Richard Thomas

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.
Roy Christopher

Taxonomies for Storytelling

Dissecting the threads that make up the tapestry.
Kleopatra Olympiou

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.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: Dissecting Body, Mind, and Soul

Dissecting body, mind, and soul in our storytelling.
Thomas Kendall

"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.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: The Intersection Between Plotting and Pantsing

Finding the intersection between plotting and pantsing.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: From Baseline to Variation—How to Set and Expand Expectations

How to set the baseline and then take your readers somewhere else entirely.
Richard Thomas

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

Endings are the make or break of horror stories. Stop blowing it.
Richard Thomas

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.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Scene Breaks

Some tips on inserting scene breaks into your short stories.
Gabriel Hart

The Obsolescence of The Hero's Journey

Those who prescribe to a set system might be condemned to repeat mediocrity.
Max Booth III

The Horror Punchline

How to structure horror fiction with a standup comedian's POV.
Stephanie M. Wytovich, MFA

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.
Richard Thomas

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.
Richard Thomas

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.
Karin Cecile Davidson

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.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: Advanced Storytelling Techniques

Tips for how to execute some advanced storytelling techniques.
Susan DeFreitas

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

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?
emmanuelnataf

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.
Richard Thomas

Storyville: Horror Story vs. Horror Novel

How do you know if your horror project is a story, novella, or novel? Some quick tips.
Richard Thomas

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.