work , Myth & the ‘Now’ and 7 Secrets of Successful Stories will be familiar with the concept of...
Lines and Latitude: Two Methods of Writing Fiction
You’ve probably heard of the distinction made between those who write stories by planning them out step by step, and those who ‘make...
Key Questions to Ask When Composing a Story
A story could be defined as a metaphor for a movement that leads to some kind of change, as played out by archetypal figures we call...
The Priceless Value of Story Premises
It might be a rare occasion (perhaps at a party) when someone finds out that you’re writing a book and asks you ‘What’s it about?’ — but...
Theme and ‘Losing the Plot’
Some time ago, there was a feature in the Inner Circle Writers’ Group on Facebook called ‘Thematic Thursday’. The idea was to give a...
How to Be a Writer Part 1
‘The writing life is not an easy one’ — a sentiment sometimes voiced by writers. To which my wife would probably reply ‘Woe is your...
Why You Should Avoid Opinionated Editors
Something came up recently in a social media group which I thought it might be prudent to address, as many of you are probably running...
Writing Fiction: What's the Point? Part Six
Some scenarios: To give you more of an idea on how this all fits together, let’s take a look at a series of examples of how the Focusing...
Writing Fiction: What's the Point? Part Five
If you’ve been following this series of articles, you will have discerned that the Focusing Protocol is subtle. The more subtle, the...