Recognizing Your Own Skill
When you write a story, you often have to ask yourself, “Is this tale good enough to send to editors or agents? Is it ready
David Farland
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At MyStoryDoctor.com, Master Author and Teacher David Farland and his team will lead you through the crucial steps to writing a compelling book, from creative concept to strong completion. Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel? The number one reason most people fail to realize their dream is because they don’t know where to start.
When you write a story, you often have to ask yourself, “Is this tale good enough to send to editors or agents? Is it ready
Writers regularly need both scene and summary to tell a great story, but sometimes it can be difficult to discern when to use which, for
Many are under the false impression that bestselling writers simply sit down, write a book, and sell millions; others mistakenly think that great writers are
Real vs. Fictitious Settings In mainstream literature, we typically deal with settings that either already exist or which have existed historically. Thus, when you write
Strong stories are built through meaningful scenes. Write stories that have meaning by tapping into subtext or theme, or by adding your own insight. Very
One of the best things about being a writer is how ideas for new characters can spring from anywhere. I might be mulling over a
Have you ever read a novel where the entire book lacked a single element that was original? Sure you have, lots of times. Whenever you
Many people in the writing community caution against writing with a theme in mind. They argue that if you do, your story will feel contrived,
Once, I picked up a novel by a new writer and started to read. His scene construction looked fine at first glance: He had a
You may have heard of pinch points. Or not. I’d guess that most fiction writers have no clue what they are or why they’re so
When writing strong scenes, conflict is key. If there is no conflict, the “scene” probably doesn’t contribute much to the story. Every story needs conflicts
In order to write a strong story, you almost always need complex characters. The three best ways to make any character complex are to create,
A logline, or log line, is a simple description of a story that is only a sentence long. It boils the story down to its
A tagline is a single sentence that describes a film or book in a defining way. Choosing a tagline early can help you write your
When people say that a character is “flat” or “two-dimensional,” they’re typically just saying that the character isn’t interesting. And uninteresting characters are a plague
Writing a relationship plotline is key for almost any story. Most narratives will feature a relationship that arcs positively through the book–whether the characters are
Yesterday I got an email from a reader who wanted to know how to get an editor’s attention. He said that he had heard that
Writing a book requires a different approach than writing a movie. Each medium has different strengths, particularly with viewpoint. In his book on screenwriting, George
