Category Archives: Newsletter

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”

Plotting Your Book: Use Subplot to Give Story More DepthOne way to give your story depth is to include a subplot, which is a secondary plot line. This sometimes is referred to as the B story, a term from screenwriting. READ MORE Writing Advice: Mastering Point of ViewFor beginning writers, point of view often is theContinue reading “Use Subplot to Give Story More Depth – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 16, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Don’t End Novel with CliffhangerOne of the new writing trends among self-published authors is to end their novel on a cliffhanger. The idea is that this will generate interest in purchasing the author’s next novel, which is a sequel. Unless readers know they’ve picked up a trilogy or a book in a storyContinue reading “Don’t End Novel with Cliffhanger – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 9, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Should You Write a Happy or an Unhappy Ending?When writing the climax your story, you’ll need to decide if the ending will be happy or unhappy. How should you choose which one to use? READ MORE Writing Tips: How to Create Your Story’s SettingAll too often, writers give their story’s setting short shrift.Continue reading “Should You Write a Happy or an Unhappy Ending? – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 2, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Falling Action and DenouementThough your story may have reached its climax, the tale isn’t over yet. Loose ends must be tied up. This typically occurs int he story’s falling action and denouement. READ MORE Make Sure the First Page of Your Story is the Best it can Be My writing guidebook Write Your Story’s First Page looksContinue reading “Plotting Your Book: Falling Action and Denouement – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 26, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Ways Your Main Character Can Ultimately SucceedWhen reaching the climax of the story, the main character usually overcomes the central problem that he set out to solve. Still, this penultimate scene tends to play out differently from story to story so that no two tales that are truly original seem alike. READ MOREContinue reading “Ways Your Main Character Can Ultimately Succeed – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 19, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Your Protagonist Must Solve the Story’s ProblemAmong the big mistakes novice writers make is they don’t allow their protagonist to solve the story’s central problem. READ MORE 200+ Writing Prompts That Lead To StoriesYou’re stuck on what to write so check out some writing prompts to spur your creativity. But they don’t helpContinue reading “Your Protagonist Must Solve the Story’s Problem – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 12, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Three Potential Ways to End Your StoryIn every story, there comes a turning point or an ultimate moment in which the situation has become so intolerable that the main character must take a decisive step and emerge victorious. This scene is known as the climax. There are three possible ways the story can forContinue reading “Three Potential Ways to End Your Story – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Aug. 5, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: How to Write Your Story’s Penultimate SceneIn every story, there comes a turning point or an ultimate moment in which the situation has become so intolerable that the main character must take a decisive step and emerge victorious. This scene is known as the climax. READ MORE Master the Craft of WritingYou’ve writtenContinue reading “How to Write Your Story’s Penultimate Scene – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for July 29, 2025”