Writing Outside the Box

The rise-fall-rise plot, otherwise known as the Cinderella plot, looks like this: This is the most basic iteration of the plot, and Kurt...

The next plot we're looking at is the fall-rise plot, also known as the man in a hole plot: This tale invokes a more emotional response...

The first of the "happy ending" plots we'll be looking at is the classic rising plot, sometimes referred to as the Rags to Riches plot:...

The fall-rise-fall plot (also known as the Oedipus plot) looks like this: This plot is named after Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex. The...

The rise-fall plot, also known as the Icarus plot, looks like this: This is probably the type of plot you learnt early on in your...

Obviously, no two plots are the same, but there are some tried and tested plot structures that work, and this week I'm going to be...

It's the last week of this month's theme - features of writing. We're going to be looking at plot. The idea for a plot is probably the...

I've talked a lot about how to make a realistic setting, but how do you make a fantasy setting seem believable? My top tip is much the...

One of your first considerations when writing a story should be setting. Where is it set? Does the location change or do your...

This week we're going to be focusing on setting. Generally speaking, settings are either fictional or real. If you're going for a...

Third person is another more common perspective, alongside first person. This means using the pronouns 'he', 'she', 'they', etc. So why...

Second person is much more obscure in story writing. This means using the pronouns 'you', 'your', 'yourself', etc. So why write in the...

First person is one of the most common perspectives to write your story in. This means using the pronouns 'I', 'me', 'my', etc. So why...

It's a new week and another new theme - this week we're focusing on point of view. Point of view is a great follow on from character:...

Realistically, the more relatable your character is, the more likely people are to keep reading your story. There are certain ways to do...

One really important consideration for your piece of writing is how and when to introduce your main character. When? I think it's fair to...

In this post, I am going to be focusing on how to give your character a background. This week's reading does this particularly well, and...

This week we are looking at characterisation. This means how to create believable characters, how much you should know about your...

This is the last post specifically on dialogue for a while, but next week we'll be focusing on character. Characterisation and dialogue...

Now we've talked about why dialogue is important, it's time to think about writing some. So what are my top tips for writing dialogue? 1....