Susan DeFreitas
To make readers care, you generally need to get three things on your novel’s opening pages before the inciting incident ...
Character arc isn’t created from a patchwork of different issues. It’s one clear thread that runs the whole length of ...
Stories with a real sense of meaning don’t merely stand out in the slush pile—they’re the types of stories that ...
According to neuroscience, scenes make the reader feel as if they are actually in the world of the story. And ...
To truly put your reader in the emotional position of your POV character, focus on conveying body language and internal ...
Before spending time on a story that doesn’t work, ensure you’ve addressed the critical questions of character, plot, goals and ...
Switching POVs within the same scene should only be tackled by experienced fiction writers, and only when it reveals something ...
Science says these three techniques can draw your readers in, keep them engaged, and provide them with a compelling experience ...
It takes grit to seek and implement qualified feedback, and to keep finding ways to improve a manuscript even after ...
Tips for avoiding stereotypes and tokenism, and presenting more interesting, complex, three-dimensional queer characters ...
In times of sickness, cultural upheaval, and real existential threats, perhaps stories matter more than ever ...
A story intro that shows internal trouble, signaling the beginning of a character arc, makes agents and editors sit up ...
Imbuing a character’s story with your own life experience—the good, bad, ugly and transformational—unleashes your book’s full emotional power ...
What’s the difference between a story and a narrative that merely relates a series of events? The protagonist’s internal struggle ...
Character arc—a protagonist’s internal journey—is less obvious than the events of the plot, but it’s what makes a story meaningful ...
When sociopolitical discourse seems entrenched, good fiction can dig deeper with honest curiosity about all facets of the human experience ...
In the last of a three-part series we examine the advantages and disadvantages of starting with theme, as opposed to ...
Writers focused on plot are often strong when it comes to world-building and “big ideas,” but there are inherent challenges ...
Fiction writers who start with character, as opposed to plot or theme, have certain advantages—and certain challenges ...
To create the alchemical magic of emotion in your fiction, you need to approach the challenge from more than one ...
When placed intentionally, crafted well, and set up via emotional context and backstory, scene might be the writer’s most powerful ...
Factual details can be great fuel for your writing, but it’s crucial to recognize when adherence to them is getting ...
There’s a good chance that getting these essential elements right are among the biggest challenges you’ll face with your novel ...
There’s only one thing that any novel must do if it’s going to succeed, and that’s arouse the reader’s curiosity ...
Publication is elusive and in many ways out of your hands, but feeling seen is something that writers can offer ...
Writing can be a lonely process, and it’s easy to feel stuck. Editors and coaches can help identify the common ...
To gauge your manuscript’s pitch-readiness, turn a critical eye to the query letter, synopsis, and first fifty pages ...
The science suggests that repetition can make a new practice reach the “second nature” part of your brain sooner, creating ...
Employing the science of captivating rewards is one way to keep yourself excited about and engaged with a big writing ...
In some ways, the idea behind neurohacks is simple: Fake it till you make it. Or, fake it until it ...
Many dream of publishing a book, but actually sitting down to write one seems hard. Preparation and limiting your choices ...
A lot of the people who genuinely want to write a book never do so, because they never find a ...
Don’t feel like you have to go it alone—others are on the same journey, ready to offer encouragement and applaud ...
Studies show that making meaningful progress toward big goals is best served by focusing on the small steps that will ...
A book is often the product of teamwork. The ability to revise—to accept feedback and apply it with diligence and ...
Writing takes grit and so does publishing, but your odds are better if you understand what you’re up against. In ...
When novelists struggle to pitch their work, it may have more to do with the book itself than the query ...
In many ways, it’s never been harder to get a traditional book deal. At the same time, there have never ...
If you recognize the following characteristics in the critiques of your work, it may not just be inept—it may, in ...