Writing Guides

Free, practical guides to the craft of fiction, each with worked examples and an exercise you can bring to your own book.

• Developing Story Ideas: Turn a spark into a premise you can actually write, and find the story worth the months ahead.
• Promise to the Reader: What your opening quietly promises through point of view, genre and pacing, and how to keep that promise to the last page.
• Character Archetypes: Twelve character archetypes, from Hero to Trickster, with worked examples, archetype blends and a workshop for building a cast with real motives.
• Foreshadowing and Flashbacks: Plant clues that pay off, and step back in time without stalling the story. A practical guide with examples and exercises.
• Kids-on-Bikes Adventures: Write young ensembles, small towns and the big stakes of one unforgettable summer: how to plan a kids-on-bikes adventure.
• Cozy, Feel-Good Romance: Low-stakes warmth with real feeling: how to write the comforting, community-centered romance readers keep coming back for.
• Story Beats: Give your plot a pulse: eleven story structures, from Save the Cat to kishotenketsu, with worked beats and a beat-sheet workshop.