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Elements of Story: How Genre Impacts the Importance of Five Story Elements

Have you ever wondered how the elements of story impact your book’s genre? Do some elements of story have greater importance in a book because of the book’s genre?

I can think of several times when I’ve gone to a restaurant and taking the time to slowly chew my food, so I can experience how each of my senses is impacted by the food: from taste to smell to sight.

The level of importance the elements of story have on genre isn’t so different. We all have certain tastes—factors that appeal to us in different ways on our taste buds—and it’s the same with our reading preferences. I came to understand this in a profound way when I worked for our local library system, which I’d like to share with you today.

Readers crave certain “flavors” and genre helps them define what they like and discover more of it.

How the five elements of story vary in level of importance because of the genre may impact your perspective—and in a good way, for writers trying to satisfy their target readers!

Why Publish: Iseult Murphy on the Power of Getting Your Writing Out There

by Sarah Gribble | 1 Comment

Sometimes getting your writing into readers’ hands can seem like a long, arduous process. You might feel lost. You might feel like the “gatekeepers” in the publishing industry are out to get you, hate your work, or are just plain mean.

In this interview, we’re talking with Iseult Murphy about her writing journey, her decision to self-publish, and the power of connecting with other writers.

How to Finish Your Novel Faster: 4 Lessons From (Almost) Missing My Writing Deadlines

by Guest Blogger | 0 Comments

When you started your novel, how long did you think it would take to finish? Have those initial estimated writing deadlines come and gone? More importantly, did you finish your novel in that time frame?

If the answer is no, don’t fret. You’re not alone. Like me, you might fear you’ll never complete your story in a timely manner.

Maybe one day you lack inspiration. The next you don’t know where your story needs to go. Perhaps you procrastinate or feel low energy.

You know, the struggles all writers go through.

I suffered those afflictions and more during the 100 Day Book program at The Write Practice. And for a time, I thought I wouldn’t finish my novel by the deadline.

Let’s skip to the ending: I completed the second draft of my book on time.

Barely.

But I learned four valuable lessons in the struggle. Lessons that will help you in meeting deadlines and enduring the writing process.

I’d like to share them with you now, so you can write your completed novel far faster than you believe possible.

3 Simple Questions to Turn Your Book Idea Into the Premise of a Book

by J. D. Edwin | 0 Comments

I bet you have a great idea for a story right now. In fact, I bet you have several. But can that story idea withstand the length of a novel? If not, have you tried turning your story idea into a premise of a book?

Bill Collins Masterclass Review – Is it still worth it? (2022)

by Brendan Hufford | 0 Comments

I’ve always been interested in writing poetry. And when I saw Billy Collins, one of the world’s best poets, created his own MasterClass on the subject, I had to take a look for myself. In this article, you’ll learn What MasterClass is How Much MasterClass costs, and...

How to Maximize the Power of Cause and Effect in Your Stories

by Joslyn Chase | 0 Comments

Ever had days when life feels like a broken-down Rube Goldberg machine? Cobbled together from bits of cast-off junk, limping along, and missing the connections that bring a satisfying result? If you have, you share something with the bulk of humanity. Most of us feel that way at some point.

A person’s life consists of an enormous jumbled mass of cause and effect events, on a scale so huge that connections are rarely obvious or traceable. By contrast, a character’s story is a relevant subset of such events in which the causal relationships are evident. Sometimes overt, and sometimes subtle, but always present if you want to create a story that resonates with readers.

5 Reasons You Should Aim for 100 Literary Rejection Letters in 2021

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

It’s goal-setting season again! Have you set your writing goals for 2021 yet?

Love them or hate them, the idea of setting goals permeates the entire month of January. And most of those goals are “positive.” From physical appearance to self-care to organizing your pantry, it’s all about improving one’s life.

And most of those goals end up in the dumpster before the month’s end.

I have a new approach for you: Set a goal for getting (and overcoming) one hundred literary rejection letters in 2021.

Read on for my very sound reasoning on the subject.

New Year Writing Prompts: Write a Series of New Year’s Resolution Disasters

by Abigail Perry | 0 Comments

Have you ever seen the New Years Resolution episode from Friends? You know the one where Ross wears leather pants, Joey tries to learn how to play guitar, and Rachel tries to gossip less?

If you’re a Friends fan, I’d be shocked if you didn’t know the episode I’m talking about. Rolling Stone even suggested this episode really should be called “‘The One With Ross’ Leather Pants’ because no one else’s 1999 New Year’s resolution produces results as memorable — or disastrous.”

But even though Ross’s leather pants fiasco is what makes the episode, it’s not the only resolution that wins some laughs. Today, let’s focus on brainstorming some New Year writing prompts to kickstart your writing year with some humor.

Christmas Writing Prompt: Write About This Elf on a Shelf Mystery!

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

‘Tis the season to write! Today’s post is short but fun. I hope you enjoy this Christmas writing prompt:

The elf on the shelf moved—but you didn’t move it. Something fishy is going on here . . .

The Secret for Creating Characters That Readers Want to Root For

by J. D. Edwin | 0 Comments

“Strong” is a word we often hear when describing good characters. But how do you create a strong character for your story? What makes the difference between a character your readers root for and one they forget?

Strong can mean many things. It might mean they’re intelligent like Hermione, resilient like Katniss, have exceptional physical strength like Hercules, or are cunning like Sherlock Holmes. And while all of these characters have different strengths, they all successfully encourage readers to get behind them and their pursuit of their endeavors.

Creating characters that readers view as strong is not an easy task. Here is one quick writing tip to help you write them.

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