Category Archives: Newsletter

Plotting Your Book: Common Plot Pitfalls to AvoidNew writers, usually due to a lack of writing experience or because they haven’t had their writing critiqued, often will make some journeyman mistakes when plotting their story. If you’re just writing for yourself, there’s nothing wrong with any of these errors; the pleasure of writing alone overridesContinue reading “Common Plot Pitfalls to Avoid – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Nov. 18, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Create Character Arc for Better StoryFor a story to move forward, it needs a character arc. An arc is how a three-dimensional character changes and grows through the tale. READ MORE Self-Publishing Tip: How to Design Your Ebook CoverMost potential readers of your ebook will first encounter it online as an image – theContinue reading “Create Character Arc for Better Story – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Nov. 11, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Zip Two Disparate Stories Into One TaleRather than follow a lone main character through every chapter of a short story or novel, your tale might follow the experiences of two main characters or of two groups of principal characters that alternate. This is called a zipper story. READ MORE How to Format YourContinue reading “Zip Two Disparate Stories Into One Tale – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Nov. 4, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Vary Story Structure with ‘Fate Plot’Another variation on the traditional five-part story structure is the fate plot. In a fate plot, the climax occurs at the beginning of story. The rest of story is a traditional tale that essentially is a flashback, showing and explaining how the climax was reached. The end ofContinue reading “Vary Story Structure with ‘Fate Plot’ – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 28, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Consider Using Episodic Fiction Plot StructureOne powerful way to write a novel is episodically. Called episodic fiction, it breaks from the traditional introduction-rising action-climax story structure by presenting an anthology of brief stories or anecdotes usually about a single character, set of characters, or place. READ MORE Writing Advice: How to Overcome Writer’sContinue reading “Consider Using Episodic Fiction Plot Structure – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 21, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Consider Using The Journey for a Mythic PlotOne of the most common plot forms in modern fantasy and science fiction novels is the mythic structure. Often called a quest, in the mythic structure the protagonist undertakes an expedition that carries some moral significance or deeper meaning. Typically our hero seeks some definitive object, which usuallyContinue reading “Consider Using The Journey for a Mythic Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 14, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Three-Act Structure Offers Alternate Story PlotOne common way to think about how a story is organized is the three-act structure. This approach dates to Aristotle, who stated that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. READ MORE Following a Writing Process for Fiction One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they’reContinue reading “Three-Act Structure Offers Alternate Story Plot – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Oct. 7, 2025”

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Plotting Your Book: Ways to Break Story Structure in Your NovelMost novels, short stories and screenplays today follow a traditional five-part story structure, involving an introduction-rising action-climax-falling action-denouement. While dominant, this isn’t the only form you have to follow as a writer. Indeed, some of the best stories and novels don’t. READ MORE How to Write Engaging,Continue reading “Ways to Break Story Structure in Your Novel – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 30, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Don’t Overwhelm Reader With Too Many SubplotsSometimes writers get too creative for their own good. Such is the case when they think about all the stories their characters – major and minor – could experience. While the writer’s understanding of the world he’s creating is laudable, for the reader all of those storylinesContinue reading “Don’t Overwhelm Reader With Too Many Subplots – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 23, 2025”