Plot
Vintage WD: Trapping the Elusive Idea
To celebrate our 100th anniversary, we’ve selected this article from the very first issue of Writer’s Digest on the still-relevant topic of how to record your ideas.
Vintage WD: It’s So Unusual!
In this article from 1931, writer Alfred I. Took answers the age-old question, “How do I make my story different than the rest?”
What Is a Narrative Arc (or Story Arc)?
In this post, we answer the question of what is a narrative arc or story arc, and we look at a few examples to help show how the narrative arc is different from individual plot twists and points.
Learn Better World-Building Strategies Through World of Warcraft and the New Shadowlands Expansion
WD editor and fantasy writer Moriah Richard shares five unique ways in which writers can use World of Warcraft to better build their worlds—without playing the game.
10 Tips For Writing a Family Drama Novel
Bestselling author Clare Mackintosh shares the 10 things she learned when writing a family drama and reveals what will be key when writing your own.
5 Ways to Surprise Your Reader (Without It Feeling Like a Trick)
Readers love to be surprised, but they're not fans of being tricked or manipulated. Author John McNally shares his five tips for surprising your readers without it feeling like a trick.
The 5-Step Process for Reworking a Classic Story
Learn bestselling author MarcyKate Connolly's five-step process for reworking a classic story, including her "fairy tale flip chart." While these lessons are sure to be a great fit for plotters, it should help out pantsers as well.
7 Tips for Developing a Compelling Middle-Grade Fiction Premise
A strong premise often leads to a strong story. In this post, MG author Fleur Bradley shares her seven tips for developing a compelling middle-grade novel, including advice related to writing for the age group, the gatekeepers, and the kids in all of us.
What They Don't Teach You in MFA Programs: 5 Rules for Writing Stories That Work
Bestselling author and creative writing instructor Chris Mooney shares his five rules for writing successful stories that they don't often teach in MFA programs.
Vintage WD: Just Say No
This August 1989 Writer's Digest articles encourages writers to say no to their characters—in other words, create compelling conflicts in their stories.
How to Mine the Facets of Premise for Story Gold
In this article from our March 2020 issue, Larry Brooks explains the 8 facets that make up the premise of a winning story.
Why I Write Jewish Historical Fiction
Novelist Michelle Cameron explain why she's driven to write Jewish historical fiction and why it's not about the Holocaust.
Andrew Sean Greer: The WD Interview
In this March 2020 interview, the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist weighs in on altering the course of a novel to unfold plot elements more harmoniously and facing rejection from his publisher.
Hidden Architecture: Using Structure to Reinforce Story
Novelist Wendelin Van Draanen offers advice on how to choose the best story structure for your novels and provides compelling examples from her award-winning books.
Moves and Counter-Moves: Letting Your Antagonist Drive the Plot
If you're having a hard time coming up with what your protagonist does in the middle of your story, it may help you to figure out what your antagonist is doing.
5 Tips for Incorporating Real-World Politics into a Futuristic Narrative
Many authors seek to incorporate contemporary themes and issues into novels that are set in the future. Here, Jay Schiffman offers five ideas to get your started if you're interested in incorporating real-world politics into a futuristic narrative.
21 Ways to Pivot Your Plot
You can write a great character sketch, a moving love scene, a thrilling chase, even a heart-clutching murder—but a good story needs more than those elements. It needs plot movement—articulated by pivot points.
The 3 Questions That Will Solve Every “Plot Problem” You’ll Ever Have
Whether you're an outliner or an organic writer—a plotter or a pantser—the solution to almost every plot problem can be found by answering three simple questions.
8 Practical Tips to Avoid Too Much Plot in Your Novel
How do you stop over-plotting your novel? It isn’t easy, and it isn’t pleasant, but the reward for plot discipline can be a lean, compelling narrative that attracts literary agents. Try these tips.
How to Write Vivid Descriptions
Author Eli K.P. William offers advice on how to write vivid descriptions while still being mindful of pacing and plot in a novel by using examples of the balance between the two.
What is a Denouement?
The role of the denouement in literature is easy to comprehend and, once you understand its definition, you'll be to spot it quite easily in most novels. Here the definition and an example.
How to Map Out Your Hero’s Adventure in Your Manuscript
How do the most successful authors of our time construct their stories? The Hero's Adventure (also known as The Hero's Journey). So what is the Hero's Adventure? We dig into that and more in this post.
How to Build Subplots From Multiple Viewpoints
Subplots and multiple points of view make novels longer and more work, but rewards for that effort are there for writer and reader alike—that is, if they are successful. Here's how to pull it off.
How to Improve Your Writing: Subplots and Subtext
Subplots and subtext are two different sub sandwiches on the story menu, and as the chef, you need to grill them up strategically.