If you’ve thought about using a flashback scene in your writing but haven’t been quite sure where to begin, you’re in the right place. We’ll demystify the purpose of this device in literature, show you how to write flashbacks in your writing, and give you some examples of flashbac...
If you’re wondering how to write a novel, keep the following in mind: A novel has a beginning, middle, and end. A novel has characters, plot, setting, and conflict. A novel must explore at least one theme. Before you start working on your novel, familiarize yourself with the elements...
3. Use flashbacks Flashbacks are a great way to ratchet up suspense, whether it’s an isolated flashback that shows something shocking or a series of flashbacks that build toward the final reveal. Some novels even maximize the dramatic impact by setting their narratives half in the present day...
In ancient Greek and Roman stories, this plot twist was known as an act of God, literally meaning “god from the machine.” This refers to a crane-like device play producers used to fly an angel or other ethereal being into a scene to save the day. These days, the term refers to an...
As you rewrite, you may need to check you’ve fully incorporated that backstory.That could mean using flashbacks to the past – but it might also simply mean adjusting how your character responds to certain situations, in the light of what you know about their lifebeforeyour story begins. ...
With a word count that situates the novella somewhere between a short story and a novel, its particular demands make it one of the most exciting yet challenging forms for writers to pen. To help you understand how to write a novella, we've turned to Reedsy editor Sara Kelly— a specialis...
The inciting incident is one of the most important plot points in any story. A great inciting incident should pave the way for everything else to follow. So what exactly is the inciting incident, and how do you write an effective one?
I found this to be true asa judgeof one of our writing contests here at The Write Practice. The theme, “Let's Fall in Love,” yielded many stories where characters simply “remembered” things that happened long ago. Perhaps they were visiting a cemetery where a loved one was buried, ...
Honestly, I should have known better. This wasn’t my first book, it was my fifth, and each of those books relied heavily on outlines, so I knew how to write an outline. Butwriting a memoirfelt different. After all, it was a story about the experience I had in Paris. All I had ...
“Here we go again,” you’re probably muttering under your breath, “expecting my book to be just like everybody else’s: the story of an interesting person in an interesting situation. By definition, though, a GOOD multiple-protagonist novel is the story of LOTS of interesting people in...