Cause and effect are some of the touchstones of good fiction, however not using them correctly or effectively can do more harm than good.
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/most-common-mistakes-series-are-you-2/
Category Archives: structure
When Writing Fiction Can Help Us Understand Reality
Our writing often gives us chances to sort out what we are experiencing in our daily lives. Channeling our feelings through our words helps us to concretely express them in ways that help us to make sense of them.
How to Mess Up Your Lead Character’s Ordinary Day
Making life difficult for our main characters is the lifeblood of the conflict and suspense that drives our stories. Here are some tips on how to that in some really excellent ways from James Scott Bell.
https://killzoneblog.com/2018/10/how-to-mess-up-your-lead-characters-ordinary-day.html
Control Your Speed, Control Your Pacing
Controlling the pacing in your work also allows you to have some measure of control over how fast your reader devours your meticulously written scenes and how eager they will be to turn the page.
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/control-your-speed-control-your-pacing/#
Story Structure Q&A: 6 Outstanding Questions About Structure
Here are some excellent tips about story structure that will boost both your understanding and your story to the next level.
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/story-structure/
Surprise vs. Suspense and How to Pair Them in Your Writing
Using only surprises to amp up the tension in your story don’t always work as well as you might think. Here are some ways to make that work better for you.
Take Your Foot Off the Gas: Fiction from Point A to Point B
Don’t turn your story into a race to the finish. Take the time to develop your story and characters so that your readers can enjoy the journey your book is.
How to outline a book without killing the fun of writing it.
Too often when talking about outlining a writer will complain, “but then I’ll know how it ends and lose interest.” Here are some tips on how to keep the interest and the fun in it from Roz Morris.
Throw Away Your Shoehorn
Learning how to cut your scenes down to the essence of what is needed can make your novel sing instead of a slog. Here are some tips from novelist Debbie Burke.
https://killzoneblog.com/2018/10/throw-away-your-shoehorn.html
3 Tips for Writing a Story That’s Better Than Its Flaws
How to use structure to build a story that is better than its flaws.
Odd Sock Proofreading & Copyediting 