Fiction WritingLaughter is hard to earn on the page, tears harder, but fear is the steepest climb of all, because it is physical, and you are trying to trigger a racing heart with nothing but ink in a quiet room. That…
Fiction WritingEvery story runs on plot devices, objects, coincidences, prophecies, twists, so the question is never whether to use them but whether yours are earning their keep or quietly cheating the reader. After 54+ books, here are the devices that strengthen…
Fiction WritingLearn punctuation the way you learned to drive: before you are behind the wheel, not after the crash. A grammar checker is not a substitute for actually knowing the rules, and an editor should not be your safety net. I…
Fiction WritingWatching a story break teaches craft faster than watching one succeed. A sagging second act explains pacing; a wrecked fan-favorite explains consistency; spectacle with no plot explains the gap between flash and story. Here is what bad movies teach writers,…
Fiction WritingIn a crowded sky of science fiction television, one ship outshines the rest. The Expanse trades the usual conventions for grounded physics, genuine political complexity, and people who act like people under pressure. Here is why its first three seasons…
Fiction WritingNew writers have characters say precisely what they mean, and the result reads like an instruction manual, not a conversation. Real people almost never state their true intentions, least of all when emotions run high. Subtext is the charged layer…
Fiction WritingTeachers chant show, don't tell until students treat it as law: show good, tell bad, no exceptions. It is bad advice. Novels need both, because pure showing would balloon a single line of telling into pages. Here is when showing…
Fiction WritingFew moments in reading match the jolt of realizing your narrator has been lying to you. Done well, it turns a reader into a detective and a straight plot into a labyrinth of doubt. Done badly, it just feels like…
Fiction WritingYour character has blue eyes, a tragic past, and zero reader investment. Psychology-first development using attachment theory, wounds, and defense mechanisms that generate conflict automatically.
Fiction WritingYour world building is killing your story. Settings that create conflict, characters who are shaped by their environment, and the iceberg principle that prevents infodumps.
Fiction WritingStrip the dialogue tags and nobody can tell who's talking. Fix flat dialogue with psychology-driven voice, subtext, and the POV choice that shapes your entire novel.
Fiction WritingStrip the dialogue tags and nobody can tell who's talking. Fix flat dialogue with psychology-driven voice, subtext, and the POV choice that shapes your entire novel.
Professional ghostwriting for executives, founders, coaches, and authors who want to get the book done right. 113+ books authored. 54+ ghostwritten for clients.
Ready to discuss your book?
BOOK YOUR PRIVATE CONSULTATIONNo pitch. No pressure.
© 2026 Richard Lowe. The Writing King. All rights reserved.
