Fiction

Fiction writing guidance covering plot development, character creation and narrative techniques. Topics include dialogue, voice, suspense building and the balance between showing and telling.

Character Development

Help your characters grow and change without overwhelming readers by knowing what details matter and what to leave unsaid.

Character Evolution

Help your fictional characters grow and change by putting them through challenging situations that force real development.

Creating a Character

Build believable fictional characters by using practical techniques like photo collages and detailed backstories before you start writing.

Creating a Narrator

Your narrator is a character who needs developing just like any other, and projecting too much of yourself into them can weaken your story.

Creating Suspense

Good characters and a believable setting are what keep readers hooked and turning pages in a suspenseful story.

Developing a World for Your Book Characters

Building a believable world for your characters makes your story immersive and helps readers understand why your characters act the way they do.

Developing Your Unique Voice

Practice exercises like writing a press release about yourself help pinpoint what makes your writing distinctive and worth reading.

Fiction Dialogue

Bad dialogue can kill a reader's interest fast, here's how to write character conversations that feel real and move your story forward.

Originality

How to keep your writing original when you're stuck with a boring assignment or uninspiring topic.

Plot: Writing a Blueprint

Create a story outline before you start writing to organise your plot, characters, and key scenes in one place.

Showing vs Telling

Good writing pulls readers into scenes rather than just telling them what happens, making stories more vivid and engaging.

Time, Chronology, Flashbacks

Keep flashbacks believable by tracking your character's timeline, voice, and the historical details of each period they lived through.

What Is a Synopsis and How to Write One

A synopsis is a short summary editors use to decide whether to publish your book, here's how to write one that hooks them.

What Is Microfiction?

Microfiction tells a complete story in 50 words or fewer, using the same narrative structure as traditional short stories but in an extremely condensed form.

Writing for Children

Kids are brutally honest judges of children's books, so your characters and stories need to match their real experiences and interests.

Writing Pitfalls

Stop waiting for inspiration and saying no to every opportunity, these common writing pitfalls are easier to avoid than you think.