1. Decide which genre your character will be in. Is it fantasy, action, comedy, etc.? 2. Answer the following questions: What is this character’s purpose in the story? Why is this character needed in the story? 3. Decide what purpose your character serves. Are you creating a main character or a supporter? The object of affection or a despised […]
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There are lots of plot structures out there. The 3-act structure, the brilliant Blake-Snyder Beat Sheet, and on and on. My current favorite is a four-act story structure from Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering, a book I highly recommend. Though when it comes to the finale, I prefer Blake-Snyder’s five-point finale described in his book Save the Cat (also fabulous for writers). Here’s an analysis
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Books are a bit like amusement park rides. They come in all shapes and sizes and even levels of thrill, with enough variation that there are few who don’t enjoy any sort of ride at all. But there is one element that all rides must have if they’re to succeed: an expectation of pace. Fast
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