Category Archives: Newsletter

Plotting Your Book: Basic Guidelines for Your Story’s Rising ActionWhen developing the rising action section of your story, there a few simple guidelines to follow. Ensuring these guidelines aren’t violated will help keep the story moving forward and increase the dramatic tension. READ MORE Everything You Must Know to Self-Publish Your EbookYou’ve written a book andContinue reading “Basic Guidelines for Your Story’s Rising Action – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for May 13, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Establish Tone During Story’s Opening LinesEach story expresses an emotional climate or tone; creating tone involves a complex array of techniques such as diction, pacing and color. READ MORE Self-Publishing Tips: How to Upload Your EbookFor those new to self-publishing, uploading your ebook often is a complex and frustrating process. Unfamiliar termsContinue reading “Establish Tone During Story’s Opening Lines – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for May 6, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Hint at Story’s Theme in Opening LinesEven the most action-packed, blood-and-gore story has some message or point. A proposition that is argued or an aspect of human experience that is examined in your story is its theme. For example, the theme of the novel Moby Dick is revenge and obsession. Those dual passionsContinue reading “Hint at Story’s Theme in Opening Lines – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for April 29, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Establish Story’s Point of View in Opening LinesEvery story has an angle or perspective from which it is told. You establish this perspective, called point of view, in a story’s opening lines. Which point of view you select deeply affects the way the story can be told. READ MORE How to Format YourContinue reading “Establish Story’s Point of View in Opening Lines – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for April 22, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Open Story by Hinting at Some Mysterious ElementStraight-up information about a character or a setting rarely marks a great way to start a story. Instead, the opening lines need to hint at some mysterious element. READ MORE The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing Your BookYou’ve written a book that’s languishing on your computer hardContinue reading “Open Story by Hinting at Some Mysterious Element – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for April 15, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Make Story Interesting by Establishing StakesThe plot of a story is more interesting and exciting if the characters have something to gain or lose. Because of this, the characters in your story should have something at stake, or some personal interest in or motivation for solving the story’s conflict. READ MORE Writing Advice:Continue reading “Make Story Interesting by Establishing Stakes – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for April 8, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Hint at Protagonist’s Intentions on Opening PageThe opening page of your story always should include your protagonist’s intentions, meaning the step he plans to take to deal with the story’s main problem. READ MORE Writing Advice: Using a Writing Process When Writing NonfictionOne of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying thatContinue reading “Hint at Protagonist’s Intentions on Opening Page – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for April 1, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Hint at Protagonist’s Internal MotivationsMerely presenting a protagonist who will solve the story’s main problem the isn’t enough. Instead, you need to give reasons why the protagonist would even want to do so. READ MORE Writing Tip: How to Follow a Writing Process for FictionOne of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make isContinue reading “Hint at Protagonist’s Internal Motivations – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Mar. 25, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: Use Broad Conflict to Set Your Story in MotionAlmost all stories force the main character to solve several problems. The issues of where to hide, of finding a way to send a message for help, of obtaining a weapon to defend oneself, all might appear within a single chapter of a novel orContinue reading “Use Broad Conflict to Set Your Story in Motion – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Mar. 18, 2025”

Plotting Your Book: How to Establish Setting in Your Story’s OpeningSetting is the place and time in which the plot unfolds. The setting always must be established in a story’s opening lines. A setting helps anchor the story. READ MORE How to “Show Don’t Tell” Read any writing tip article or book, and one piece of adviceContinue reading “How to Establish Setting in Your Story’s Opening – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Mar. 11, 2025”