Cohesion: The Key to Powerful StoryDecember 4, 2025A key issue I often see in stories that aren’t quite working as well as they could is that no…
Relationships, Character, and the Unexpressed LongingFebruary 20, 2025Unspoken desires are so often at the root of what may seem like arguments, misunderstandings, and conflict—and it’s a powerful…
Analysis: How Storytelling Makes the StoryAugust 1, 2024If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. My roommate when I lived in New…
Character Stakes: The Key to Making Readers CareApril 25, 2024Stakes are crucial to story, one of the central legs of the holy trinity of character plot and stakes, because…
Lucky Breaks and Tough ShakesMarch 30, 2023If you’d like to receive my blog in your in-box each week, click here. Readers, if you spend any time at…
How to Raise the Stakes in Your Story: A Writer’s Guide to Investing Your ReaderSeptember 30, 2021Strong story stakes are what transform an interesting premise into a compelling novel readers can’t put down. Learn how to…
