Note From KMW: Over the years, I’ve learned there is a difference between cultivating discipline as a writer and forcing it. Like many writers (especially those of us who came of age during the early years of the indie boom), I spent much of my career believing success required constant hustle. Push harder. Write faster. […]
The post The Four Seasons of Writing: How Authors Can Build a…
Truly resonant stories give us the feeling that nothing about them is accidental. The plot, character arc, theme, symbolism, and even the setting all belong to the same deeper pattern. Everything connects. This is what I’ll be exploring in my Story School class Alchemizing Plot, Character, and Theme, which originally premiered during last year’s WorldShift […]
The post Writing Masterclass:…
What is mythic fiction, and how can we write it? Earlier this month, I shared a post about how to write mythic fiction, in which I discussed the difference between adapting inherited myths (i.e., just retelling the old symbolic stories over and over in “new” ways) versus creating our own myths. My suggestion was that […]
The post How to Write Mythic Fiction: 7 Practices to Reconnect With the…
Learning how to choose the right character arc is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your story. Whether you’re writing a Positive Change Arc, a Flat Arc, or a Negative Arc, the arc you choose will shape everything from plot structure to theme to emotional resonance. Choosing the right character arc is […]
The post How to Choose the Right Character Arc for Your Story appeared…
If you’ve hung around here for any length of time, you know I tend to talk a lot about “archetypal” and “mythic” fiction. But what do those words really even mean—and why are they important? And why might we want to learn how to write mythic fiction? Many contemporary writers are interested in writing mythic […]
The post How to Write Mythic Fiction: Stop Borrowing Old Myths and Start Creating…
The longer I study story, the more I understand it less as a collection of techniques and more like a single pattern expressed in many different ways. We talk about plot, character, and theme as if they are separate tools, but in practice they are all part of the same deeper structure that shapes not […]
The post Writing Resources for Writers: 20% Off Books, Classes, and Tools for a Limited Time…
What is story? As someone who studies plot structure—and the shape of story—I find it an interesting thought exercise to consider the many ways in which the marketplace is increasingly shaping modern writing culture and even storytelling itself. Is story a process or a product? Is it an experience, an archetype, a communication, or a […]
The post Thoughts on How the Marketplace Is Shaping the…
Note From KMW: Whenever I’m browsing a new book in a bookstore or reading a sample online, I’m always aware of how little I can actually know at the start. I can’t yet see if the plot will hold together or if the structure will land. I don’t know how the Climactic Moment will pay […]
The post Microtension in Writing Explained: How Small Details Create Big Tension appeared first on Helping…
Note From KMW: One of the first writing teachers I remember learning from was James Scott Bell. When I started religiously reading the Writer’s Digest magazine as a young writer, Jim’s regular column always spoke to me. He had a knack for naming high-concept ideas in a way that always felt accessible and practicable. Years […]
The post The Mirror Moment in Fiction: A Midpoint Method for Plotters…
Are loose ends in fiction a good thing—or a bad thing? The phrase itself sounds accusatory, as if loose ends are something writers ought to apologize for. After all, what else do we do with loose ends but tie them up? And yet, the moment we start tying everything off too neatly, something else often […]
The post Should You Tie Up Loose Ends in Your Story—or Leave Them Open? appeared first on…
Note From KMW: In recent years, one of the questions I’ve been asked most often is whether I’ll write more about Eastern story structure—particularly how it compares to the Western Monomyth and the structural beats I tend to teach. In fact, when I ran my reader survey last year, exploring Kishōtenketsu was one of the […]
The post Kishōtenketsu Story Structure: What It Is, How It Works, and How…
From KMW: One of the juiciest tension points in a character’s arc is the question: What is your character’s greatest fear? This question isn’t (explicitly) about what characters say they want or what stands in their way externally. Rather, the answer we’re hunting for is the deeper fear lurking underneath. Very often, that fear is […]
The post 6 Ways to Discover Your Character’s Greatest Fear…
Why do some dark stories feel true and even redemptive while others feel icky and draining? And why do some hopeful stories resonate deeply while others feel saccharine and shallow? When writers consider how to write dark stories responsibly, what we are really asking is a deeper craft question: how do we move through the […]
The post 9 Tips for How to Write Dark Stories Responsibly (And Make…
Conflict is often taught as the engine of plot, but what if it is really the engine of psychological transformation? When we look at story through a symbolic lens, antagonists can be understood not just as external obstacles, but as forces that reveal the deeper inner workings of the protagonist. This is what I’m exploring […]
The post New Writing Class: The Hidden Psychology of Story Conflict…
We might define your story’s tone as its attitude. More than that, it’s a guide for audiences to help them determine their own attitudes while engaging with your story. Tone tells audiences how to experience the events unfolding on the page. As such, you have to set your story’s tone right from the beginning. Is […]
The post How to Create a Consistent Story Tone (And Why It Matters) appeared…
One of the easiest mistakes in writing is assuming stories are about the external action of defeating the antagonistic force, when in reality they are about what the protagonist must become in order to face that conflict. Internal conflict vs. external conflict reveals how your story’s character arcs operate beneath the plot. The tension between […]
The post Internal Conflict vs. External…
When writers start talking about story structure, usually the first things people think of are beats, turning points, and acts. But underneath all of that is a more fundamental question: What is the shape of story itself? Is story fundamentally linear, moving from beginning to middle to end—or does a different pattern emerge? This question […]
The post The Four-Act Structure and the Circular…
Want to find a writing buddy? A critique partner? A beta reader? Here’s your stop! If you’re looking to find a writing buddy, critique partner, or beta reader, this annual link-up is designed to help writers connect with each other and build meaningful creative relationships. A writing buddy is another writer who offers feedback, accountability, […]
The post Find a Writing Buddy (2026 Edition!):…
Today, I want to share something new with you… This year, I’m starting a Story School! For years, I’ve taught story primarily through blog posts and books. But there are some topics I’ve been wanting to explore that need the kind of focused attention that allows us to go deeper. So this year, I’ll be […]
The post New Writing Class: What Happens After the Positive Change Arc? appeared first on…
Where do our stories come from? Not just theoretically or archetypally, but for each of us as individuals? From where do our stories—our romances, mysteries, fantasies, dramas, tragedies, and comedies—actually arise? Even when prompted by outer inspiration, they still come from somewhere deep inside of us, from a deeply human connection. And where does this […]
The post Embodied Writing: How to…
How we doing, fellow writers? Are you hanging in there? Everywhere I look in today’s creative landscape, I’m sensing that more and more writers are burning out, and I don’t think the cause is simply too much effort. We also have to acknowledge that at least some of the strain results from the conditions in […]
The post The Emotional Toll on Writers in the Modern Landscape (And Why So Many Are…