Yessica Jain
How to Raise the Stakes in Your Story
Stakes are the lifeblood of every story. If there’s nothing at stake for the characters, there’s nothing at stake for the readers. If...
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Yessica Jain
- May 12, 2022
Types of Books Series
Think of three books. Odds are, at least one of them is part of a series. Book series give readers more of what they love, while letting...
Tai Nakamura
- May 5, 2022
Connecting to Your Writing
Experimentation is the key to great writing, so it's important to sometimes step out of your comfort zone to give the reader more ways to...
Yessica Jain
- Apr 28, 2022
Writing Descriptions that Transport Readers
Descriptions transport readers to another world or time. You may never have seen Camp Half-Blood or Ketterdam or Narnia (we’re pretending...
Yessica Jain
- Mar 24, 2022
Writing Humor: Making Your Audience Laugh
A little laughter goes a long way when your characters and readers are stressing about an impending war. Almost every genre can do with a...
Yessica Jain
- Mar 10, 2022
Writing the End of a Story
While the beginning of a story sets up the world, people, and themes, the end wraps it all together. It’s either a reward or a punishment...
Yessica Jain
- Mar 3, 2022
Writing the First Chapter
It’s really easy to put down a book after reading a few pages, but it becomes increasingly more difficult to do so as you go on. Once...
Yessica Jain
- Feb 17, 2022
Plot Twists
SPOILER ALERT: I talk about some famous plot twists below. Most spoilers are for very popular books, which I selected because I assume...
Yessica Jain
- Feb 3, 2022
Tropes: How to Avoid & Fix Them
Almost every story can be traced back to some core plotline that can be found in other books of that type. Harry Potter is about the...
Yessica Jain
- Nov 4, 2021
Research: Where Does it Fit Into the Writing Process?
Research is one of those parts of the writing process that nobody thinks about. Nobody, that is, except writers. It’s so essential but...
Yessica Jain
- Oct 28, 2021
National Novel Writing Month
A new month is just around the corner, and for writers, there’s something exceptionally special about this one. November is National...
Yessica Jain
- Oct 14, 2021
Tropes in Fantasy: Examples & Purposes
The old mentor, the quest, the secret heir… These are all examples of common tropes in fantasy. If you’re an avid fantasy reader, you can...
Yessica Jain
- Aug 12, 2021
Bending the Rules of Writing
If you’ve been a part of the writing community for any length of time, you’ve probably been told a million rules. Here’s the thing:...
Yessica Jain
- Aug 5, 2021
Literary Devices: Examples & Uses
Last week’s post focused on literary elements, the large aspects of a story that come together to form a novel. This week, we look at the...
Yessica Jain
- Jul 29, 2021
Literary Elements & How to Make the Most of Them
Literary elements are the foundation of all stories. Plot, characters, setting, theme, and style define a novel. They are what readers...
Yessica Jain
- Jul 15, 2021
Character Morals: The Black, White, and Gray
At heart, books are defined by the decisions of their characters. That’s why it is essential that characters have a clear moral code....
Yessica Jain
- Jul 1, 2021
Writing Terms & What They Mean
Trying to understand the writing community can be challenging at first. There are so many abbreviations and terms that writers just throw...
Yessica Jain
- Jun 17, 2021
Dialogue, Description, Action, & Narrative
Dialogue, description, action, and narrative—all fiction novels will have some of each, but most writers will use some more than others....
Yessica Jain
- Jun 3, 2021
Dialogue: Uses, Tags, & Punctuation
Dialogue is a wonderful tool: it can be used for characterization, worldbuilding, advancing the plot, and so much more. Here are some...
Yessica Jain
- May 20, 2021
Relationship Arcs
Relationship arcs make amazing subplots (or main plots, depending on your genre), especially when done well. First, be sure to take a...
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