Using Peace, Quiet, and Introspection to Intensify Your Writing
How those quiet moments may end up being some of the most revealing and powerful in your story.
Taxonomies for Storytelling
Dissecting the threads that make up the tapestry.
Storyville: The Big Reveal—Adding Up to Ten
The big reveal—adding up to ten.
6 Books with Warped Timelines to Celebrate Groundhog Day, Bill-Murray-style
It's Groundhog Day, the perfect excuse for you to read about time travel and warped timelines.
Storyville: Dissecting Body, Mind, and Soul
Dissecting body, mind, and soul in our storytelling.
"The Autodidacts": Thomas Kendall On Writing Without An Outline
Fortunately, your source is infinitely replenishable: On writing without an outline, out of an image you don’t understand, towards a beauty you’re not sure exists.
Storyville: The Intersection Between Plotting and Pantsing
Finding the intersection between plotting and pantsing.
Storyville: From Baseline to Variation—How to Set and Expand Expectations
How to set the baseline and then take your readers somewhere else entirely.
Storyville: Building Up Your Horror Story Before You Tear It Down
Tips on how to build up your horror story before you tear it all down.
Stick the Landing: How to End a Horror Story
By Peter Derk
Endings are the make or break of horror stories. Stop blowing it.
Storyville: How to Write a Massive, Multi-Pronged Hook
If you think the only hook to your story or novel is the first line, then boy do I have some news for you.
Storyville: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Scene Breaks
Some tips on inserting scene breaks into your short stories.
The Obsolescence of The Hero's Journey
By Gabriel Hart
Those who prescribe to a set system might be condemned to repeat mediocrity.
The Horror Punchline
How to structure horror fiction with a standup comedian's POV.
The Sound of Absence: Utilizing White Space in Poetry
This essay explores how white space can be used in poetry as a literary device that thrives on the power of absence.
Storyville: Body, Mind, and Soul—Adding Depth to Your Stories
Using the concept of body, mind, and soul, you can create a deeper experience with your stories.
Storyville: How Long Should Your Story Be?
Is there enough meat on the bone to support your word count? It depends on a number of variables.
Meandering, Wrecked, and Random: My First True Understanding of Narrative Structure
Davidson finds her debut novel, "Sybelia Drive", over the course of 20 years of wandering.
Storyville: Why Denouement is So Important to a Satisfying Story
Advice on how to make your denouement really shine.
Storyville: Advanced Storytelling Techniques
Tips for how to execute some advanced storytelling techniques.
Dirty Little Secrets Part Three: Why the Agent Requested—and Then Rejected—the Full
Good news: The agent requested the full! Bad news: The agent said, “Thanks but no thanks.”
Clarity vs. Experimentation: A Letter To Myself
By Peter Derk
Does your work have a worthwhile story underneath the experiment? In other words, are you going to pay off the work a reader does to understand what’s going on?
Analyzing the Three-Act Structure in Tolkien's 'Fellowship of the Ring'
To celebrate the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring on July 29, 1954, we’re looking at how Tolkien used an enduring story structure to create an enduring trilogy.
Storyville: Horror Story vs. Horror Novel
How do you know if your horror project is a story, novella, or novel? Some quick tips.
Storyville: Are You Unique or Just Difficult with Your Fiction?
Make sure you're not being difficult and vague when trying to write unique stories. Here are some tips.