Author Archives: Rob Bignell

Craft of Writing: Strike out NullsSometimes the only purpose of a story’s sentence is to say that nothing happened. Such sentences are called “nulls.” READ MORE Everything You Must Know to Self-Publish Your EbookYou’ve written a book and want to publish it as an ebook. But how do you do that? Maybe you’ve watched a videoContinue reading “Strike out Nulls – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 7, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Step Down on AuthorismsSometimes when writers just can’t think of what to put on the page, they resort to an inappropriate technique known as an authorism. An authorism – coined by American writer Thomas M. Disch – occurs when the writer places his or her physical environment, mannerisms and prejudices into the story.  READContinue reading “Step Down on Authorisms – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for June 30, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Show, Don’t TellAs a fiction writer, you’ll want virtually all of your sentences to show rather than tell. There a few instances when the author needs to “tell” – such as quickly providing a back story or to make dialogue sound realistic – but such occurrences should be rare. READ MORE Self-PublishingContinue reading “Show, Don’t Tell – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for June 23, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Generate Tension by Leaving Reader in DoubtAny story you tell by definition has a plot, characters, setting, point of view and theme. But to really make a story pop, an author has to interweave and play these elements against one another so that the story has tension. READ MORE How to Format YourContinue reading “Generate Tension by Leaving Reader in Doubt – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for June 16, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Create an Uncertain Outcome for Your Main CharacterIf you’re story feels flat, you may want to look at the plot and ask yourself, “Do my readers have a sense of anticipation yet uncertainty about what will come next?” If the answer is “No,” then your story lacks suspense. READ MORE The Ultimate GuideContinue reading “Create an Uncertain Outcome for Your Main Character – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for June 9, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Sustain Dramatic Tension through Good PacingAs developing your story, maintaining a sense of tension is vital. Without dramatic tension – a feeling of uncertainty in the reader about how the main character will solve (or even if he will resolve) the central problem – the story will be flat and vanilla. READ MOREContinue reading “Sustain Dramatic Tension through Good Pacing – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for June 2, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Give Your Story Oomph! with Narrative DriveEver read a story before bed and find it so gripping that you stay up far later than you should just to find out what is going to happen? If so, you’ve been a “victim” of narrative drive. READ MORE Writing Advice: Using a Writing Process WhenContinue reading “Give Your Story Oomph! with Narrative Drive – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for May 26, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Watch for Verb Tense ShiftsA common mistake among novice writers is shifting within their story so that events occurred in the now but then in the next paragraph happen in the past. This is a sign that the writer is changing verb tenses. READ MORE Following a Writing Process for Fiction One of the biggestContinue reading “Watch for Verb Tense Shifts – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for May 19, 2026”

Craft of Writing: Pep Up Your Writing: Replace Overused VerbsEven when using active verbs, sentences still may sound flat. More than likely, that’s because those active verbs are also overused. READ MORE How to Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue in Your StoryOne of the most important tools in your writing kit is dialogue. It can help developContinue reading “Pep Up Your Writing: Replace Overused Verbs – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for May 12, 2026”