5 Essentials of a First Chapter

by Susan May Warren, @SusanMayWarren

There are a lot of checklists for building a first chapter, and sometimes they can get overwhelming. Over at My Book Therapy we have an advanced checklist we use to help people build their first scene (it’s the same checklist I use when building my first chapters!). However, I admit, it can get overwhelming.

So, let’s start with just 5 things. (I made a nifty acronym to help you remember, just because that’s how my brain works. You don’t have to use it.)

You’re starting your story at the edge of a C.L.I.F.F.:

Read More

Getting Your Story Summary onto The Page

by Susan May Warren, @SusanMayWarren

I know that people panic about writing a synopsis. The fact is, there are many different synopsis styles and deliveries. There is no one right way – but there are few principles.

Let’s start with Delivery:

You can write the synopsis a couple different ways.

Read More

Finding Your Romantic Story Arc

by Susan May Warren, @SusanMayWarren

If you are writing a romance, it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly how to build all the pieces so that you have the right amount of tension in your story. How soon do you make them fall in love? When do you start breaking them up? How do they get back together?

This problem is solved by understanding the two main story arcs of romance: The Why/Why Not, or the Why Not/Why. (These arc models apply to both a straight up romance, or just a romance thread.)

Read More

Make Your Heroine & Hero Unique

by Susan May Warren, @SusanMayWarren

How do you make your hero or heroine unique? Have you ever written a hero or heroine and thought…oh, they seem just like the last character I created? It’s easy to do – you can only pick so many creative combinations for your character…UNLESS…

Read More

What if the HERO was the HEROINE? – Turning Your Story Upside Down

by Rachel Hauck
@RachelHauck

I started reading a great book last week and about a third of the way through a thought hit me: What if THE HEROINE was THE HERO and THE HERO was THE HEROINE?


Meaning, what if their rolls were reversed?

Suddenly the book became much more interesting and the one on my Kindle seem kind of status quo.

Read More

An In Depth Look at the Noble Quest

by Rachel Hauck

While talking with my Mentee the other day, we were trying to flesh out her heroine’s Noble Quest. What does she want? What is this story about? What journey does she embark upon?

This is an essential part of the Hero/Heroine’s journey that is key to the story.

Read More