story structure Archives

November 4, 2019

How do you start a chapter in a novel? 10 examples

How do you start a chapter in a novel to hook your reader and structure your story? These 10 examples reveal ways to make your chapter beginning … Read More

August 5, 2019

Using a novel planner: 7 tips to organise your story

Using a novel planner, whether a step-by-step prompted outlining process like Now Novel’s dashboard or a different tool, helps to organise your story. If you’re using story … Read More

March 18, 2019

Using a novel outline template: 5 tips for story prep

You can easily find a novel outline template such as a spreadsheet full of empty fields to fill. Yet columns and rows of blank space are also … Read More

January 24, 2019

Book ideas: 12 inspiring sources

Book ideas come to authors via many conduits. Through history or current events. Passion or indignation. Through myths, songs and legends. Family jokes and dramas. If you … Read More

December 10, 2018

How to plan a story in scenes: 5 steps

In novels, screenwriting, and play-writing a scene is a useful structuring device for deciding what happens, where, to whom, and why. There are many ways to outline … Read More

December 3, 2018

Scene writing tips: 5 ways to avoid filler

Great scene writing makes each part count towards the whole. This is particularly important when working in shorter forms such as short stories or one-hour TV episodes. … Read More

September 25, 2018

How to end a novel: Writing strong story endings

Knowing how to end a novel is an essential skill for fiction writers. Story endings often stay with us as readers – especially when they’re satisfying, haunting, … Read More

June 19, 2018

How to start a scene: 5 ways to reel readers in

Knowing how to start a scene so your reader is involved from the beginning is a skill anyone can develop. Read the following tips to ensure each … Read More

February 5, 2018

The parts of a story: Creating a cohesive whole

When you’re writing a first or even second draft, the parts of a story – exposition, development, and ending – often feel disconnected. For a cohesive plot, … Read More

Category: story structure