Głęboka woda / Deep Water 2022

If there’s a magic ingredient in writing, it’s story subtext. It’s actually not magic, of course, any more than any of the other...

Negative Character Arcs explore what happens when a character encounters a story’s thematic Truth but cannot—or will not—fully...

In childhood, stories are always about exactly what they appear: “See Spot. See Spot run.” But as we grow older and our life experiences...

Flat Character Arcs present one of the most interesting paradoxes in character development: How do you write a compelling character arc for a...

In a story, we can think of character arc as the “engine of change” that creates transformative movement in the plot. In real life, this...

Let me ask you a question: If I ask you to identify your writing weaknesses for me, how does that make you feel about your writing right now? If...

The qualities that most set apart “okay” writers from great writers are subtlety and subtext. This is true in every area of storytelling,...

In the mood for a free online writing conference this week? I’d love to recommend one I’m excited to be part of! The WorldShift Summit for...

Quick! You’ve got less than a minute to convince me your story is worth my time. What do you tell me? You’ve got to pique my curiosity...

For years, in my book Creating Character Arcs and elsewhere, I’ve taught the Lie the Character Believes as the central premise of character arc....