Plot Devices: Those That Work and Those That Wreck the Story
A practical guide to plot devices that strengthen fiction and the common ones that destroy reader trust. With diagnostic tests for your own manuscript.
Structure is the invisible architecture that keeps readers turning pages. These posts cover the Hero’s Journey, three-act shape, pacing, foreshadowing, conflict, and why a “deus ex machina” ending breaks the contract with your reader.
A practical guide to plot devices that strengthen fiction and the common ones that destroy reader trust. With diagnostic tests for your own manuscript.
What metafiction is, how it works, and why writers use it. Examples from Cervantes to Deadpool, with craft lessons for fiction writers.
A fiction writer and book coach on using holidays, family gatherings, and seasonal settings to create tension, reveal character, and drive plot in your stories.
I outline the chapter headers, write the climax first, then pants the rest. Here’s why that hybrid approach works for novels and ghostwritten books.
Thanksgiving gives writers everything: history, family conflict, food, gratitude, and guilt. Books, movies, and craft lessons from the ultimate pressure cooker.
World building is not map drawing. It is creating environments that shape characters, drive conflict, and make readers believe your fictional world is real.
A working novelist’s guide to writing a novel. Process, structure, character psychology, and the practical reality of sustaining 80,000 words
Conflict is the engine of every story. How to build tension that reveals character, drives plot forward, and keeps readers turning pages.
An author with ADHD explains why outlining is not optional, what happens when writers skip it, and how to build outlines that work without killing spontaneity.
Holiday dinners compress family dynamics, hidden tensions, and emotional stakes. How to use Thanksgiving as storytelling material in memoir and fiction.
The multiverse is the most powerful concept in fiction and the most dangerous to execute. Here’s why it goes wrong, who does it right, and how to write it well.
I bought the big red Lord of the Rings at a Pickwick bookstore in 1969. 55 years later I’m still finding craft lessons in it. Here’s what Tolkien teaches.
Flash fiction is one of the best ways to learn to write. When you have 1,000 words to tell a complete story, every word has to earn its place.
Deus ex machina is the oldest bad writing habit in fiction. When the solution drops from nowhere, the reader’s investment is wasted. How to spot it and avoid it.
Discover the art of foreshadowing in literature and film. Dive deep into its secrets, examples, and its surprising connection to ghostwriting!
Every memoir already contains the Hero’s Journey. The ghostwriter’s job is finding the call to adventure, the ordeal, and the return that are already in your story.
Dive into the world of writing superhero fiction! Uncover the secrets behind crafting characters, engaging narratives, and unforgettable hero’s journeys.
If this sparked something, let's talk about turning your expertise into a finished book.
A practical guide to plot devices that strengthen fiction and the common ones that destroy reader trust. With diagnostic tests for your own manuscript.
What metafiction is, how it works, and why writers use it. Examples from Cervantes to Deadpool, with craft lessons for fiction writers.
A fiction writer and book coach on using holidays, family gatherings, and seasonal settings to create tension, reveal character, and drive plot in your stories.
I outline the chapter headers, write the climax first, then pants the rest. Here’s why that hybrid approach works for novels and ghostwritten books.
Thanksgiving gives writers everything: history, family conflict, food, gratitude, and guilt. Books, movies, and craft lessons from the ultimate pressure cooker.
World building is not map drawing. It is creating environments that shape characters, drive conflict, and make readers believe your fictional world is real.
A working novelist’s guide to writing a novel. Process, structure, character psychology, and the practical reality of sustaining 80,000 words
Conflict is the engine of every story. How to build tension that reveals character, drives plot forward, and keeps readers turning pages.
An author with ADHD explains why outlining is not optional, what happens when writers skip it, and how to build outlines that work without killing spontaneity.
Holiday dinners compress family dynamics, hidden tensions, and emotional stakes. How to use Thanksgiving as storytelling material in memoir and fiction.
The multiverse is the most powerful concept in fiction and the most dangerous to execute. Here’s why it goes wrong, who does it right, and how to write it well.
I bought the big red Lord of the Rings at a Pickwick bookstore in 1969. 55 years later I’m still finding craft lessons in it. Here’s what Tolkien teaches.
Flash fiction is one of the best ways to learn to write. When you have 1,000 words to tell a complete story, every word has to earn its place.
Deus ex machina is the oldest bad writing habit in fiction. When the solution drops from nowhere, the reader’s investment is wasted. How to spot it and avoid it.
Discover the art of foreshadowing in literature and film. Dive deep into its secrets, examples, and its surprising connection to ghostwriting!
Every memoir already contains the Hero’s Journey. The ghostwriter’s job is finding the call to adventure, the ordeal, and the return that are already in your story.
Dive into the world of writing superhero fiction! Uncover the secrets behind crafting characters, engaging narratives, and unforgettable hero’s journeys.