The Midpoint Shift: Why Passive Characters Kill Stories
I once slogged through the first half of a novel that started off brilliantly—there was a murder, an eccentric...
The First Pinch Point: The First Real Battle & Raising the Stakes
The first act of a novel is all about disruption—the protagonist’s life is thrown off course, they’re...
The Power of Premise: How to Start with a Strong Story Idea
Ever open a book’s flap, read one sentence, and think: Okay, I need to see how this ends? That’...
The Cost of Words: Write
There has been a lot of discussion on the Sudowrite Slack about the cost of progress in words, and it's unfortunately not unusual to see a post from a frustrated new user that'...
The First Plot Point: The Moment of No Return
Every great story has a moment where the protagonist crosses a threshold—where they step into the unknown and can’...
4 First Chapter Fails: How To Keep Readers Hooked (Without Screwing It Up)
First chapters are brutal. They have to do everything—hook the reader, establish the protagonist, set up the world, hint...