Outlining | Fictionary

Language

How Many Words in a Chapter: Tips and Tricks

One of the most common questions that writers face is: how many words should a chapter be? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Chapter lengths can vary dramatical...

Plot

7 Act Structure: What it Is and How to Use it

Ever feel like your story needs a little extra structure? Enter the 7-Act Structure, a plotting method designed to guide you through the highs, lows, and twists that...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

25 Best Mystery Books and Thriller Books

Around the world, one in eight fiction books belongs to the mystery and thriller genres, making it one of the most popular categories. This translates to more than 5...

Plot

Three Act Structure: Full Outline, Examples, and Tips

The three-act structure is a storytelling framework that has stood the test of time. Whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, or short story, understanding the ...

3. Creative Writing, Fantasy and Sci-fi

25 Cozy Fantasy Books for a Relaxing Read

Have you ever been reading a fantasy novel with complicated politics, epic battles, and extensive world building and found yourself relishing the parts where the cha...

Writing Tips

Black Friday Deals for Writers in 2024

We scoured the internet for the best Black Friday offers for writers. Whether you are outlining, writing, editing, marketing, or publishing, there is something for y...

Book Publishing

How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book

Publishing a book can be an exhilarating process… There’s nothing quite like seeing your words come to life on the page. But as exciting as it is, the reality se...

Character

The Caregiver Archetype in Literature

Derived from the studies of psychologist Carl Jung, the term archetype describes a literary device used to create a character based on a universal, instinctual set o...

Plot

Skeleton Outline: Definition, Examples, and Tips for Authors

When planning your novel, there’s one word that can either bring a sigh of relief or a shudder of dread… Outlining. But fear not, dear writer, because today, we�...

Writing Tips

30 Best Young Adult Books Ever

Young adult (YA) fiction has taken the world by storm, captivating both teens and adults with its relatable characters, emotional depth, and exciting plots. From fan...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

30+ Best Time Travel Books

Time traveling can simply be a plot device to achieve the story you want to tell, or it could be the idea that the author is trying to explore. Time traveling can in...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

10 Characters in Harry Potter: Witches, Wizards, and Muggles

The Harry Potter series isn’t just beloved for its spellbinding world-building and thrilling adventures, but also for its unforgettable characters. Whether they’...

Plot

Red Herring Examples and Definition

Picture this… You’re reading a mystery novel, completely engrossed, and you’re sure you’ve figured out who the villain is. Then, BAM. Plot twist!...

Writing Tips

How to Write an eBook and Make Money in 10 Steps

Writing an eBook has become one of the most effective ways for writers to make money while sharing their expertise, stories, or even niche interests. Whether you’r...

Writing Tips

20 Satire Examples in Literature and Film

Satire… It’s the art of mocking something in a way that makes you laugh, and then think. Whether it’s poking fun at society, politics, or human nature, satire ...

Character

Protagonist vs Antagonist: Differences and Examples

Ever been so hooked on a story that you’re practically fist-pumping for the hero to win? Or maybe you’re muttering, “Ugh, I hate this villain,” but secretly ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

40 Mystery Story Ideas and Prompts

In the world of mystery novels, every flicker of light hides a secret, and each breadcrumb of a clue is a potential game-changer. But let’s be real—sometimes wri...

Language

Motif Examples and Definition in Literature

If you’ve ever wondered why certain images or symbols seem to pop up repeatedly in your favorite books, it’s not just coincidence. These recurring elements, call...

Character

Dynamic Character: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Dynamic characters are like the VIPs of the literary world. They are always developing, growing, and keeping things interesting. If your character is the same person...

Writing Tips

What Is a Screenplay: A Guide for Screenwriters

So, you’ve got a brilliant idea that you think would make an incredible movie. Now comes the challenge of transforming that idea into a screenplay. But what exactl...

Character

Fatal Flaw: Definitions, Examples, and Writing Tips

In fiction, a character’s fatal flaw is a personal trait or belief that will cause a character to fail at their goal. It is a critical imperfection in their ma...

Poetry

24 Best Poetry Books to Read This Year

Poetry has a way of resonating deeply, whether it’s by speaking to our emotions, capturing the beauty of nature, or reflecting on life’s many facets. In this art...

Editing Tips

Beta Reader: Definition and How to Find or Become One

In the world of writing, few things are more valuable than receiving feedback from someone who understands your work. That’s where beta readers come in. They offer...

Character

10 Types of Characters in Literature (+ Examples)

In any story, characters are the lifeblood that make readers care, laugh, cry, or sometimes throw the book across the room. No? Just me. Okay then. Whether they’re...

Character

What is a Stock Character: 20+ Examples

In this article, we’ll examine: The definition and meaning of stock characters, Why they can be useful for your story, and How to write them well Stock Character...

Book Publishing

How Much Do Authors Make Per Book?

Ah. Money. A topic that strikes fear into the hearts of most authors who want to make a living from their writing, and immediately ask, “Can I really make enough m...

Writing Tips

Epistolary Novel: Definition and Examples

Epistolary novels offer readers something special. `A window into characters’ personal thoughts and emotions through letters, diaries, emails, or other forms of wr...

Language

Tone vs Mood: Difference, Meanings, and Examples

Tone and mood are important aspects of a narrative that can easily become confused. Let’s examine the difference between them, why they’re important, and how t...

Language

Situational Irony: Definition and Examples

Situational irony is one of the most engaging and unexpected storytelling tools you can use. It occurs when there’s a stark contrast between what is expected to ha...

Plot

Cosmic Irony: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

As writers, we’ve all had moments where life throws something unexpected at our characters (and sometimes at us)… But when the universe itself seems to play tric...

Planning

Dan Harmon Story Circle: The 8 Step Guide

You know that satisfying moment in a story when everything just clicks? When the character has grown, the plot has come full circle, and you nod like, “Yep, that w...

Writing Tips

Black Friday Software Deals for 2024

Ah, Black Friday. That glorious day after Thanksgiving where people brave stampedes for TVs and socks. But guess what? You don’t have to fight anyone in a Targ...

Character

Magician Archetype: Everything You Need to Know

The magician archetype is one of the most intriguing figures in storytelling. Magicians are the masters of the unknown, using their deep knowledge and skills to mani...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

50 Horror Story Ideas and Scary Writing Prompts

Feeling brave? Well, step right up to the literary house of horrors. We’ve got a smorgasbord of terror just waiting to tickle your dark fancy. Fifty fear-ind...

Language

100 Descriptive Adjectives (+ Examples)

Descriptive adjectives are the secret sauce of interesting writing. They help bring characters, settings, and emotions to life, transforming an average sentence into...

Character

Innocent Archetype: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

The innocent archetype is one of the most enduring and relatable figures in storytelling. Innocent characters see the world through an optimistic lens, often untaint...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Steps

Do you have a head full of whimsical ideas, a heart bursting with stories, and maybe a drawer full of half-eaten crayons? Congratulations! You’re halfway to be...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Book Review: Tips and Tricks

Finding splendid books is like mining. You have to pull out the ones that you like from the mountain of possibilities and sift through the streams of information to ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

25 Best True Crime Books

The rise in popularity of true crime books is a relatively modern phenomenon. True crime books regularly land in the top ten lists of best selling nonfiction books, ...

Character

Flat vs Round Characters: Definition and Examples in Literature

Like most writers, I love to associate things with their binary opposites. It makes it easier to understand most terms. Easier, but not a slam dunk. Some terms hav...

Romance

HEA Meaning in Books

Romance novels are consistently the best-selling genre in fiction. According to Publishers’ Weekly, sales of romance print books increased 52% in 2022 from the pre...

Language

How to Write Dialogue Well: 6 Tips and Examples

“Goodbye, Mike,” Laura blurted out abruptly, as her finger moved toward the red button that says “End” on her cell phone. Mike rejoined worriedly, “Goodbye...

Language

153 Vivid Verbs and How to Use Them Effectively

Writing a well-crafted sentence is like throwing a party hosted by the four major classes of English words—nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. Nouns and adjec...

Language

200+ Negative Adjectives to Use in Fiction

Could your writing use more showing and less telling? Do the words on the page capture what’s in your head? Artful use of adjectives can go a long way in makin...

Character

The Lover Archetype: Definition, Examples, and Tips

It has been said that a weak plot can be held up by strong characters, but the strongest of plots cannot survive with weak characters. Writing characters that resona...

Character

82 Character Ideas To Spark Your Creativity

Characters are key to our stories. It’s the understanding of how our characters react to the action of the story that drives us to write. It is the connection with...

Romance

18 Dark Romance Books to Read This Year

Romance has many subgenres, including contemporary romance, historical romance, young adult romance, and one that has surged in popularity in the last few years: dar...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

44 Best Thriller Books of All Time

What is a thriller? Something that thrills. Okay, for a more useful definition, it is a book, movie, or play that has suspense, tension, excitement, and high levels ...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

Best Fantasy Series to Add to Your TBR

Ah, fantasy books. The genre that whisks us away from our mundane lives and into worlds where dragons soar, magic is real, and heroes embark on epic quests. Whether ...

Book Marketing

Logline Examples and How to Write One

The purpose of a logline is to entice the reader with a captivating sentence so they want to invest time in reading the whole story. You might ask why you would need...

Language

Literary Elements: A List of 8 Literary Devices

Literary elements are the building blocks of great stories. They are essential. If any of these pieces are missing, there will be no story. Great news! If you are a ...

Plot

Freytag’s Pyramid: 5 Elements and 3 Examples

Ever felt like your story’s as flat as a pancake on a steamroller? Fear not, aspiring wordsmiths and veteran scribblers! There’s a time-honored tool that...

Writing Tips

Christmas Writing Prompts for Adults

Christmas prompts? In autumn? I know, I know. You’re probably sweating buckets, not dreaming of sugar plums. But stick with me here. What better way to beat th...

Character

Character vs Self Conflict in Writing

In the realm of storytelling, the conflict between a character and themselves, often referred to as “character vs self” or “man vs self,” del...

Non-fiction

Best Memoirs to Read This Year

Ah, memoirs. Those interesting stories that offer a glimpse into someone else’s life, experiences, and wisdom. This year, there are some incredible memoirs you sim...

Character

Tragic Hero: Definition and Writing Examples

Ah, the tragic hero. One of literature’s most interesting and enduring character archetypes. If you’ve ever felt a pang of sorrow for a character’s...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

High Fantasy vs Low Fantasy: Differences and Examples

Ah, fantasy literature… My absolute favorite. The genre is vast and captivating, transporting readers to realms brimming with magic, mythical creatures, and epic a...

Book Publishing

12 Publishing Companies for Traditional and Self-Publishing

Navigating the world of publishing can feel overwhelming, whether you’re a seasoned author or a newcomer. If you’re feeling like you don’t know where to st...

Character

What Is Third Person Point of View in Literature?

Understanding the various points of view (POVs) in literature is crucial for any writer. One of the most commonly used is the third person point of view, and I might...

Character

Character vs Technology Conflict: Examples and Writing Tips

With storytelling, the conflict between characters and technology—also known as man vs technology, person vs technology, or character vs technology (which are all ...

Writing Tips

6 Word Memoir: How to Write a Mini Memoir

Ah, the 6-word memoir. You’ve probably heard of it before, maybe even thought about writing one yourself. It’s a tiny challenge with a tremendous impact, a way t...

Character

Mary Sue Meaning, Definition, and Examples

In the world of storytelling, the term “Mary Sue” often sparks heated debates and strong opinions. And who doesn’t love a strong literary opinion? Orig...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

120 Powerful Fantasy Writing Prompts

Fantasy writing opens up a realm of endless possibilities, allowing writers to create worlds that captivate readers and transport them to magical realms. Whether you...

Language

Purple Prose: Definition, Examples, and Tips

Ah, purple prose—a term that might make you think of a literary color palette gone wild. But what exactly is it? Purple prose is an extravagant writing style that ...

Language

Exposition: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

I’ll bet you’ve heard the advice, “Show, don’t tell,” and this advice is grand, except for when it comes to one tool you should add to your writerly toolki...

Writing Tips

Trope Meaning, Definition, and Examples

Ah, tropes. They can be an author’s best friend or their worst nightmare, but learning how to use them effectively is essential if you want to be a top rate storyt...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

12 Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folk Tales

Fairy tales, fables, and folk tales are some of the most enduring stories of all time. They are the original bestsellers in fiction. Want to know why? They all have ...

Character

The Sage Archetype: Definition and Writing Tips

You know when you need a character to add to your ensemble cast because something is missing, but you can’t quite work out what that something is? I feel you. Trus...

Character

What Is A Foil Character? Definitions and Examples

A foil character is one who strongly contrasts with another character (usually a protagonist) in order to highlight the protagonist’s qualities. Let’s look...

Language

Exposition in a Story: How to Use and Examples

Many writers will be familiar with the dreaded criticism that there is too much exposition. This article will cover what story exposition is and why it’s often nec...

Character

The Creator Archetype: Definition and Examples

In literature (and in life sometimes too!), there are characters that fulfill a familiar role, or personify a specific niche in the story’s structure. Some may...

Character

Deuteragonist Meaning and Examples in Literature

The first time I saw the word deuteragonist, I had no idea what it meant. Well, that’s not completely true. I know enough about prefixes and suffixes to know it ...

Writing Tips

120 Short Story Ideas for Writers

Are you stuck in a creative rut? Do you need a spark to ignite your next short story? I hear you. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a newbie, coming up with ...

Writing Tips

50 Daily Writing Prompts for Authors

Hey there, wordsmiths and storytellers! Ever feel like your muse has gone on an extended vacation? Well, buckle up, because we’re about to turn your brain into...

Language

10 Types of Figurative Language

Figurative language can be one of those really confusing literary devices that has you scratching your head, like, huh? What’s going on here? But it doesn’t have...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

The 10 Best Stephen King Books in Order

Do you read? Write? Watch movies? Chances are, you’ve heard of Stephen King, one of the most famous names in fiction. Since his first novel, Carrie, hit the shel...

How to Use Fictionary

Introducing Automated Scene Structure Evaluation

It’s another exciting day at Fictionary. You asked for more automation, and we’ve added it! Just Ask Fictionary⭐ now includes Scene Structure evalution. Keep r...

Writing Tips

Scrivener Black Friday 2024

Black Friday is fast approaching, and with it comes the yearly whirlwind of sales and discounts that can make your head spin faster than a caffeinated squirrel. It&#...

Fictionary Events

Inkers Con 2024: Everything You Need to Know

If you’re an independent fiction author looking to go that extra mile, you’re in the right place. Welcome to Inkers Con 2024! What Is Inkers Con? Inkers Con is...

3. Creative Writing

Fictionary Black Friday 2024

Black Friday is one of the best times of year to get a great discount on products and softwares like Fictionary. So if you have been considering a subscription to ...

Poetry

15 Poetic Devices in Literature with Examples

Ever wondered why some writing makes your soul sing while other prose puts you to sleep faster than a lullaby on repeat? The secret, dear word enthusiasts, lies in t...

Plot

Save the Cat: How to Outline Your Novel

In this article we’ll examine the Save the Cat story outline, look in detail at how this outline compares with a successful novel, and explore some tips for how to...

How to Use Fictionary

Fictionary StoryCoach Edit: The Whats, Whys, and Hows

Have you ever wondered what a Fictionary StoryCoach edit is all about? Here’s everything you ever wanted to know. What is a StoryCoach Edit? A StoryCoach edit is...

3. Creative Writing

Character Template for Fiction Writing

Ever felt like your characters are about as flat as a soda left out overnight? Yeah, me too. But fear not, fellow word-wranglers! I’ve got a secret weapon that...

Plot

What is a Theme of a Story: Definitions and Examples

Have you ever wondered whether your story has a theme, or wanted to know how to integrate a theme or themes into your story? In this article we’ll look and what a ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

50 Fun Halloween Writing Prompts

You might be thinking, it’s a bit early for Halloween. Some people think about horror, I mean, Halloween, all year long. But if you’re a writer, it is important ...

Writing Tips

20 Best Writing Tools for Authors in 2024

Writing is an art, but like any craft, it’s a lot easier when you have the right tools. Authors get spoiled for choice with a range of apps and platforms designed ...

Plot

7 Story Archetypes: What They Are and How to Use Them

Story archetypes, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is, “The original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations o...

Writing Tips

Realistic Fiction: Definition and Examples

What is Realistic Fiction? Every story (even realistic fiction story) takes us into a different world. We experience the familiar in strange, new ways or discover th...

Writing Tips

100+ Words to Describe Music (+ Examples)

Music plays an important role in many people’s lives, so the topic of how to describe music in writing is an important one. Some songs invoke memories: A first dan...

Character

Man vs Man: Type of Conflict in Literature

Many conflict-averse writers hate the thought of forcing their beloved characters through myriad fights and arguments. Yet this character vs character conflict is th...

Language

Jargon Examples In Literature

Whether we realize it or not, we all regularly encounter jargon in our work and in our everyday lives. But what is jargon and, specifically, what is jargon in litera...

Plot

5 Plot Points in a Story: Definition & Examples

What Are Plot Points in a Story? When people talk about the plot of a story, what do they really mean? Isn’t plot just what happens? Boy meets girl, they fall in l...

Writing Tips

What is Flash Fiction? Definition and Examples

Brief, Plot, Twist – not the steps for a new dance craze or the latest challenge on social media – these are the three key elements of flash fiction. Whe...

Writing Tips

How to End a Scene: 6 Ways to Keep Your Reader Reading

The exit hook is the magic that keeps your reader wanting to begin the next scene. It’s what will stop them from putting your book down, which means it’s critica...

Character

Static vs Dynamic Characters: Differences and Examples

Static characters are like the static on a television. I know I’m showing my age, but if you don’t know what static on a tv is, watch Poltergeist. The thing ab...

Language

94 Transition Words and Phrases (with Examples)

It doesn’t matter what type of writing you’re doing. It could be an email to your newsletter list, a social media post, or your latest novel. Either way, masteri...

Language

150+ Strong Verbs List for Writing

You found your story. You plotted or pantsed your way through a first draft and used Fictionary to edit and fine-tune your story structure. Now it’s time to review...

Planning

Story Ideas to Write About

Hey there, storytellers! Feeling stuck staring at that blank page? We’ve all been there, wrestling with the cliché-riddled monster of uninspired plots. But fear n...

Character

Character Traits List for Creative Writers (with Examples)

Ever found yourself stuck in a character development rut, staring at your manuscript and wondering why your protagonist feels more like a cardboard cutout than a thr...

Character

Character Development in Literature: Definition and Examples

When we read stories, it is the characters that guide us through the world and the adventure. Think back to your favorite stories. Whether you are taken back to a fa...

3. Creative Writing

7 Figurative Language Examples, Definitions, and Types

You’ve probably heard the term figurative language, but what does it actually mean? Valid question, but fear not because I’ve broken down the seven different kin...

Romance

50 Romance Tropes For Writers

If you’re writing love stories, then you’ll want to get familiar with romance tropes. They act as familiar signposts for readers, so they know what to expect fro...

Writing Tips

How to Start a Story in 6 Easy Steps

Ah, starting a story. The stage of the process that stirs all the feels within your writerly brain. You’ve sparked your initial idea. You’ve penned your perfect,...

Character

First-Person Point of View: How to Use it in Literature

In literature, the first-person point of view immerses readers into the intimate perspective of a single character or individual. When a story is told from this view...

Language

The Three Types of Irony (with Examples)

“Irony is just honesty with the volume cranked up.”—George Saunders What is Irony? Irony is when the opposite of the expected happens. Examples range from ...

Plot

Story Development 101: How to Go from Idea to Outline

You have an idea. It inspires you, but how do you make it a full story? How do you know the idea has legs? You want to create a structurally strong story that reader...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Novel in 9 Steps: Novel Writing 101

Every novel begins as a whisper, a fleeting thought that tickles the mind. If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a novel, you know it’s a mixture of inspirat...

Character

Dual Protagonists: How to Write Two Main Characters

Dual Protagonist Synopses For many novelists, condensing tens or hundreds of thousands of words of fiction into a synopsis of five hundred words or so (depending on ...

Non-fiction

How to Write a Memoir: 10 Tips for Sharing Your Story

What happens when a writer wants to tell a true story about themselves? They become the protagonist and fill the chapters with scenes from their own lives. They shar...

Language

38 Tone Examples: How to Use Tone in Writing

“In the beginning, there was tone.” Tone is an elusive yet powerful force in writing that shapes our perception of stories. As writers, we wield tone in magica...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

25 Best Sci Fi Books of All Time

Science fiction is a huge genre, encompassing many subgenres. Although sci-fi extends beyond the bounds of normal reality, exploring imaginary but scientifically pla...

Plot

Falling Action: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Falling action is a useful literary tool to have under your belt because it can increase the impact of the climax and create a more satisfying resolution. To underst...

Character

50 Character Motivation Examples and Tips for Writing

If you’re looking to craft realistic and relatable characters, then you’ll need to get familiar with character motivation. Understanding what drives each charact...

Writing Tips

25 Best Fiction Books Everyone Should Read

I know what you’re thinking. No, I’m not psychic, but I am a writer and reader, just like you. The question you want to ask is, “Do I really need to add 25 new...

Language

Antithesis Examples, Definition, and Meaning

Antithesis is a fantastic literary device that can add some much needed depth to your writing. If you want your prose to resonate with readers, this is one way to do...

Character

Third Person Omniscient Narration Definition, Examples, and Tips

Third person omniscient, is told from a (usually) uninvolved observer, or narrator, who can know what all the characters think and do and even know about events the ...

Language

Dramatic Irony Examples in Literature, Film, and TV

Dramatic irony is not rain on your wedding day. After all, some people see the beauty in rain, and many people have indoor weddings and receptions that will be unaff...

Plot

Rising Action: Definition, Examples, and Techniques

Spring or fall I find are the best times to get out of the house and go for a walk. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a little stroll where I don’t have to work ...

Poetry

8 Types of Poems (with Examples)

Ah, poetry! It’s like a literary magic trick—brief but breathtaking. Join us as we explore the types of poetry that stir our souls and spike our creative juices....

Character

Indirect Characterization: What it is and How to Use it in Literature

Indirect Characterization is a helpful tool that authors can use to add complexity to their characters. This method of storytelling unveils characters in a literary ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

22 Best Horror Books of All Time

Get ready to turn the pages with trembling hands! For we are about to explore the eerie, the spooky, and the outright terrifying. Horror literature taps into our dee...

Poetry

35 Poem Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

Here’s help for when it happens. You know IT, that moment you must write a poem. It may be an internal desire or external pressure (shout out to students and poets...

Language

129 Tone Words to Express Mood in Writing

Essential, inevitable, and often misunderstood, tone impacts the reader. Using tone intentionally will elevate your writing. Everything you need to develop your expe...

Writing Tips

How to Write Sounds in Text

It’s important to describe sounds in fiction. When you describe sounds in fiction, it creates an immersive experience for your readers. There are five senses: ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

Psychological Fiction: Definition and Examples

You’ve probably had a friend pass you a book and say, “You’ve got to read this. It’s a total head trip.” All books take you on a journey, but when getting ...

Writing Tips

Best Book Editing Courses in 2024

You did it! Holding a full draft in your hands is an accomplishment. The first big step on the road to publishing your story. Editing courses offer insight and clari...

Character

Third Person Limited Point of View: Definition, Examples, and Tips

As you search for a way to deepen your reader’s connection with your protagonist while maintaining flexibility in narrative control, third person limited narration...

Writing Tips

How Many Scenes in a Chapter? Tips and Writing Tricks

How many scenes in a chapter is the right number? And why is that number important? A scene or several scenes will make up a chapter. The Scenes per Chapter insight ...

Romance

Love Story Titles: Ideas and How to Write One

If you’re anything like me, coming up with a title for a story may be a little challenging. But it’s vital. I usually have a working title while I’m writing, t...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

How to Write a Horror Story: A Step by Step Guide

Writers in any genre benefit from a deep understanding of how their genre works, and story beats are perhaps the most important part of defining that genre’s form....

Writing Tips

Book Writing Software 2024: Top 5 for Writers

Fellow word-slingers: writing a book can be an exhilarating, soul-consuming, and downright exhausting endeavour. But fear not! Like a literary superhero, I’m here ...

Writing Tips

5 Best Writing Apps in 2024

From the humble pen and paper, to the mighty typewriter, and now the omnipresent computer, the art of writing has always danced beautifully with the rhythm of techno...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

5 Elements of a Mystery Your Story Needs

If you’re a mystery writer, it’s important to keep track of your story, and not only in the context of what you share with your readers but also what your charac...

Romance

How to Write a Romance Novel: in 4 Steps

How to write a romance novel is an extension of the question: How to write a novel? We’re going to use Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and pretend we are ...

Editing Services

How to Become a Developmental Editor: Definition and Tips

Editing makes a story the best it can be by revising content, fixing errors, and ensuring the story engages readers. Every book needs editing, and revision is crucia...

Plot

9 Story Elements: Theme, Plot, and Setting

Writing a great story is like cooking an incredible meal. There are many ingredients that all work together to create a delicious feast for your reader. You might ha...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

10 Elements of Science Fiction Writing

In the following, we’ll look at 10 major science fiction elements (or beats, if you will) to consider when writing science fiction. To set the stage, or p...

Plot

What Is a Plot Hole and How to Fix Them

A plot hole will make your readers unhappy. So how do you avoid falling into a hole? How do you even know there is a hole? Scenes and the order that events take p...

Setting

What is the Setting of a Story: Definitions + 4 Tips

What Is Setting Setting is the place or environment in which something or an event occurs. Every story, whether it is told in books, poems, films, tv, or theatre nee...

Plot

Inciting Incident: Definition, Examples, and Tips

You’ve written a first draft. And with that major milestone completed, I’m guessing you want others to read your story and love it. That means you need to perfor...

Non-fiction

Narrative Nonfiction Books: Definition and Examples

What Is Narrative Non Fiction? Narrative nonfiction is a book written in the format of a novel but based on a true story. The important words are novel and true...

Character

What is External Conflict? With Definition and Examples

External conflict moves your story forward, and the question of how to write external conflict is a difficult one to answer. This sounds like a simple concept, but i...

Character

Active vs Passive Voice: What’s the Difference?

Many of us remember teachers warning against the use of passive voice in our lessons. Young writers slip into passive voice easily, particularly when they are writin...

Romance

5 Elements of Romance You Should Know

Let’s talk about all the romance elements that make love stories so popular. In part, the romance genre stands the test of time because the experience of falli...

Plot

How to Write a Plot Twist: 6 Tips

A deliciously unexpected plot twist delivers a rush of adrenaline that causes readers to fly through the pages to see what happens next. A good plot twist will have ...

Developmental Editing

Book Editing Process: 6 Stages of Editing

Let’s look at how some famous writers answered the question, why is editing a book impirtant. Ernest Hemingway perhaps did so most concisely when he said: the firs...

Planning

How to Come up With Story Ideas: 7 Tips

If you’ve paid close attention, you’ve likely seen a hint of despair in an author’s eye when asked where their story ideas originate. Authors are asked this ag...

Book Marketing

Book Endorsement: How to Write and Collect Them

What Is a Book Endorsement? A book endorsement is a short comment praising your book from someone who has read your book. The best and most convincing book endorseme...

Writing Tips

11 Step Checklist For Writing a Book

Sometimes when you ask a writer how to start writing, you get this warning: If you can find happiness doing anything other than writing, do that thing. The th...

Character

5 Tips For Writing Children Characters Well

Stories we read as children can provide some of our very first friends. These children’s characters teach us those important early lessons of how to be brave, ...

Writing Tips

5 Qualities of a Good Writer

I’m sure it’s happened to you. You’re chatting with someone — perhaps on the bus, or at a kitchen party — and you mention you’re working on a boo...

Planning

How to Conduct Book Research: 6 Tips

Bookshelves, libraries and the internet are great sources of inspiration for writers. Who hasn’t whiled away hours researching essential story questions like: how ...

Writing Tips

Narrative Structure: Definition, Types, and Examples

Ask yourself, do I have a story? Did that make you shudder with anticipation or giggle with glee? Whether you have a gem of an idea that you are outlining and planni...

Book Publishing

How to Write an Author Bio (with Examples)

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve written your novel, self-edited it, and sent it off to a professional editor (hopefully, a Fictionary Certified StoryCoa...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Synopsis for a Book (with Examples)

The phrase “write a book synopsis” used to give me the heebie-jeebies. I’d rather sit through a root canal than attempt to shrink a complex, multi-...

Developmental Editing

How to Edit a Book: 6 Steps with Examples

If the thought of editing makes you break into a cold sweat, then fear not. You’re on the same path as most writers, including yours truly. I remember when I f...

Character

Dialect in Literature: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Creating strong voices in characters begins with the way we use language. We can, without even knowing it, reveal beliefs, culture, identity, and experience. The wor...

Writing Tips

Writing Anxiety: How to Overcome it

Before you can use Fictionary to edit your first draft, you have to write your first draft. That can be a daunting task and may even cause writer’s anxiety. Edito...

Writing Tips

How to Write Your First Book: 6 Tips to Get You Started

Writing your first novel is hard. I remember when I wrote my first novel way back in 2010. It was terrible… no, really. I read through it in 2018, and it will neve...

Writing Tips

What Is A Blurb? Definition and Examples

A blurb is one of those things that all fiction authors need but most of us hate to write. Condensing our 50-, 80-, or 100-thousand-word book down to between 100 and...

Plot

Tension in Literature: What it is and How to Write it

Tension drives fiction, and successful writers are adept at the dance of teasing out tension, building it to nearly unbearable levels, and then releasing it satisfac...

Character

Anti-Hero: Examples, Definition, and Meaning

Creating believable characters (and a believable anti-hero) requires much diligence by the writer. Listing questions to define traits of a character are common in wr...

Writing Tips

What is an Indie Author? An Easy Guide

There’s no universal definition of an indie author. Strictly speaking, an indie author simply means an author who’s ‘independent’ of a publishing house. Indi...

Developmental Editing

How to Find Beta Readers and Work With Them

Every writer benefits from engaging with alternative perspectives, and using beta readers can help with this. Without opening ourselves to other points of view, how ...

Plot

How to Create Suspense: Tips for Building Suspense

How to create suspense is a question writers often ask me. I get why they ask it, though. Creating suspense (i.e., raising the hairs at the nape of your reader’...

Plot

5 Elements of Plot Explained

Plot, Plot Points, and Everything In Between. We’re going to cover the 5 main plot elements of a story. “What is a “plot point”, or even a plot for that ...

Writing Tips

Pacing in Writing: How to Master Pacing

When you’re about to begin a story edit, you may wonder if word count per scene is important. You can stop wondering. We’re going to show you why it ca...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Flashback: Flashback Writing Tips

What Is a Flashback in a Story? Flashbacks take the reader from action in the narrative’s present to action in the story’s past. Flashbacks: Play out as ‘shown...

Editing Services

Book Editing: What it Is and How to Find an Editor

The fundamentals book editing, aka story editing, aka fiction editing – when I first started looking into editing as a career, I knew this is what I wanted to do, ...

Developmental Editing

What is Developmental Editing: Definition and Tips

Many new authors struggle to understand the different levels of editing, including which is needed and when. This confusion is not surprising. Some editing terms are...

Character

Character Goals: Deciding on Your Character’s Aims

Giving your protagonist a character goal is vital to writing great fiction. That’s all well and good, Shane, but what is a character goal and why are they so i...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

How to Write a Mystery Novel: 5 Tips

As a reader, you are a silent partner with the detective: experiencing the thrill of identifying the culprit with, or before, the detective. Maybe even better, you h...

Character

Different Types of Point of View: Guide and Examples

Every author is searching for a definitive answer to the question, which type of point of view (POV) makes the most riveting story for readers. Are you struggling wi...

3. Creative Writing, Fantasy and Sci-fi

How to Write a Fantasy Novel: 4 Tips for Writing Fantasy

So, you want to write a fantasy novel, eh? I don’t blame you. Losing yourself in a fantastical world of your own design is fun… and we want writing to be fun, ri...

Character

Flat Character: Definition and Examples

A reader connects with a story’s characters; they are who the reader follows through the story. Kristina Stanley talks about that connection with her fantabulous b...

Writing Tips

What Is Historical Fiction? Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Most writers find their passion for storytelling through their love of the books they read growing up, and one of the most appealing traits of those stories is to tr...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

Thriller Genre: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

What is a thriller? On the face of it, this seems like a really easy question to answer. Thrillers are meant to be thrilling… the clue’s in the title. Bu...

Plot

7 Types of Conflict in a Story: Definition and Examples

One of the first issues a writer tackles in a new story idea is determining where the conflict of the story lies, and what types of conflict they’re going to u...

Character

Character Personality Types in Fiction Writing

The most important part of building a believable character is showing consistency in that character’s actions and reactions to various situations throughout...

Character

Unreliable Narrator: Definition and Examples

As writers and editors, we all learn that using first person point of view or even third person limited/close point of view gets readers closer to the story, because...

Plot

Plot Diagram: Definition and Examples

Ah, the plot diagram! Think of it as the GPS of storytelling. A road map for your story’s journey. It’s not just a squiggly line on a page; the plot diagram ...

Writing Tips

What Is a Synopsis? Definition and How to Write One

A synopsis is one of those things that authors—especially those who plan to query agents and publishers—need, but usually hate to write. But learning how to writ...

Character

How to Write Dialogue (with Examples)

Writing dialogue provides the subtext, irony, and complexity required for compelling characters and stories. Small words carry heavy loads, when skilfully handled. �...

Editing Tips

The 5 Types of Editing

There are many types of editing, and navigating which is which and which one you need when can be confusing, especially for new authors. One reason for the confusion...

Plot

What is the Climax of a Story?

There are many ways to look at how stories are formed, but the one I have been using (and therefore the one I’m most familiar with) is the three-act story structur...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

Speculative Fiction: Definition and Examples

When I first started writing with the intent to publish, I called myself a speculative fiction author because my story ideas didn’t all fit into one neat little ge...

Character

Second Person Point of View: Definition, Examples, and Tips

There are three basic points of view: first, second, and third. This is a guide to perhaps the most obscure choice, 2nd person point of view. First, let’s l...

Writing Tips

11 Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Tips

Want to know a secret? You are already an expert at literary devices! What? Yes! Don’t let the fancy words or a stern-looking English teacher scare you away! You a...

Non-fiction

Fiction vs Nonfiction: Differences and Definitions

As readers, we love a great story. In most cases, stories entertain us, take us out of our reality, and introduce us to experiences unlike our own. However, these st...

Character

What is Internal Conflict? With Definition and Examples

Conflict is the bread and butter of fiction writing. And the question of how to write inner conflict is tricky to answer. If you don’t include enough conflict in y...

Fictionary

The 2023 Fictionary Book of the Year Award

Announcing the Winners of The 2023 Fictionary Book of the Year Award This is always an exciting message to write and send. We’re so proud of the Fictionarians ...

Character

10 Character Types You Can Use For Inspiration

At its most basic, a good story has three things: a plot, a setting, and characters. In Fictionary, we refer to these as supergroups, and each of the thirty-eight st...

Character

Protagonist: Definition, Types, and Examples

Oxford Languages defines a protagonist as: The leading character or one of the main characters in a play, film, novel etc. An advocate or champion of a partic...

Fictionary Events

Introducing the Story Garden Summit: the newest conference for writers

Hi Fictionarians! We are so excited to finally let the cat out of the bag about a project we’ve been working on for weeks. We’ve joined forces with the amazing t...

Fictionary Events

All of the FictionaryLive! Editing Courses Start Up Again Next Week

If you have a book that you are working on, FictionaryLive! Guided Editing Courses will help you navigate your writing and editing journey in just weeks. In every co...

Character

Archetype Definition and Examples in Literature

Archetypes are the DNA of storytelling. They provide a universal language that transcends time and culture, connecting us to characters as familiar as an old friend&...

Plot

The Climax In The Context Of The Story Arc

The climax scene is where you get to shine as an author. Every word you’ve written up to this point is going to pay off. What is the Climax of a story? You’ve bu...

Fictionary Events

Kristina’s Interview on Self Publishing Insiders

This week our very own Kristina Stanley was interviewed on Draft2Digital’s popular podcast, Self Publishing Insiders. You can learn all about her own writing j...

Plot

Story Arc Template and Examples

As a reader, you give a writer your trust. You are willing to invest your time and money in a story – to be entertained, to be enlightened, or just to b...

Writing Tips

How Many Words in a Novel? Average Word Count For Novels

A question we get asked a lot at Fictionary is, how many words should be in my novel? You can spend a lot of time trying to answer this question. And—if you’re l...

Writing Tips

Best Book Editing Software 2024: Top 5 Tools for Writers

Navigating the murky waters of book editing software can feel like a herculean trial. There are countless options out there, each promising to be the holy grail for ...

Writing Tips

Best Online Creative Writing Courses for Authors

Many creative writers looking to hone their craft consider taking writing courses. However, with so many courses available, finding the right one can be a cha...

Fictionary Events

Best Online Writing Workshops: Why Choose Fictionary Live!?

Writing courses and workshops come in many different packages. Some with shiny red bows on top, guaranteeing everything under the sun, others cost as much as ...

Character

Character vs Ticking Clock: Definition and Examples

Conflict is a writer’s bread and butter in storytelling. It’s what readers read for. They want to see your characters struggle to achieve their goals. If...

Character

Character vs Society: Definition and Examples

Conflict is the story element that drives your novel forward. If you don’t have tons of conflict between your pages… then your readers will find another book...

Character

Man vs Nature: Definition and Examples

Conflict is one of the key aspects of storytelling. If there’s no conflict in your story… then you have no story. There are 5 major types of conflict in ...

Writing Tips

Best Writing Courses: The Writing Courses You Need in Your Toolbox

How do you write a bestseller? Where can you learn the craft that will engage your readers and give you confidence to take your story to market? You have to find t...

Character

Character vs Supernatural: Types of Conflict and Examples

As writers, we know that a story without conflict (whether man vs supernatural or not) is like a comedy without the jokes. Boring. Conflict is one story element that...

Fictionary Events

Novel Writing with Fictionary Live!

Today, I want to express my immense gratitude for Fictionary Live, its incredible community, and how it’s helped with my novel writing. Without this phenomenal...

Writing Tips

How to Avoid Writer Procrastination

For many life is busy, busy, busy. And aspiring writers often lament, If only I had time to write. If only I had time to write. If only I had time to write. And cru...

Character

A Guide to Writing Sympathetic Characters

An important aspect to writing a compelling story is writing sympathetic characters. As the name suggests, sympathetic characters are meant to elicit readers’ symp...

Writing Tips

What Happens When Authors use Generative AI to Write a Novel?

Introduction to GenAI and Novels First and foremost, I’m a novelist. Four of my novels were published by Imajin Books and one translated into German and published ...

Developmental Editing

Self Editing Tips: How to Self Edit Like A Pro

It’s time to dive into the oft-turbulent seas of self editing. Now, let’s get one thing straight off the bat. Editing your own work can feel like trying ...

Developmental Editing

Fiction Editing: 5 Tips on How to Edit Fiction

“Oh, great and powerful Muse of Literature,” you’ve undoubtedly cried at some ungodly hour. “Why does fiction editing have to be so… unruly...

Plot

8 Point Story Arc: What Is It and Is It Worth Using?

Ah, the tangled web of story structure, and the 8 Point Story Arc, versus the 5 Point Story Arc. When I first dipped my toes into the vast ocean of storytelling, I w...

Language

Words That Start with O: 180 O Words

When you’re searching for the perfect word but can’t quite bring it to the forefront of your mind, it can make writing or editing your manuscript tough. There ha...

Language

180 Words That Start with K

When you’re in the writing flow and the words are pouring from your fingertips, everything feels fantastic. You’re on a roll, you have this, and by the g...

Language

Words That Start with N: 175 N Words

We all know that choosing just the right word for just the right sentence when we’re writing can be tough. If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely spent way ...

Language

Adjectives That Start with E: 160 E Adjectives

When you’re trying to describe something, choosing the perfect adjective can be tough. I don’t know about you, but I’ve stared at that blinking cursor for more...

Language

160 Adjectives That Start with L

Are you ready to journey through a lush landscape of adjectives starting with the letter L? Sorry, I couldn’t resist a bit of alliteration there. Choosing the perf...

Language

Words That Start with V: 164 V Words

As an author, you know that words have power. Depending on the words you use in your stories, you can inspire, delight, amaze, disgust, and shock in equal measure. A...

Language

210 Adjectives That Start with A

Choosing the perfect adjective to make your prose sing can be a real headache. Whether you’re crafting relatable characters, setting the scene, or describing a par...

Writing Tips

Fiction Writing: Top Tips to Get You Started

Let’s dive headfirst into this whimsical whirlpool of fiction writing, shall we? Fiction writing. It’s an art, a craft, a magical cauldron of creativity ...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Fiction Book: Writing Fiction Readers Love

When I first set out to write a novel, I remember feeling overwhelmed. The question of how to write a fiction book felt unanswerable. I was standing at the foot of M...

Developmental Editing

Self Editing for Fiction Writers: 10 Tips for Editing Your Novel like a Pro

Alright, my fellow writer warriors, buckle up! We’re about to do a deep dive on self-editing for fiction writers. Now, I won’t mince words here. In the early...

Developmental Editing

How to Edit a Novel: 8 Top Tips for Editing a Book

I recall the moment I capped off the last sentence of my first book, a wave of accomplishment washed over me. In that second, I was on top of the world! “I’v...

Language

200+ Impressive Adjectives to Describe a Person

A person can be agreeable, daft, motivated, greedy, unpredictable, articulate, or something else. All of these words are adjectives. Adjectives modify a noun or pr...

Language

Adjectives That Start with I: 300+ I Adjectives

Incredible adjectives can make a description as informative as they are indispensable. But an imprecise adjective can feel inelegant. Finding the best adjective fo...

Language

110+ Adjectives That Start with N

The perfect adjectives can take a description from being just nice to noteworthy. An adjectives adds additional information to a noun or pronoun, and they are an e...

Language

170 Adjectives That Start with S

Finding a superb adjective to fit your requirements can be stressful. Writers often select adjectives based on their length, connotations, definition, or spelling ...

Language

200+ Adjectives That Start with R

A rare and refined adjective can create a description that resonates deeply with readers. But it can be hard to find the perfect adjective, especially if you are l...

Language

210 Adjectives That Start with T to Use in Writing

A top-notch adjective can create thrilling descriptions, but a time-worn one can undercut your writing. Getting the right adjective is a matter of meaning, tone, s...

Language

Adjectives That Start with C: 270 Words That Start with C

A clever adjective can spice up a description, but using too many can feel chaotic and lead to a reader who is confused and pulled away from the story. Writers may...

Plot

Campfire for Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers

Writing isn’t a one-size-fits-all sort of job. Everyone does it differently and that’s a good thing. It’s how the creativity engine keeps running, and how we g...

Language

Pastiche vs Parody: What’s the difference?

The term “pastiche” is not one I’ve heard often used, even though we see examples of it everywhere, so it was fun to wade into the pastiche vs parody debate. P...

Character

Using Internal Goals to Add Depth

In every story, the point of view character must have a goal. Without a goal, the character has no chance at the successes and failures that create tension and drive...

Non-fiction

Historical Nonfiction: Definition and Examples

What is Historical Nonfiction? Historical nonfiction discusses real-life historical events and eras. These books should be based upon rigorous research and study. Su...

Language

Suspense vs Surprise: The Difference Explained

For writers of thrillers, mysteries, and horror, understanding how to use suspense and surprise is an important part of their craft. But while these writers perfect ...

Character

7 tips for writing a killer cast of characters

Creating a killer cast of characters for your novel can make a big impact on your story’s success. Why? Because, as Kristina Stanley says in her article Make the M...

Non-fiction

The Art of Creating a Narrative Persona in Nonfiction

Narrative nonfiction is a term used to describe true stories written in novel format. Like any novel, narrative nonfiction books need, among other things, a strong s...

Plot

Hero’s Journey: Stages and Structure Examples

What can the stages of the hero’s journey offer you and your characters? How can you use the hero’s journey to enhance your story? I’m not going to promise it ...

Non-fiction

Can a Novel be Nonfiction?

Can a novel be nonfiction is an interesting, and tricky, question to answer. Before we delve into this topic, let’s first examine: Definitions Merriam-Webst...

Character

How to Create a Hero: Tips and Ideas

In fiction, we often talk about the need to create a hero, but not every protagonist needs to be a hero. Sometimes they can be ordinary people caught in difficult or...

Character

Passive Voice in Fiction Writing: Should you use it?

Passive voice has power. Not the kick-you-in-the-face, don’t-look-away, hold-your-breath-and-jump kind of power, but power just the same. But it’s considered...

Writing Tips

Writing a book: 5 expert tips to finally make it happen

The thought of writing a book can seem overwhelming. The empty page can be intimidating for writers venturing into that first novel. Endless advice is given on how t...

Character

Direct Characterization: Definition and Examples

Our connection to characters creates stories we love, and we can create loveable characters through direct vs indirect characterization. Characters’ actions...

How to Use Fictionary

The Ultimate Writer App: StoryTeller is a Must Have for Authors

Which writer app is your favourite? Countless writers’ apps exist today. For example, writers’ apps can help with: Brainstorming plots Proofreading (checking you...

Setting

Creating Historical Fiction Settings That Bring the Past to Life

Creating historical fiction settings is essential to writing great historical fiction—the name says it all! The setting, in time and space, sets the boundaries and...

Non-fiction

The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction That You Should Know

Increased curiosity about the world around us is driving readers to pick books in a growing genre of narrative nonfiction. Narrative nonfiction is an umbrella term f...

Writing Tips

How to write a striking book title

Your book title has a huge job to do. Simultaneously, it must: Hook readers/agents/publishers into reading your novel (or at least into reading the blurb and ...

Character

Flat Characters: Using the senses to add depth

Ah… flat characters, the bane of writers the world over. Are you worried your characters are flatter than steam-rolled pancakes. Struggling to bring your story...

Writing Tips

Strengthen the Logical and Emotional Power of a Story

When editors talk about helping writers intensify the power of a story, what does that actually mean? What is it exactly that makes a story powerful, and how can we ...

Character

Archetype vs Stereotype: Key Differences

Let’s address what we mean by archetype vs stereotype. Archetypes and stereotypes could be trapped in the battle between form and formula. Archetypes provide a...

Setting

The importance of historical accuracy

The genre of Historical Fiction has gained popularity in recent years with the success of works such as The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon, The Wolf Hall Trilog...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

The Western Genre: Everything You Need to Know

Introduction Many people think that the western genre is dead: that it ended with stories like Shane, Wyatt Earp, and Gunfight at the OK Corral. And it is true that ...

Character

Person vs Fate: Type of Conflict

An important question to ask when considering person vs fate is, “How do you fight fate?” Another is, “Faced with a prediction of an inevita...

Writing Tips

5 Writing Habits You Should Incorporate To Your Routine

The most successful writers who share their processes often speak of creating strong writing habits. For these writers, good writing habits are a necessity th...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

World-building: Tips to Create Fascinating New Worlds

What is World-building? World-building is the construction of story worlds, whether for novels, games, movies or comics. World-building is often seen as the purview ...

How to Use Fictionary

Why you should become a Certified StoryCoach Editor

Want to become a developmental editor? Want to help writers turn their words into bestsellers? Maybe you’re a structural editor already, but you’re strug...

Character

What is an Omniscient Narrator?

Writers often debate where stories come from, though we have all heard the advice, write what you know. But what if you want to write a great story with an omniscien...

Plot

How to Structure a Fantastic Plot

Have you ever written 60-120,000 words of a novel, only to sit back, read your manuscript and wonder how any author ever manages to write a plot that actually feels ...

How to Use Fictionary

Welcome to Fictionary

Hi, I’m Kristina and I’m a writer just like you. I can’t wait to show you all the ways our software, courses, and community will help make y...

Plot

How to Use Food to Increase Story Stakes

Recently, I found myself lingering over the images of food in the stories I read. The sensory experience of the story told with the use of food connected me to the c...

Character

How to Write Heroes and Villains

Fiction is largely driven by conflict, and nowhere is conflict more on display than in the clash of heroes and villains. At their best, these clashes leave indelible...

3. Creative Writing, Writing Tips

Writing humour: Applying humour to your writing

Writing Humour: Let’s Get Serious About Being Funny Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate. Writing humour is hard, and there’s a lot o...

Character

How to Create Compelling Characters

When we talk about compelling characters, character or plot: which comes first? Barbara Kingsolver says: Plot comes first. The plot is the architecture of your novel...

Writing Tips

How to Write a Book Blurb

Introduction Like novel writing, blurb writing is an art form in its own right. I’ve seen it compared to copywriting; I’ve even seen it compared to poetry. But, ...

Editing Services

How to Work with Your Editor

Making the decision to work with an editor can be tricky, especially if this is your first novel. You’ve completed your manuscript, self-edited it, incorporated be...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

What is Hard Science Fiction?

Introduction Are you intrigued by where we are going with science and technology? Are you a fan of “The Martian” by Andy Weir? Do you love to debate the accuracy...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

Exposition vs Narrative: What’s the Difference?

Narrative vs. Exposition Whether writers are in early stages of developing their craft, or are perfecting prose they have practiced for years, understanding the subt...

Editing Tips

Top 3 Self-Edits When Writing for Young Audiences

Stories written for young audiences need to be better than stories written for older audiences. And they must have a stronger structure so young audiences can clambe...

Editing Services

Being Objective as an Editor

Why Objectivity is Important in Editing Objectivity, or the Editing Holy Grail An objective edit, free of the whims and fancies of personal opinion, is the gold stan...

How to Use Fictionary

Outlining a novel in StoryTeller: A NaNoWriMo Success

Outlining a novel for NaNoWriMo in StoryTeller Introduction Writing a novel is a huge undertaking. You can plan out the story as much or as little as you want. Still...

Developmental Editing

Changing from a Copy Editor to a Story Editor

So, you’re a copy editor, but you’re considering becoming a story editor, eh? Or perhaps you’re tentatively dipping your toes into the editing career pool, and...

Fictionary

Fictionary Secures $1.8M CAD of Investment in a Seed Round

Fictionary, a Canadian tech company, is revolutionizing the way writers and editors collaborate to create bestsellers. November 29, 2022, Inverary, Ontario — Ficti...

Character

4 Tips To Come Up With Strong Character Names

A good character name tells a whole story anytime you hear it. You know the type of name: Jane Eyre, Randall Flagg, Moby Dick, Katniss Everdeen, Lando Calrissian. Se...

Romance

How to Write a Love Story: Tips to hook your reader

Can a love story appear in any novel? When thinking of love stories, we often think first of Mills and Boon romances and Merchant Ivory rom-coms. But love stories ar...

Fictionary

5 Lessons I Learned Judging the Fictionary Book of the Year Award Contest

Time Management | Perspective | Process | Heart | Humility Little did I know when I volunteered to judge the 2022 Fictionary Book of the Year Award (BoYA) contest ...

Editing Services

The Importance of Positive Comments When Book Editing

As story editors (structural book editing of fiction), it’s our job to point out what our author clients need to change to make their book better, right? Well, yes...

Plot

How to Craft the First and Last Scene of a Novel

Beginnings and endings can make or break a story, and this is true whether we’re referring to the workings of the scenes within the novel (see 6 Ways to Exit a Sce...

Book Publishing

Identifying the Right Target Audience for Your Book

What is a target audience? Simply put, your target audience consists of readers who enjoy books like yours. They will likely buy your book, recommend it to a friend,...

Editing Services

Becoming an Editor: What Type of Editing Is for You?

The decision to become an editor raises an immediate question: What type of editing is for you? As we’ll see, the answer involves more options than the general pub...

Fictionary

Fictionary 2022 Book Of The Year Award Shortlist

Ten Talented Writers Chosen Five Novels In Each Category The book of the year award is for the best unpublished novel edited in Fictionary software. The shortlisted ...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

How to Write a Horror Story: Best Tips

Don’t Go in the Cellar: Elements to Consider When Writing Horror [Editor’s note: The horror community suffered a great loss when author Peter Straub, 79, died on...

Editing Services

How to Better Use Track Changes

Imagine you’ve exported your manuscript from Fictionary, and it’s ready for copy-editing or sharing with your writing group, beta readers, or ed...

Setting

Five Setting Elements of a Story Explained

What is the setting of a story? The elements of a story in a novel are grouped into character, plot and setting. When we talk about the setting of a story and what...

Editing Services

Why a story editor should not copy edit first

A story editor edits story structure As the writer, you write for your most attentive reader, then a story editor edits for the most casual readers. Once the structu...

Writing Tips

Ten Elements Of A Story You Should Know

Introduction: The Story Element Using one story element will not create a great story. A story is a collection of scenes woven together to illuminate an overarching ...

Plot

THE HUNGER GAMES Story Arc Key Scenes and Example

The Hunger Games story arc shows how a very successful novel relied on story structure to tell a powerful story. What is a story arc? How do we create one? Which ele...

Plot

Questions to discover your inciting incident

How to Discover Your Inciting Incident Whether you are a plotter or a pantser, at some point you will need to have a look at your story structure. Do you have all th...

Character

5 Character Elements of a Story Explained

Use these 5 Elements of a Story when editing characters Editing Characters When a character is being edited—any character from your book—you need to see if you h...

Editing Tips

The Future of Editing is Here

History of Editing Tools Before looking at the future of editing, let’s look at the past. Imagine trying to edit in 3200 BC. I’ll bet a typo caused great...

Non-fiction

What is Narrative Non-Fiction?

Narrative non-fiction is a book written in the format of a novel but based on a true story. The important words are novel and true. I’d like to share a true ...

How to Use Fictionary

Be an Objective Editor using the Fictionary Story Elements

Have you ever had that heart-stopping moment where you’re editing a client’s manuscript, you want to suggest an improvement, but don’t know how to phrase it? Y...

How to Use Fictionary

Rediscover How to Write a Novel with StoryTeller

Tips for Writing a Novel Whether it’s your first novel or your tenth, writing and self-editing full-length fiction can be quite a daunting process. Where do you st...

Plot

Plot Points: How to Avoid Confusing Plot Points in a Novel

Plot Points tell you if you have a story. Please read this blog if the story in your head is not what’s written in your draft. Or you have shown your story to some...

Plot

What is a Scene in a Novel and Does the Genre Matter?

What is a scene in a novel? Want to learn how to structure a fantastic scene? Great! You’ve come to the right place… but first, what in the name of all things bo...

Character

How to Edit a Character Arc

Why Edit your Character Arc Your beta reader’s feedback Is the feedback from your beta reader that your story did not interest them? Or, if they are a braver type ...

Setting

Settings for a Story: Fantasy novel basics and examples

Settings for a Story What are Sensational Settings? Want to learn how to write sensational settings? Great! You’re in the right place. But first… what do I mean ...

Fictionary

Fictionary Book of the Year Award

Our goal is to recognize and promote writers who are dedicated to the process of great story telling. The Fictionary Book of the Year Award – for...

Character

External Conflict: Definitions and Examples

As writers, we know that conflict, whether external conflict or internal conflict, is at the heart of all marvellous stories. A story without conflict is boring. And...

How to Use Fictionary

Book Editing with Fictionary – Learn the Basics

Book Editing is for Every Author Congratulations! You’ve done it. You finished that manuscript! Now what? Your next best step is to perform a self-edit on your sto...

Fantasy and Sci-fi

How to Edit a Fantasy Novel

What is a Fantasy Novel? Want to learn how to edit a fantasy novel? Well, you’ve come to the right place… but first, what is a fantasy novel? Put simply, fantasy...

Setting

4 Tips for Choosing a Story Setting

Story Setting What is story setting, and how do we, as authors, go about choosing a story setting? Most people think of setting as the time and the place where a sto...

Writing Tips

Overcome your writer’s block with Elements of a Story

Stories matter. Your story matters. But, and it is a big BUT, your fingers stumble, they fumble, they refuse to work when you sit down to write, or type, or chisel e...

Plot

What is a good story arc?

What is a good story arc? This is a question that writers often wonder about, sometimes even stress over. But to tackle the question, we must first understand the ba...

Writing Tips

How to Win the Wattys by Emma Baird

Vampires, Wattys and chick lit tributes Welcome to the world of Emma Baird wannabe writer circa 1997… I’m knees deep in the ‘new’ genre chick lit, and I love...

Editing Tips

Editing for Authors on a Budget

By Mark Bertrand Published Fictionary StoryTeller Subscriber Editing for Authors on a Budget Holidays often spark creative spirits around the world for people to dec...

Writing Tips

Seven Tips on How to Become a Better Writer

Very few writers are best-sellers right out of the gate. Even the immensely successful Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, talks about his y...

Editing Services

Why Editors Must State the Obvious – Editing Basics

Editors must state the obvious starts long before the actual edit begins. One of the things that I’ve realized as I matured was that – much to my shock and disma...

Plot

How to Create the Plot of a Story

Learning the craft of writing is not only learning how writing concepts work, but also learning how you work—as a writer. You cannot just read a how to create a pl...

Plot

How to Write a Compelling Climax for a Story

I was elbow-deep in creating the Fictionary Story Arc structure, the skeleton key to the Fictionary story-editing software. Then I had a forehead-slapping, coffee-sp...

Editing Services

How to Become a Book Editor

This is how to become a book editor… When you asked the search engine “how to become a Book Editor”, you landed here on the Fictionary blog. Here you will find...

Plot

Plot of a Story: Definitions and Examples

What, exactly, is the plot of a story? What is a structured plot, and why should you apply one to your story? These are very important questions, but plot and plot s...

Plot

Inciting Incident Definition and Examples

Inciting Incident Definition and Examples The world of creative writing comes with a whole new vocabulary, and it can be overwhelming to try to figure out wha...

Writing Tips

Black Friday 2021 Deals for Fiction Writers

Once Upon A Time… How wonderful are those words? They create expectation, making the reader want to dive into your world and experience your story. With great ...

How to Use Fictionary

The Fictionary Story Arc and the Story Elements

The Fictionary Story Arc and the Story Elements together show you why a scene is working or not working. In his discussion on a storytelling model, Larry Brooks says...

Crime, Horror, and Thriller

How to Edit a Cozy Mystery

Before we cover “How to Edit a Cozy Mystery”, I’d like to introduce Ryan Rivers. Ryan is enrolled in the 2021 October Fictionary Certified StoryCoach p...

Editing Tips

How to Edit a Book with the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

Thanks to Jessica Brody for giving me permission to use the Save the Cat! beat sheet. Jessica is the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and the founder of The Wr...

Editing Services

Why Does a Story Editor Need a Blurb?

Every story editor should request a blurb from their client prior to starting work on the client’s manuscript. Sometimes a writer panics when an editor asks fo...

Fictionary

What is a Story Coach? And How to be the Best!

A story coach helps a writer create a powerful story that resonates with readers because its structure will be in the form that resonates with how the human brain co...

How to Use Fictionary

Introducing Fictionary StoryCoach Software For Editors

Become an Exceptional Editor StoryCoach is productivity software for quickly completing a substantive, developmental, structural, or line edit of long-form fiction�...

Editing Tips

7 Tips to Self-Edit Your Novel

Before we cover 7 Tips to Self-Edit Your Novel, I’d like to introduce Sherry Leclerc. Sherry is enrolled in the 2021 Summer Fictionary Certified StoryCoach program...

Editing Tips

Editing Path from Self-Editing to Professional Editing

Before this post shows you an editing path from self-editing your novel to working with a professional editor, I’d like to introduce Ane Ryan Walker. Ane is...

How to Use Fictionary

Why I Enrolled in The Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Program

Before this post motivates you to follow your dreams, I’d like to introduce Kara Henderson. Kara is enrolled in the 2021 Summer Fictionary Certified StoryCoach pro...

Non-fiction

Tools to Edit a Memoir – You’ll be surprised

Tools to edit a memoir is a great topic, and before we delve into it, I’d like to introduce Christine Gordon Manley. Christine is enrolled in the 2021 Summer F...

Writing Tips

Power of Clean and Clear Writing by Larry Paz

Do you want clarity in your writing? Read on… The theme today is Keep It Simple, StoryTeller. This summer, as we host the Fictionary Certified StoryCoach progr...

Fictionary

NAIWE: An Introduction from Fictionary

Have you ever wished someone understood your sense of humor and quirky puns? A person who you could bounce business ideas off of? Looked for help regarding starting...

Character

What is a Character Arc?

Two Types of Character Arcs A character arc is either an internal emotional arc or an external arc. The external arc is as important to the story as the inter...

Plot

Plot Point 1 In The Context Of The Story Arc

You’re heading into Act II of writing or editing your novel. So how are you going to keep readers engaged? You need a great plot point to drive them forward. In th...

Plot

The Middle Of A Novel In The Context Of The Story Arc

The middle of a novel is often the most difficult of the key scenes in the story arc to write. Act II is underway, and your story is dragging. What do you do? A drag...

Fictionary

StoryTeller: Creative Editing Software for Fiction Writers

StoryTeller is creative editing software for fiction writers. It helps you quickly complete a substantive, developmental, or structural edit on your own story—we c...

Character

Choosing a Point of View Character is a Big Decision

Choosing a point of view character is a big decision because you’re making a promise to your readers. You’re promising them they will experience the scen...

Editing Tips

How Creating A Book Outline Helps You Edit

Book Editing for Writers and Editors A book outline is important for every novelist. Today, we’re talking about an outline that you create after you’ve w...

Plot

What is a Story Arc? Definitions & Examples to Help You Use it in Your Writing

Why I Love The Story Arc When I was first building the Fictionary story editing software, I knew I wanted to use the story arc as a focus for developing a systematic...

Plot

Plot Point 2 In The Context Of The Story Arc

Plot Point 2 is the end of act II and all is lost. Your protagonist must work hard to get what she wants or lose everything. The story arc has been around for over 2...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Word Count Per Scene and Plot

As a writer, you’ve probably read there are recommended lengths for a manuscript depending on the genre you write in. We’ve done some research and thou...

Developmental Editing

How To Improve Your Plot With Story Editing

Improve Your Plot You’ve finished your first draft, and you’re about to embark on a story edit, turning that draft into a powerful story. Now is the time to focu...

Language

Tension and Conflict. What’s the Difference?

Tension and conflict will keep your reader engaged in every scene. Knowing the difference and when to use each will drive your story forward. Tension Tension is the ...

Developmental Editing

How to Become a Structural Editor for Fiction

The Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Training teaches you how to become a structural editor for fiction. We call structural editing for fiction “Story Editing&#...

Writing Tips

How to avoid 8 mistakes to write the perfect novel opening

I am Kim, CEO of Novlr – an online novel-writing tool – and I have been invited to share with you some useful advice that we have learnt from the tens of...

Editing Services

How to Become an Editor and Be Amazing

To become a story editor is not easy. You owe it to writers to learn how to edit a story before you take money from anyone. Just because a person writes a novel, doe...

Language

What is a Plotpoint or is it Plot Point?

First, let’s talk about spelling of plotpoint. One word or two. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you know what a plotpoint is and how t...

Developmental Editing

Improve Your Story’s Setting With Story Editing

When you can’t see the story for the words, you need help. How you improve your story’s setting? With story editing. I once read a book where I didn’t ...

Developmental Editing

Self-edit a Novel by Mastering Story Editing

Sharing a draft of your novel with anyone for the first time can be scary. The stress of waiting to hear back from your readers or editor, of worrying about what the...

Developmental Editing

How to Story Edit a Series

Performing a story edit on a series is more complex than editing a stand-alone novel. For those of you not familiar with the term story edit, it is similar to a stru...

Character

An Editor’s View of Character Names

A fiction editor has many responsibilities. One of them is to give a writer the editor’s view of character names. Character names are a way for readers to conn...

Plot

Linking the Inciting Incident and Climax

Linking the inciting incident to the climax scene is one more step to ensure readers love your story. We’ve covered the major plot points in detail, so let’s go ...

Editing Services

Find Your Editor’s Voice and Shine!

Like an author, an editor must work hard to find their editor’s voice. An author’s voice is the unique style they use when writing. An author can be fu...

Writing Tips

Black Friday 2020 Deals for Fiction Writers

Once Upon A Time… How wonderful are those words? They create expectation, making the reader want to dive into your world and experience your story. With that i...

Character

Connect Readers with Characters Using Description

Connect readers with your characters by describing characters in a way that keeps the reader engaged. But how do you do this in the most effective way? The most impo...

Character

Why Characters per Scene are Important for Story Editors

One of the most important services you can offer a client is to get to know the characters in their story. You’ll evaluate the story based on the characters an...

Editing Services

Why Naming Each Scene is Important for Story Editors

When you perform a story edit, you’ll be evaluating every scene. And to evaluate every scene, you must be able to determine what the scene is about. Story Edit...

Editing Services

How an Editor Can Phrase Feedback to Motivate a Writer

Motivate a Writer The range of talent in the stories you edit will vary greatly. Some will need a lot of work, others are almost ready to be published. It’s im...

Editing Services

How An Editor Creates Trust With A Writer

Book Editing & Trust Trust between an editor and a writer starts before you begin editing a writer’s manuscript. When you connect, you’ll gather informat...

Fictionary

A Chance To Get A Free Year of Fictionary StoryTeller

Hi, Fictionary community! I’m Mary, and I’m thrilled to introduce myself to you—I’m a novelist. You can find my novels When You Read This and Privilege, pu...

Character

Point of View: Why Head Hopping Reduces Tension

How to Edit a Book Focussing on Point of View When you choose a point of view character for a scene, it’s a promise to the readers they will experience that scene ...

Non-fiction

Can Academic Writing ever Be Creative?

How many of you think academic writing can ever be creative? To answer this, I went straight to an expert on the topic, who not only has the answer but has a writing...

Character

Connect Your Readers With Your Characters

Connect your readers with your characters and your readers will cheer for them. And readers love to cheer for characters. Make your readers feel the sadness, the ter...

Writing Tips

Make the Scenes in Your Novel Flow and Capture Readers

Tips to Make The Scenes in Your Novel Flow Capturing the reader at the beginning of each scene and making them want to start the following scene could just lead you ...

Editing Tips

Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black Will Improve Your Writing

Improve Every Sentence by Reading Anatomy of Prose Anatomy of Prose arrived in my inbox, and I had no idea it would immediately change the way I write. I was thrille...

Character

Characters Per Scene Are Important

Knowing who is in each scene helps you control how the reader experiences not only the scene but the entire story. Having a list of your characters per scene on a ...

Writing Tips

2 Checklists for Flashbacks and Backstory

A flashback takes the reader from the current time to a previous time. This usually happens quickly, and then the reader is returned to the present. Backstory i...

Writing Tips

What is a Scene in a Powerful Novel?

Fictionary StoryTeller guides a writer through their novel on a scene-by-scene basis in order to help a writer tell a powerful story. As I read many drafts, it occu...

Editing Services

Freelance Editing: A Comparison of Editors

Freelance editing can vary from editor to editor. I’m putting myself out there as an author and sharing editor comments on my novel Evolution. Thirteen editors per...

Editing Services

When Distraction Causes Writer’s Block

Life seems to be putting a lot of distractions in front of us right now and one of the consequences can be writer’s block. You’re not alone. Here are some id...

Editing Services

Manuscript Editing: Two Editors Compared

Fictionary’s series on manuscript editing is just beginning. Thirteen editors performed a Story Edit on the same manuscript. We’re going to share the res...

Editing Tips

Scene-by-Scene Editing Makes a Story Come to Life

Scene-by-Scene Editing Makes A Scene Come To Life By Jordan Rosenfeld Great stories, just like any large structure, are built of many smaller parts, known as scenes....

Character

The Character Arc and Internal Flaws

Relating the character arc and internal flaws will give your characters depth. What is a character arc? A character arc starts when the character enters the story an...

Character

How External Conflict Links to POV Character Goals

How external conflict links to POV character goals is important because when it’s done well, it creates tension in the story, and tension in the story keeps th...

Fictionary

The London Book Fair That Wasn’t

At this time next week, we were supposed to be exhibiting for the first time at The London Book Fair. We were super excited. You would have found us under this banne...

How to Use Fictionary

The FIRST Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Company

We are proud to announce First Editing is the world’s first Fictionary Certified StoryCoach company! Fictionary’s dream is to create the worldR...

How to Use Fictionary

Introducing Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Training

Your clients demand a comprehensive and objective edit of their manuscript. But how does a writer know they’re going to get the edit they need and deserve? They h...

Editing Services

What Every Editor Needs to Know About Their Clients

Editors and clients have a special relationship. A writer wants to tell a powerful story, one that readers can’t put down, and we as editors can help them get ...

How to Use Fictionary

Naming Scenes to Tighten Your Plot

Naming each scene will help you tighten your plot. Here’s how. Let’s Start With What Is A Scene A scene is a section of your novel where a character or ...

Editing Tips

Everything You Need to Know About Fiction Editing

Posted on Alliance of Independent Authors Getting your first book edited can be an overwhelming experience. There’s different types of editors, huge swings in pric...

Plot

How to Avoid Plot Holes — Scene Timing (Part IV)

Don’t let your readers get lost in the timing of your scenes. They might stop reading. Causes of Plot Holes (Articles I to IV) Scenes are not connected to one ano...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Focus on Setting and Tell a Powerful Story

Let’s focus on setting. I once read a book where I didn’t skim any of the setting description. Afterward, I wondered why. I admit, I’m impatient with too m...

How to Use Fictionary

10 Benefits of Fictionary StoryTeller for Story Editing

One of our early testers asked: “How will Fictionary help my manuscript?” What a great question! It made me think about a better way to explain the b...

Character

Character Arc: Where it Begins and Ends

Character Arc How a character changes and grows (or not) throughout the story. A character’s arc includes when she enters and exits the story. The first time a...

Character

Make the Most of Your Cast of Characters

Readers love to cheer for a character. Make them feel the sadness, the terror, the happiness your character feels, and you’ll keep them reading. In a novel, gi...

Fictionary

Fictionary: A Proud Partner Member of ALLi

We’re proud to announce Fictionary is now a vetted, trusted Partner Member and affiliate of Alliance for Independent Authors (ALLi). Alliance of Independent Au...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Top 3 Questions For Fiction Writers

All Fiction writers need to know what to evaluate when revising their story. We’ll give you the top 3 questions to ask yourself when performing a story edit. S...

Plot

How To Avoid Plot Holes— Character Arcs (Part II)

A character’s arc includes when she enters and exits the story. Every character arc is a journey, and at the end of the journey, the character either succeeds ...

Editing Tips

Free 10-Day Story Editing Course

We’ve partnered with Reedsy and created a free course on Story Editing. Reedsy has a series of courses for writing, editing, and publishing. All are free....

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: When To Self-Edit In Your Writing Journey

In today’s world, fiction writers have access to many tools to create and publish novels. That puts writers in the luxurious position of having control over their ...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Self-Evaluating a Scene Opening and Plot

There are times when a person has the luxury of sitting down and reading a novel in one session. Wouldn’t that be nice if we could all do that? However, most of us...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Self-Evaluating a Scene Ending and Plot

Imagine a man reading your novel. You watch him read. He gets to the end of a scene and quickly turns the page to the next scene. He does this for hours. You watch t...

Plot

What is the Point of View in a Story, And How to Get it Right

Are you writing your first draft during NaNoWriMo this November and wondering what to do next? To illustrate how Fictionary StoryTeller will help with your perform ...

How to Use Fictionary

Fictionary & ProWritingAid – Two Powerful Editing Tools Together

It should come as no surprise I’m a huge believer in software tools that help writers. One of my favorites is ProWritingAid. Now I’m addicted to it and don�...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Focus on Characters and Tell a Powerful Story

Why do people read novels? We think it’s to find out what happens next. But what happens next is only interesting if it the “what happens next” involves chara...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Focus on Plot and Tell a Powerful Story

You’ve finished your first draft, and you’re about to embark on rewriting that draft, turning it into a powerful story. Now is the time to focus on plot and stru...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing. Copyediting. Proofreading. Revise Your Story

After you’ve written your first draft, you’ll need to revise your story. In today’s publishing environment, it’s up to the author to ensure all t...

Writing Tips

14 Tropes about Writers: How readers see your ‘self’ in your writing

How does your writing fare against these writing ‘behaviors’? We can always see the writer through the cracks to some extent when we read. It is inevitable. Ma...

Book Publishing

How To Build Your Dream Publishing Team

This week we are thrilled to have our friends from Reedsy share their thoughts on a dream publishing team. We asked Reedsy to help us with this as our readers wanted...

Book Marketing

20 Ways to Populate Your Blog to Engage Readers

Donna Galanti – founder YourAwesomeAuthorLife – gives you 20 ways populate your blog to engage readers If you share your publishing journey and...

How to Use Fictionary

New Release by Fictionary Beta Tester Kelly Brakenhoff

A new release is always exciting, especially when it’s written by someone fabulous. Sometimes people are generous of heart and Kelly Brakenhoff is one of those...

Writing Tips

Founder of DIY MFA, Gabriela Pereira, Tells Us A Secret

Let me introduce Gabriela Pereira, the founder of DIY MFA. She’s funny. She’s sincere. She’s serious about her work and helping writers. So, I’ve interviewed...

Writing Tips

Three Ways To Know If A Scene Is Anchored

Leaving your reader adrift is never a good idea. Farley slowly drifted away from us as we snorkeled nearby. You can tell he wasn’t happy. Even he knew we could ha...

Writing Tips

Create a Strong Story – Rebecca Monterusso Story Grid Editor

I’m thrilled to host Rebecca Montrusso, a Story Grid certified developmental editor, as a guest. Rebecca is sharing her expertise on how you can become your ow...

Plot

How To Avoid Plot Holes – Setting (Part III)

Setting in a story must elicit an emotional reaction and must not cause plot holes. Let’s look at how to make the most of your settings and avoid plot holes. Cause...

Writing Tips

Are You Joining NaNoWriMo This Year?

NaNaWriMoo Starts in November! It’s almost time to his the go button. I’d like to share why NaNoWriMo worked for me. A participant needs to write 1667 words...

Editing Tips

Who Will Read Your First Draft And How Do You Help Them?

When I finished the first draft of my first novel, Descent, I was exhilarated and terrified. Exhilarated because I’d accomplished my dream of writing a novel, and...

Writing Tips

Top 10 Story Issues: Learn What to Avoid

Today, I want to share the top 10 story issues I find in manuscripts hoping you can learn from them. Part of being a story editor means I’ve met a bunch of int...

Book Marketing

11 Steps to Find and Connect with Authors in Your Genre

Even before you publish your first book, building an online network will help you when the exciting moment of releasing your novel to the world arrives. Connect with...

Editing Tips

Why, When And How To Beta Your Book

Sharing your story can be frightening, so I’ve asked the experts at BetaBooks to talk about how to get the most out of beta readers. Please welcome guest writer, P...

Writing Tips

5 Ways to Hook Your Reader In Every Scene

Many writing books talk about the importance of the first line, first paragraph and first page of a novel. If you don’t hook the reader early in your novel, you mi...

Writing Tips

2 Questions to Ask When Writing a Sequel Scene

Action scenes and sequels drove me crazy until I figured out a way to deal with them. Writing a sequel takes as much thought and effort as writing an action scene. M...

Editing Tips

Transform Your Story, Not Just Your Words

“Tell me a story!” your reader demands. “I want to feel happy, sad, frightened. Take me to a new world and make me care about what happens next.” That’s a ...

Character

3 Reasons To Relate A Character’s Goal To The Plot

Richard North Patterson has some great writing advice. I’d like to take the high-level advice and get practical with it. Let’a talk about a character’s...

Writing Tips

The Importance of Failure

Failure will make your point of view character human. Failure will add tension to your scene. Failure drives your character and your story forward. That’s the ...

Character

Two Types of Character Goals To Build Depth

Character goals are what a character wants. She should want it so badly that your readers feel her need in their guts. The Point of View (POV) goal is what the POV ...

Character

First Person Rocks! Here’s what you need to know about the rules…

Choosing the point of view for your novel is a critical decision. Today, we’re hosting an expert to talk about the rules (and when to break them) that apply to the...

Character

№1 Character Naming Issue To Avoid Or Risk Losing Readers

What’s the big deal about character naming? Confusing readers with character names that are too similar to each other might make a reader stop reading your boo...

Writing Tips

Ensure The Purpose of A Scene Is Engaging Your Readers

A great scene makes your reader feel an emotion. What is a Scene? A scene is a section of your novel where a character or characters engage in action or dialogue. Y...

Editing Tips

Conquer Your Story Edit and Finish Your Novel (NaNoWriMo)

As a NaNoWriMo winner and a repeat sponsor of NaNoWriMo I was thrilled when they asked me to guest blog. I decided to give advice on how to Conquer Your Story Edit A...

Planning

Conquering the Blank Page by Editor Eric Anderson

It happens to all of us. The dreaded blank page stares at us with high expectations. Our fingers freeze. Our eyes glaze over. The blinking cursor demands words from...

Writing Tips

Take Your Story up Several Levels by Editor Jodie Renner

Today it is our pleasure to welcome editor & author Jodie Renner to share expert editing advice. Jodie is generously sharing her wisdom on how to improve your ...

Editing Tips

Seven Drafts by Editor Allison K Williams

Seven Drafts: Editing advice from an actual big-time editor! It is our pleasure to welcome editor Allison K Williams. Allison is a writer, editor, speaker, and coach...

Writing Tips

Why Do People Read Fiction? Let’s find out.

One reason people read fiction is to escape and experience the world through the thoughts and actions of the characters in the story. We believe characters are your...

Developmental Editing

Free eBook: Story Editing Using Fictionary’s Key Elements Of Fiction

You’ve finished your first draft. Congratulations! Now what? Whether you’re self-publishing or going the traditional route, your story needs to be as good as you...

Developmental Editing

Story Editing: Self-Edit & Create Powerful Stories

Sharing a draft of your novel with anyone for the first time can be scary. The stress of waiting to hear back from your readers or editor, of worrying about what...

How to Use Fictionary

Fictionary: Tell Powerful Stories with StoryTeller

Whether you’re a plotter or a panster, you’ve completed a first draft. Congratulations! Now what? If you’re anything like me, you’re asking yourself: Where ...

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Categories

How Many Words in a Chapter: Tips and Tricks

7 Act Structure: What it Is and How to Use it

25 Best Mystery Books and Thriller Books

Three Act Structure: Full Outline, Examples, and Tips

25 Cozy Fantasy Books for a Relaxing Read

Black Friday Deals for Writers in 2024

How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book

The Caregiver Archetype in Literature

Skeleton Outline: Definition, Examples, and Tips for Authors

30 Best Young Adult Books Ever

30+ Best Time Travel Books

10 Characters in Harry Potter: Witches, Wizards, and Muggles

Red Herring Examples and Definition

How to Write an eBook and Make Money in 10 Steps

20 Satire Examples in Literature and Film

Protagonist vs Antagonist: Differences and Examples

40 Mystery Story Ideas and Prompts

Motif Examples and Definition in Literature

Dynamic Character: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

What Is a Screenplay: A Guide for Screenwriters

Fatal Flaw: Definitions, Examples, and Writing Tips

24 Best Poetry Books to Read This Year

Beta Reader: Definition and How to Find or Become One

10 Types of Characters in Literature (+ Examples)

What is a Stock Character: 20+ Examples

How Much Do Authors Make Per Book?

Epistolary Novel: Definition and Examples

Tone vs Mood: Difference, Meanings, and Examples

Situational Irony: Definition and Examples

Cosmic Irony: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Dan Harmon Story Circle: The 8 Step Guide

Black Friday Software Deals for 2024

Magician Archetype: Everything You Need to Know

50 Horror Story Ideas and Scary Writing Prompts

100 Descriptive Adjectives (+ Examples)

Innocent Archetype: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Steps

How to Write a Book Review: Tips and Tricks

25 Best True Crime Books

Flat vs Round Characters: Definition and Examples in Literature

HEA Meaning in Books

How to Write Dialogue Well: 6 Tips and Examples

153 Vivid Verbs and How to Use Them Effectively

200+ Negative Adjectives to Use in Fiction

The Lover Archetype: Definition, Examples, and Tips

82 Character Ideas To Spark Your Creativity

18 Dark Romance Books to Read This Year

44 Best Thriller Books of All Time

Best Fantasy Series to Add to Your TBR

Logline Examples and How to Write One

Literary Elements: A List of 8 Literary Devices

Freytag’s Pyramid: 5 Elements and 3 Examples

Christmas Writing Prompts for Adults

Character vs Self Conflict in Writing

Best Memoirs to Read This Year

Tragic Hero: Definition and Writing Examples

High Fantasy vs Low Fantasy: Differences and Examples

12 Publishing Companies for Traditional and Self-Publishing

What Is Third Person Point of View in Literature?

Character vs Technology Conflict: Examples and Writing Tips

6 Word Memoir: How to Write a Mini Memoir

Mary Sue Meaning, Definition, and Examples

120 Powerful Fantasy Writing Prompts

Purple Prose: Definition, Examples, and Tips

Exposition: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

Trope Meaning, Definition, and Examples

12 Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folk Tales

The Sage Archetype: Definition and Writing Tips

What Is A Foil Character? Definitions and Examples

Exposition in a Story: How to Use and Examples

The Creator Archetype: Definition and Examples

Deuteragonist Meaning and Examples in Literature

120 Short Story Ideas for Writers

50 Daily Writing Prompts for Authors

10 Types of Figurative Language

The 10 Best Stephen King Books in Order

Introducing Automated Scene Structure Evaluation