Tiffany Yates Martin
There’s no one-size-fits-all way to structure a story, so understanding the core principles will help you decide what’s right for ...
If you’re hearing that your story lacks structure or impact, you might be missing the interconnected cohesion of plot, stakes, ...
In storytelling, voice can refer to three different elements: character voice, narrative voice, and author voice—and they can often overlap ...
Tips from a career editor on how the type of POV you choose affects the way you give readers access ...
In story as in art, what’s hinted at in the shadows can add intriguing layers of depth and interest ...
Like writing, editing and revision are skills that take time to learn, and they develop only with practice ...
Skillful authors weave suspense and tension to draw readers through stories on a taut thread of unanswered questions and constant ...
A developmental editor is like any tool in your toolbox. Knowing whether and when to use one will help you ...
Like a genie in a bottle, flashbacks can be wonderful and terrible things. If not carefully controlled, flashbacks can get ...
Framing the overall story, as well as each scene within it, through these key elements will help create a consistently ...
Paying attention to your own visceral reactions and thoughts can help you create richly developed characters who leap off the ...
Backstory risks feeling clumsy or intrusive if it’s not directly relevant to the main, “real-time” story, and can stall forward ...
A genre author seeks advice on letting stories unspool more organically while also honoring the reliability of the three act ...
Your protagonist must directly influence or engineer her own destiny. If she doesn’t, she isn’t the hero; she’s a passenger ...
An elaborately structured plot, without clearly-defined character goals and motivations, is like mapping a trip and calling it a vacation ...
By paying attention to how you are impacted by story, you can learn to trace those effects back to the ...
Triumphs are most compelling when the hero has to fight for them, so even quiet stories need plenty of obstacles, ...
Whether you’re a plotter, a pantser, or something in between, a little planning can help prepare you for the challenges ...
Consider the benefits and limitations of each POV, along with the feel each might lend to your story and how ...
Focus on the main story’s forward momentum, and use backstory as the seasoning that makes the stew ...
One of the best ways an author can learn their own storytelling craft lies in what we already avidly do: ...
Point of view is rarely the first storytelling element authors focus on in creating their stories, but it can arguably ...
If you have reason to suspect your story is not quite “there” yet, a professional edit may be what’s needed ...
Flashback can be a potent tool for presenting essential backstory, as long as you apply it without interrupting the story’s ...
A prologue can open the door to your story and entice the reader in, or throw up a barrier that ...
Asking yourself the right questions about why, when, how, and how much your characters speak will help you craft more ...
It’s an author’s job to create questions that readers crave the answers to, but questions posed with unclear stakes or ...
Worry less about creating a first sentence that will shock and awe, and more about drawing readers into the story ...
If your middle’s lost momentum, check to see if your plot, characters, stakes and suspense consistently propel readers along the ...
Flashback is a powerful tool for weaving in important backstory—but as with any power tool, using it well requires knowledge ...
Used well, deep third can be one of the most intimate, engaging, revealing ways for readers to viscerally share your ...
Third-person POV dominates the current publishing market, so it’s helpful to learn to navigate its many facets ...
Although writing and editing are very different skill sets, much of what you can do to master one will serve ...