A 5 Step Process to Refine Your Story Premise

A 5 Step Process to Refine Your Story Premise

Writers working on their first drafts often have trouble taking an initial idea all the way to a finished first draft and ultimately a final draft. Why? It could be a number of reasons, but the one I see most often is an unfocused story premise. Let me show you how a...
Mystery Clues: The Ultimate Guide to Clues and Red Herrings

Mystery Clues: The Ultimate Guide to Clues and Red Herrings

Whenever I’m planting a clue in a mystery novel I’m writing, I feel so exposed—like I’m waving a red flag and announcing a clue has been served. Experience has helped lay those fears (mostly) to rest. With skillful weaving into the story, clues and foreshadowing blend in or are seen but soon forgotten by readers.

Without spoonfeeding your audience, you must place all the pieces on the table, allowing readers to actively participate in solving the puzzle. When making your first attempts at writing mystery, it can be difficult to find that balance between too much and too little.
Take a look at our best guide to clues and red herrings here.

Elements of Suspense: How Mystery and Thriller Writers Grip Readers

Elements of Suspense: How Mystery and Thriller Writers Grip Readers

Do you remember how you felt while reading The Da Vince Code or Gone Girl? The sweaty palms, the pleasant shiver, the jaw-clenching tension? Remember how those well-drawn elements of suspense held you in thrall, feathering along your skin, raising goosebumps?

Suspense fiction comes in a variety of flavors, all delicious, and if you have a yen for building suspense in your writing and learning how to create the same kind of reading experience for your own audience, this is the place for you.

In a special series of articles, I’ll be your guide as we dig deep into the elements of suspense that grab readers and don’t let go. These elements apply, regardless of the publishing route you choose for getting your stories out to your suspense readers.

Here, we will learn how you can craft suspense in your own books, starting now.

Why Are Characters Important in a Story? 4 Ways to Know You Need a Character

Why Are Characters Important in a Story? 4 Ways to Know You Need a Character

As a writer, you know that a story can’t exist without characters. But have you ever wondered: “Why are characters important in a story?”

Perhaps you’ve questioned an even tougher problem: “When is a character important enough to keep in a story, and when does the narrative work better without them?” 

In order for a side character—or any character—to matter in a story, they have to work as an essential character that impacts the protagonist, plot, setting, or another important aspect that shapes or moves a story forward. 

In this article, you’ll learn four ways that determine if (1) the character is essential, and (2) how they contribute to a story. You’ll also learn the major types of characters and ways to determine if—for the characters who don’t qualify as essential—you’re better off revising their role, or cutting them from the plot.Â