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# Storm Writing School

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## Posts

- [Considerations for Dual POV](https://stormwritingschool.com/dual-pov/) - If you’re writing dual POV, you have some decisions to make about how the characters come together, when they come together, and what exactly they share.
- [Show, Don’t Tell Disambiguation](https://stormwritingschool.com/show-dont-tell/) - What's at the root of the "Show, Don't Tell" concept, what does showing look like, and how might people abuse showing? An exploration of this oft-cited piece of writing advice.
- [Novel Structure: An Aggregate Paradigm](https://stormwritingschool.com/novel-structure-an-aggregate-paradigm/) - I'm very much a believer that writers must find the methods that work best for them. But just as a musician must first understand something about the structure of music (rhythm, tempo, scales, etc.) to be able to invent and improvise, so, too, must a story writer have some understanding of the structure of story. My previous article featured a list of novel structure resources. Having combed through that list, I found some common ground among the various paradigms I investigated. This post features a video in which I walk through the plot points I saw over and over again in my research.
- [A Compendium of Novel Structure Resources](https://stormwritingschool.com/a-compendium-of-novel-structure-resources/) - I’ve done an exhaustive exploration of novel and story structure advice. Below, I’ve assembled what is more or less a bibliography. Consider this a list of resources more than the typical craft tip article. Bookmark this one and come back to it for future reads.
- [How a Scene List Can Help Your Revision](https://stormwritingschool.com/scene-list/) - A scene list is a simple but powerful tool you can use to wrap your head around your whole story and begin to troubleshoot where it might need revision. Here's how and why it helps.
- [Create a Moving Character Arc](https://stormwritingschool.com/character-arc/) - Character arc (aka the internal plot) is essential for a satisfying story structure. You might have tension on every page and you might follow what you think is a winning structure, but if you don't have a character arc, your story will fail to resonate with readers. Learn the key concepts for character arcs here.
- [12 Ways to Be an Invisible Writer](https://stormwritingschool.com/avoid-writerly-writing/) - Once the author becomes visible, the enchantment of the story dissolves. The author is the creator of a story, but the author should never be a part of the story. The author is the man behind the curtain. Reveal the man behind the curtain and the Wizard of Oz narrative dies. What sorts of things reveal the author? Here are 12.
- [Action vs. Information: Convey Info without Stalling the Story](https://stormwritingschool.com/action-vs-information-convey-info-without-stalling-the-story/) - Information conveys states of mind, states of existence, but not states of affairs (unless you're dramatizing the past via a flashback, but that's not conveying the present-time story state of affairs). But if your information (facts, past, interiority, context) is not relevant to the story’s state of affairs, your reader is going to tune it out—or worse, come to distrust your narration.
- [Delight: The Secondary Source of Reader Engagement](https://stormwritingschool.com/delight/) - Though tension is maybe the main source or reader engagement, there are several sources of "delight" that help charm the reader and make books memorable.
- [100 Books Published in 2023 for Your TBR Pile](https://stormwritingschool.com/100-books-2023/) - A mega list of books published in 2023, compiled in a table with info about genre, book description, and the person and tense of the narration.
- [Verisimilitude: What it is and how it works](https://stormwritingschool.com/verisimilitude/) - Verisimilitude all about getting the reader to suspend disbelief and see realistic depictions of character, setting, and events. But what does it mean for such story elements to be realistic?
- [Prepping for Beta Reading](https://stormwritingschool.com/prepping-for-beta-reading/) - Once you've found a beta reader for your work, how should you proceed? Some tips here on how to prepare your expectations, your manuscript, and your reader.
- [Varieties of Omniscience](https://stormwritingschool.com/varieties-of-omniscience/) - Using an omniscient narrator? It may help to be aware of these two dimensions, which account for the varieties of omniscient approaches.
- [A Glossary of Assorted Writing Craft Terms](https://stormwritingschool.com/writing-craft-terms/) - I've put together a series on YouTube that attempts to define, clarify, or otherwise demystify various writing craft terms. Here, I've listed the terms I've already examined, and I'll post additions as more videos are published.
- [Why Most Writing Rules Can Be Broken](https://stormwritingschool.com/breaking-writing-rules/) - Almost every writing "rule" can be broken. I offer three meta-principles for why that is and some thoughts on how we should approach the rules if they can be broken.
- [Tools for Big Picture Editing of Your Novel](https://stormwritingschool.com/big-picture-editing/) - The mountain of editing/revision can be daunting, particularly for long-form stories. Here are four tools you can use to gain perspective of the big picture.
- [Dramatic Prognosis: a tool for designing strong plots and improving weak ones](https://stormwritingschool.com/dramatic-prognosis/) - The dramatic prognosis is the calculation the audience makes about the hero's chances of reaching the goal. You can examine the dramatic prognosis within your story in the planning stage or in the revision stage; it may be helpful in highlighting where the story is lacking.
- [What Is a Beat, Anyway?](https://stormwritingschool.com/beats-disambiguation/) - If you read about writing craft, you're going to come across the word "beat" on occasion. But this is a term that even within the realm of creative writing has at least three different meanings. Let's break them down here.
- [What Does the Inciting Incident Actually Do?](https://stormwritingschool.com/inciting-incident/) - The inciting incident is often misunderstood. Even seasoned writers sometimes make claims that there can be multiple inciting incidents or that it can occur before the story even begins. But I would argue that most of those claims are rooted in a misunderstanding of the role the inciting incident plays within a story.
- [The Essentials of Orienting Your Reader](https://stormwritingschool.com/orientation/) - In film, orientation is almost immediate. In prose, oreintation requires ink. Here are some guidelines for what orientation the reader needs.
- [Centrifugal Forces: How a Character Doesn’t Want What They Desire](https://stormwritingschool.com/centrifugal-forces/) - Story is a vortex; a character circles around the climax, wanting and not wanting to get to the center of the vortex, where they will be transformed.
- [How and Why to Write Your Back-Cover Synopsis Early](https://stormwritingschool.com/back-cover-synopsis/) - The back-cover synopsis lays out the book's premise and piques reader interest. Here's how and why you should write one early and often.
- [How to Write While You’re Freaking Out](https://stormwritingschool.com/write-while-freaking-out/) - How can you write when the world seems to be falling apart? Some considerations for releasing the anxiety and allowing some healthy creative pursuit.
- [How Your Attitude and Approach Toward Habits Can Revitalize Your Writing Practice](https://stormwritingschool.com/writing-habits/) - Habit formation is crucial for writers trying to improve their process. These tips might help you revolutionize your approach to your writing.
- [The Case for Messy Character Motivation](https://stormwritingschool.com/motivation/) - It's acceptable—maybe even preferable—to be a little foggy about your characters' motivations. Rather than put them through questionnaires and personality assessments, put them into situations which reveal true character.
- [The Character Mixing Board](https://stormwritingschool.com/character-mixing-board/) - Digging into Brandon Sanderson's concept of three-pronged character development. How can you mix and match character attributes of competence, sympathy, and proactivity?
- [The Essence of Standout Characters](https://stormwritingschool.com/characters/) - Protagonists need reader identification and allegiance, but that alone doesn't make them standout characters. A great character needs to evoke a strong emotion within readers. And there are three main qualities that allow such effect.
- [Captivating Protagonists: The Essentials](https://stormwritingschool.com/protagonists/) - The defining trait of a protagonist is that the reader identifies with them, and there are two essentials that facilitate that identification.
- [The Two Imperatives for Compelling Dialogue](https://stormwritingschool.com/dialogue/) - Weak dialogue portrays exchanges of information that leave the energy of the scene flat. Compelling dialogue does these two things.
- [Turning Points Propel Your Story](https://stormwritingschool.com/turning-points/) - Turning points are why scenes exist. So it’s essential to understand how and why they work within your story to propel both plot and character.
- [Freytag’s Pyramid Doesn’t Deserve the Hate](https://stormwritingschool.com/freytags-pyramid/) - Freytag's Pyramid provides the most ubiquitous plot diagram for story structure, but is hated by many. Here's why the pyramid doesn't deserve the hate.
- [The Case for Pantsing](https://stormwritingschool.com/pantsing/) - Writing "by the seat of your pants," aka "discovery writing" works better for some writers than outlining does. Read about the rationale for pantsing here.
- [Irony is Central to Storytelling](https://stormwritingschool.com/irony/) - Irony is more important to storytelling than you might think. It helps create more poignant story events and ushers in more meaningful character transformation.
- [Exposition in Dialogue](https://stormwritingschool.com/exposition-in-dialogue/) - You can deliver exposition via dialogue, but you have to finesse it a little. Here we discuss how you can disguise exposition so it doesn't feel contrived.
- [Earning Story Events](https://stormwritingschool.com/earning/) - Earning story events means paying attention to three types of context (deep, situational, and immediate) as well as giving the character time to arrive at a response.
- [Your Writing Needs to Be Better Than Game of Thrones](https://stormwritingschool.com/no-game-of-thrones/) - The writing for the TV series has been in a steep downhill descent for a while, and the 3rd episode of Season 8, which needed to pay off a years-long plot arc, utterly failed to create a cohesive narrative.
- [Theme Is Not Optional](https://stormwritingschool.com/theme/) - Some people are wary of crafting or discussing theme, but theme exists in all (good) stories. Here, we examine what theme is, how a story employs it, the effect on readers, and how writers can be intentional about theme.
- [Readers to Help You Write Your Book](https://stormwritingschool.com/readers/) - Every great writer relies on great readers. Who should you enlist to read your work as it’s in development? Lovers, critics, alphas, betas, pros, and more.
- [How to Create Compelling Story Action](https://stormwritingschool.com/action-vs-movement/) - Action is important for stories, but not all action moves characters. Here, we discuss three requirements for action in your stories using a questionable football analogy.
- [To Filter or Not to Filter](https://stormwritingschool.com/filtering/) - What is filtering, what's the rationale for avoiding it, and in what situations might you want to stick with it?
- [The Key to Epiphanies, Realizations, and Moments of Clarity](https://stormwritingschool.com/realizations/) - Writing epiphanies and realizations can be difficult; how can you make them feel earned and not contrived? Here, we examine the keys to successful realizations in storytelling.
- [How to Use Objects to Create More Powerful Stories](https://stormwritingschool.com/objects-in-fiction/) - Objects are crucial to a story's being unique and affecting. Here, we look at 5 ways to use objects to tighten up your story and make it more powerful.
- [Writing Character Emotion](https://stormwritingschool.com/writing-emotion/) - Robert Olen Butler describes 5 ways the people express emotions. Writers can use these expressions to help build better character interiority. Here, his 5 expressions and an accompanying journal exercise.
- [Subjective Conflict](https://stormwritingschool.com/subjective-conflict/) - The idea behind subjective conflict is this: the reader can sometimes experience conflict even when the characters in the story don't. This week's article appears at DIYMFA.
- [How to Maintain Perspective When Encountering Writing Advice](https://stormwritingschool.com/writing-advice/) - There’s a lot of writing advice out there. It is not difficult to find. It is also not difficult to feel overwhelmed by it all and, consequently, a bit inadequate as a writer. You do not need to follow all of it. In fact, if you can differentiate between descriptive and prescriptive advice, you'll be on your way to cutting through the glut.
- [The Pitfalls of Emotional Body Language in Your Writing](https://stormwritingschool.com/body-language/) - Physical expressions of emotion can be problematic, even though they're justified by the "Show, don't tell" mandate. But there are often better, more artful ways to give us insights into the interiority of your POV characters.
- [Narrating Deep or Shallow: The Spectrum of Psychic Distance](https://stormwritingschool.com/psychic-distance/) - An expert writer of stories needs to have some mastery of psychic distance—the distance the narrator stands from a character’s emotions, thoughts, and perceptions. No matter what viewpoint or person or verb tense you’re using for your story, your narration will sometimes go very close to character perception and sometimes stay quite distant.
- [Why Your Story’s Conflict May Fail to Grip Readers](https://stormwritingschool.com/conflict/) - Is your story's conflict gripping readers? Not all conflict is created equal. Some creates tension; some doesn't. And in fact, conflict isn't the only way to create tension.
- [Use "Urgent Story Questions" to Create Tension](https://stormwritingschool.com/urgent-story-question/) - Sometimes, the main source of tension in a story comes from a lingereing "urgent story question" that nags at the reader. You should be conscious of your story's USQs so that you can make the most of them and create a more gripping story.
- [The Problem with “Show, Don’t Tell”](https://stormwritingschool.com/the-problem-with-show-dont-tell/) - The old writing adage of “show, don’t tell” is good advice, but it can occasionally get writers in trouble. Good writers sometimes fall prey to hyperdetailing--giving excessive description without serving the story.
- [Use Beats to Move Characters within Scenes](https://stormwritingschool.com/beats/) - How do you create a dynamic, consequential scene--one that actually moves the character? You use beats within the scene to create disturbances and shifts. This analysis can help your revision; it's all about bringing character arc to the scene level.
- [The Two Roles of the Beginning](https://stormwritingschool.com/beginning/) - The beginning has two roles: a structural one and a functional one. Here, I present a way of thinking about the first act’s plot points that may help you reconcile the need to hook the reader with the need to portray the so-called “normal world” of the story.
- [How to Make a DIY Writing Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/diy-writing-retreat/) - Can't make it to any writing retreats, conferences, or residencies? Then make your own. Here are the four steps for making a DIY writing retreat.
- [The True Source of Voice](https://stormwritingschool.com/the-true-source-of-voice/) - Guides for voice usually focus on diction and syntax as the main avenues to achieving voice, and it’s certainly true that messing with diction and syntax will get you some unique voice. But the true source of strong voice comes from a different source.
- [Stretch Tension to Maximize Suspense](https://stormwritingschool.com/stretch-tension/) - Do you take us to a point of conflict and then, rather than allow us to see it play out and get all worried about the outcome, you summarize it or just resolve it quickly? Stretching tension means you lengthen the scene but also make it more gripping. Don't push the action off-stage or rush through it. Linger on the most tense moments of the story to maximize engagement.
- [Revision for Haters](https://stormwritingschool.com/revision-for-haters/) - How to approach revision when you dread it. Knowing the different levels of revision will help you know how to receive critiques, how to prioritize and plan your revision, and how to re-energize the process with enthusiasm and creativity.
- [4 Common Failures in Story Cause/Effect](https://stormwritingschool.com/common-failures-in-cause-effect/) - Causality governs story events. You want your story to feel authentic, believable, and seamless. You don't want any of the events or reactions within the story to draw attention to themselves. They must be earned. This article examines common failures to earn story developments.
- [Triangulate Dialogue](https://stormwritingschool.com/triangulate-dialogue/) - To avoid flat dialogue scenes, learn to triangulate the characters' interaction with a lower-order goal.
- [Escalating Complications](https://stormwritingschool.com/escalating-complications/) - "Escalating complications" is my preferred term for what's commonly known as "rising action." What is rising action? And how can you use it to maintain reader engagement in the middles of your scenes and stories? We take a lesson from iguanas and snakes here.
- [Formatting Character Thoughts](https://stormwritingschool.com/formatting-character-thoughts/) - Is it better to format character thoughts with quote marks or italics? I say neither. No special formatting is necessary to signify character thinking. You just need some solid narration.
- [Should You Use Dialogue Tags Other Than "Said"?](https://stormwritingschool.com/synonyms-for-said/) - Should you use synonyms for "said"? Some writing advice claims "said is dead"; others look disparagingly upon "saidisms," the fancier cousins of "said." Here's the rule of thumb.
- [The Storm Writing School Mission](https://stormwritingschool.com/mission/) - Storm Writing School operates under the assumption that writing and storytelling are powerful human endeavors that move us in mysterious ways. The rules are hard to pin down but worth considering and debating in order to make our art more capable of resonating with readers.
- [Create Sentiment; Avoid Sentimentality](https://stormwritingschool.com/avoid-sentimentality/) - Flannery O’Connor says that sentimentality is a “distortion of sentiment.” That distortion can occur in one of two ways. Learn about those distortions and then avoid them through the 7 remedies presented here.
- [Dealing with Criticism and Rejections](https://stormwritingschool.com/dealing-with-criticism/) - Coping with criticism and rejection is key for writers. Having endured lots of critiques and rejections, I can share what mindset I've found successful in coping with the ups and downs of receiving critiques and rejections.
- [Approaching the Workshop](https://stormwritingschool.com/approaching-the-workshop/) - There are lots of problems with the default workshop approach. But that's not to say that workshopping isn't valuable. It is. And if the workshop members have the right attitude, it can be an incredibly helpful experience for all.
- [How to Create Story Momentum](https://stormwritingschool.com/how-to-create-story-momentum/) - A story with momentum makes me want to know what’s going to happen next, and makes me care about the characters, objectives, conflicts, and action.
- [3 Techniques for Creating Tension](https://stormwritingschool.com/3-tension-techniques/) - Let’s talk reader engagement. A writer can create tension and hook readers through three situations: mystery, suspense, and dramatic irony.
- [10 Lessons from “Cat Person” on Character Interiority](https://stormwritingschool.com/cat-person-interiority/) - Kristen Roupenian's "Cat Person" handles character interiority masterfully. Here are 10 tips we can glean from the story.
- [Author, Narrator, Character](https://stormwritingschool.com/author-narrator-character/) - There is a distinction between author, narrator, and character. The author creates the story. The narrator tells the story. The character lives the story. These are three distinct entities, which exist on different planes.
- [Why the Hero's Journey May Not Be Right for Your Story](https://stormwritingschool.com/why-the-heros-journey-may-not-be-right-for-your-story/) - What if you want to write a story other than the redemption tale? The hero’s journey and a slew of other plot outlines will provide little help to you because built into their structural guide is a latter section of the story that is exactly what Macbeth isn’t—an ultimate sacrifice, followed by an epiphany-induced power surge, and a final push toward a (spiritual) full potential.
- [The Key to Reader Engagement](https://stormwritingschool.com/the-key-to-reader-engagement/) - Storytelling is a complex beast. There are lots of things that appeal to readers: poetic sentences, imaginative alternate realities, sympathetic and/or courageous characters, relatable problems, vicarious experience. But at the scene level, there is really just one simple concept that spurs the reader onward.
- [Why You Need Strong Antagonists in Your Story](https://stormwritingschool.com/50/) - Let's get something straight right off the bat: Your story is about your protagonist. That is, the protagonist is the star. By definition. Even if you have a very engaging and sympathetic antagonist, the reader identifies more with your protagonist’s struggle and desire. If that’s not the case, you have the wrong protagonist. That’s the first thing to keep in mind when dreaming up and/or depicting your antagonist: the protagonist is the star of the show. The antagonist’s purpose is to serve the author’s goals for the protagonist.
- [Two Conflicts: Problems vs. Obstacles](https://stormwritingschool.com/problems-vs-obstacles/) - We’ve all heard about the importance of conflict in storytelling. One of my favorite quotes in this regard comes from Charles Baxter, who says, “Only Hell is interesting.” If there’s not trouble in the story, we don’t want to hear about it. That’s not to say we want trouble to win out. On the contrary, when a story has elements of conflict or trouble, they work to expose what’s good and right and true about the protagonists with whom we empathize and sympathize. But I want to unpack conflict a touch more because it comes in a few different varieties.
- [Juggle External Action and Interiority](https://stormwritingschool.com/juggle-external-action-and-interiority/) - External refers to what’s happening outside of characters’ minds. It’s the stuff that an observer could see. You could film it pretty easily. Internal refers to what’s going on inside a character’s head: feelings and thoughts. Prose storytelling regularly informs us of characters’ interiority in ways that, say, a screenplay cannot.
- [Creating Suspense](https://stormwritingschool.com/creating-suspense/) - I recently came across this insightful analysis of suspense in the opening of the film Inglorious Basterds. In it, there's a mention of an article from the Psychology journal, Frontiers in Psychology about Tension and Suspense. The authors, Moritz Lehne and Stefan Koelsch, posit six components underlying suspense and tension, which I find useful in thinking about crafting scenes to engage your readers and get your characters into trouble.
- [Time Digressions in Narration](https://stormwritingschool.com/time-digressions-in-narration/) - So, first of all, it’s worth noting that most of the story’s momentum comes from the “What’s going to happen next?” question, and that’s a question that arises from present-time story. Most of the story’s meaning, however, arises from the time digressions.
- [Common Problems in Manuscripts](https://stormwritingschool.com/common-problems-in-manuscripts/) - I work with a lot of manuscripts--everything from novels to short stories; chapters, scenes; essays, memoir--and in this video, I go over four of the most common problems I've encountered in the work I've read in the past year or so.
- [Scene vs. Summary](https://stormwritingschool.com/scene-vs-summary/) - I introduced this concept of scenes vs. summary in my post on the four ways to break down page-level craft. Here, in more detail, is what scene vs. summary is all about. And I’ve included some explanation on how the story writer can benefit from knowing this aspect of craft.
- [Page-level Storytelling: Four Ways to Break Down Your Narration](https://stormwritingschool.com/page-level-storytelling-four-ways-to-break-down-your-narration/) - When you're putting together scenes in your story, you're not just writing a list of events. Your narration guides the reader by providing more than present-time action. Consider these four breakdowns to help you craft your scenes.
- [Story Consumption: How to Read Like a Writer](https://stormwritingschool.com/story-consumption/) - In my MFA program, we were required to read 80 books over the two-year course of study. Like most writers, I was already a voracious reader, but time constraints and job demands had meant that I read far fewer than 40 books a year. In reading such a large volume of books, though, I came to embrace some tenets of story consumption:

## Pages

- [Home](https://stormwritingschool.com/) - Storm Writing School helps you write the best stories you can write through probing study of craft. We interrogate received wisdom and common pieces of writing advice. We don't peddle in one-size-fits-all suggestions.
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- [Contact](https://stormwritingschool.com/contact/) - Contact T.D. Stormtd@stormwritingschool.comP.O. Box 259203Madison, WI 53725 Fill out the form below and submit. Or just email me at td@stormwritingschool.com
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- [100 Books for Your TBR Pile in 2025](https://stormwritingschool.com/100-books-for-your-tbr-pile-in-2025/) - 100 Books for Your TBR Pile in 2025 Not that you necessarily need a list of books to add to your to-be-read pile, but for the sake of the Writing Craft Club, which tries to stay abreast of modern trends in writing styles, I’ve compiled a list of 100 books from 2024 that you might
- [Ghost in the Valley](https://stormwritingschool.com/ghost-in-the-valley/) - Ghost in the Valley We had a white barn cat named Ghost who disappeared when I was six. Mom said she saw a hawk take him away. I pictured the two of them—the cat and the hawk—soaring over the valley like a couple of tandem hang gliders. I told Mom I bet Ghost liked flying.
- [Tip Jar](https://stormwritingschool.com/tip-jar/) - Tip Jar Examining storytelling is certainly a passion of mine, and I’d do a lot of it without ever getting paid, but if you feel you’ve gotten something of value from my resources and you’d like to drop me a tip, I would certainly not object. Thanks for considering it. [give_form id=”9372″]
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- [Blog](https://stormwritingschool.com/blog/) - Craft Articles Helping you write the best stories you can write through probing study of craft. Sign up for the Starter Kit course to determine what’s holding you back from being the writer you want to be. Get the Free Starter Kit Recent Posts More Articles Having trouble with structure? Novel Structure: An Aggregate Paradigm
- [Build Your Own Writing Program](https://stormwritingschool.com/build-your-own-writing-program/) - Let’s Design Your Writing Program The Concept It’s important to focus not only on the fine art of wrting but also the larger picture of what it takes to be a published writer. Writers should be deliberate about self-improvement. Working with an experienced writer/teacher to come up with a program individually catered to you is
- [Editing](https://stormwritingschool.com/editing/) - Editing I critique short stories, creative nonfiction, and novels (parts or the whole). I provide honest, insightful feedback, and I hold your work to a high standard. But I am here to help not to tear you down. I believe an effective editor must keep his own ego out of his critiques, and so I
- [Craft Articles](https://stormwritingschool.com/articles/) - Craft Articles
- [Index](https://stormwritingschool.com/index/) - Action vs. Information Action, Compelling Advice, how to handle the overload Antagonists Author, Narrator, Character Back-cover Synopsis, How and Why to Write Beats disambiguation Beats within scenes Beginnings Big-Picture Editing Body Language Breaking Writing Rules Causality in stories Centrifugal forces in stories Character Arc, whole story Character Arc, within scenes Character Mixing Board Character Motivation
- [Character Arc Mini Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/character-arc-mini-retreat/) - Character Arc: Writing for Change A Mini-Retreat on April 17, 2021 Teaching from Susan DeFreitas—author, editor, and book coach Topic: change—character change within our stories, and how writers can use their art to effect change within the world When: Saturday, April 17th (scroll down for schedule) Retreat? Yeah, in addition to the session with Susan,
- [Alerts Confirmation](https://stormwritingschool.com/alerts-confirmation/) - You're in. You'll get a couple more welcome emails from me in the next few days if you're not already a subscriber, and then you'll hear from me every other week at most. If you want to know more about Storm Writing School, me, or what this whole thing is about, check out these links:
- [Privacy Policy](https://stormwritingschool.com/privacy-policy/) - This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which the website collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a 'User') of the website ('Site'). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by company. Personal identification information We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety
- [What are beats?](https://stormwritingschool.com/beats-definition/) - In the parlance of creative writing, “beat” has at least three different meanings, so this is a term that requires some disambiguation. On the smallest scale, a beat refers to narration that occurs between or among lines of dialogue. And there are sort of two senses of the term at this level, actually. Sometimes you’ll
- [About](https://stormwritingschool.com/about/) - About The Mission Drawing from the wide world of story in all its forms, Storm Writing School examines what aspects of story affect an audience emotionally and keep them engaged. Stories have the power to transform people, to expose them to new modes of thinking, to make them more empathetic, to give them hope and
- [Coaching](https://stormwritingschool.com/coaching/) - Coaching Sometimes, the best option is to go 100% individualized with the instruction. Hire me as a writing coach, and I’ll look at your work and then we’ll have a dialogue about what you need to do to whip your process and craft into shape. Step 1​ The first step to any coaching relationship is
- [Local](https://stormwritingschool.com/local/) - Sounds good. I'll mark you down as "local," meaning you'll be notified if I offer any in-person classes in my area. Thanks!
- [Fodder for Your TBR Pile (2023)](https://stormwritingschool.com/tbr-2023/) - Various critically-acclaimed and/or commercially successful books from 2022 I recently expressed in my newsletter my priorities for examining modern and diverse exemplars in my teaching. So as the new year of my Writing Craft Club kicks off, I decided to create a list of books from the past year that were objectively successful (either through
- [Sports Psychology CWA Conference](https://stormwritingschool.com/sports/) - Our talk is likely to be pretty free flowing. We won’t move robotically through an outline or PowerPoint presentation. However, in order to help you follow along with some of the discrete units of our thesis around the big parallels between sports and writing, we’re providing a more detailed outline of some of those units
- [Revision and Editing Workshop](https://stormwritingschool.com/rew/) - Revision and Editing WorkshopHello all!Thanks for signing up for Daniel David Wallace's Revision and Editing Workshop. I've created this page just as my main hub for posting handouts. I'm not making everything available at once because there's some work I want you to do first, but check back here throughout the day (or weekend) to
- [WWA Beyond the Draft](https://stormwritingschool.com/wwa-beyond-the-draft/) - Hello all! For the sake of ease, I'm putting my handouts and links here. You can get my slides here: Slides And this is the excerpt of Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, along with the chapters from which it was excerpted: Novel Excerpt The links I cite in my final slide: DuotropeNew
- [Show and Tell Retreat with Louise Harnby](https://stormwritingschool.com/show-and-tell-retreat-with-louise-harnby/) - Show Don't Tell Mini RetreatBelow, I'm posting the materials and videos from our March 20th mini retreat with Louise Harnby. The exercise handout has the directions for how to get your free copy of Louise's book, Making Sense of "Show, Don't Tell." (Don't go giving that code out to others, please.)Louise has also passed on this
- [Starter Kit Registration](https://stormwritingschool.com/starter-kit-registration/) - [mepr-membership-registration-form id="7682"]
- [Style and Voice Variability](https://stormwritingschool.com/style-and-voice-variability/) - Style and Voice Variability I'm offering a little follow-up here from my talk with Daniel David Wallace.In that talk, I offered this thesis: An array of variables affecting the “narrational stance” has a huge effect on what is or isn’t advisable for your style and voice as a narrator. Now, I'm opening a can of
- [Show, Don’t Tell Mini Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/show-dont-tell-mini-retreat/) - Show, Don't Tell; Tips and Tricks Mini Retreat March 20, 2021 All writers know the old adage, "Show, Don't Tell." But the sheer ubiquity of the advice means it sometimes loses its meaning. What does this time-tested piece of writing advice actually mean? Are there times when you've misapplied or over-applied it? Editor extraordinaire Louise
- [Live Classes](https://stormwritingschool.com/live-classes/)
- [Feb 27th Midpoints Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/feb-27th-midpoints-retreat/) - On February 27th, 2021, I held a mini retreat. I began with a talk about midpoints in stories, and in the afternoon, we followed up with some Q&A after an hour and half of writing. The video recordings of the sessions are below. I'm including my presentation slides from the midpoints session, as well as the
- [Jan 16th Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/jan-16th-retreat/) - On January 16th, I hosted an online retreat via Zoom, which included two teaching sessions. The morning session, embedded below, had us examining Chapter 3 of the middle-grade novel Greenglass House. We looked for significant developments and then tried to distinguish what may have made some of those developments "turning points." The afternoon session (also
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- [Critique Group Matchmaking Round 2](https://stormwritingschool.com/critique-group-matchmaking-round-2/) - All right! You're in. I'll form groups the weekend of the 26th/27th of December and send them out soon afterwards. My Tip Jar is here if you feel so inclined. Thanks for participating in this experiment! Tim
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- [Sunday Decompress](https://stormwritingschool.com/sunday-decompress/) - Sunday DecompressBelow is the replay of our Sunday afternoon discussion. And I'm pasting in the transcript of the chat below the video.You can also check out the Showing Emotion replay or the Panel replay and the Writing Attraction replay.13:05:25 From Tricia Wagner : Here is a website that offers a calendar of twitter pitch events -
- [Showing Emotion](https://stormwritingschool.com/showing-emotion/) - Showing Emotion (Morning Session)The morning session of the From-Home Retreat (2020) was on showing emotion. The replay is below. I'll also be adding an addendum video in which I examine some of the shortcomings of the passages for examination. You can access the handouts below:Emotions Excerpts"The Raft" by Stephen KingPassages for ExaminationAnd the slides: Showing Emotion
- [How to Talk about Your Story](https://stormwritingschool.com/how-to-talk-about-your-story/) - How to Talk about Your StoryOur panel on "How to Talk about Your Story" included Mike Salisbury, Ryan Campbell, and Michelle Rascon. Scroll down to the bottom to see the replay.A few links to pass on from Ryan:Your Logline: Your Novel in 50 Words or FewerNovel Approaches on Multi-POV StorytellingWriting Prompt or Logline Generator (for
- [Writing Attraction](https://stormwritingschool.com/writing-attraction/) - Writing AttractionAlessandra Torre spoke with us about creating chemistry between characters. Scroll down to the bottom for the replay of the video, and below that, feel free to share a comment. As always, you can email me with questions: td@stormwritingschool.us12.cdn-alpha.comAlessandra has also shared a few resources with us: Slides from the presentationA beta reader template (the
- [Plot Summit Handouts](https://stormwritingschool.com/plot-summit/) - Plot Summit Handouts Before/During the talk, we'll examine these passages: Setup-and-Payoff-ReadingsDownload Afterwards, you can look at these: Post-Talk-HandoutDownload Louise-ErdrichDownload Be sure to be in touch if you have other questions that come up: td@stormwritingschool.us12.cdn-alpha.com My course, Story Momentum Mastery covers some setup/payoff issues in addition to other strategies for maintaining great momentum in your stories.
- [Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/general-retreat/) - Join the February 27th Mini-RetreatThe GoalsSome InstructionI’ll be talking about midpoints, one of the most important structural points of a novel or memoir. What are midpoints? What’s the difference between the external-arc midpoint and the internal-arc midpoint? What are some key questions to help you discover/uncover your midpoint? What are some examples? Some ChatsWe’ll have a
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- [Starter Kit](https://stormwritingschool.com/starter-kit-3/) - Starter KitWhat does it take to be a published writer?Prepare for your tripAs a parent, I now know that vacations are a whole lot of work. As a child, I had no idea. They were fun. End of story. They were, like books, simply enjoyable and easy. But also like books, they actually required a
- [You're all set](https://stormwritingschool.com/youre-all-set/) - I've put you back on the list to receive notifications for my livestream sessions.
- [From Pitch to Manuscript](https://stormwritingschool.com/pitch-to-manuscript/) - Welcome! Last year, Ann Garvin and I wound up collaborating a lot at various spring writing conferences, but this year, all of those conferences have been cancelled or postponed. So we’re scratching our itch to talk about writing and to immerse ourselves in the writing community by putting together a series of virtual sessions. Our
- [Classes](https://stormwritingschool.com/classes/) - ClassesThe lessons offered at Storm Writing School combine probing study of story craft with expert teaching to deliver clear explanations and original paradigms that you won't find anywhere else. Story PassionStorm Writing School is passionate about story and story creation. Though there's certainly pleasure to be had in beautiful writing, it's the story that will
- [The Woods](https://stormwritingschool.com/the-woods/) - The WoodsAnd if you want t discuss writing craft, come join the fledgling community, known as The Woods. Where like-minded writers share their wisdom and experience with process craft.
- [Mission](https://stormwritingschool.com/mission-2/) - MissionThe blog offers a robust library of resources on everything from line-level craft to story essentials to writer attitude. Read a few articles to get a feel for my approach.
- [Courses](https://stormwritingschool.com/courses/) - CoursesThe lessons offered at Storm Writing School combine probing study of story craft with expert teaching to deliver clear explanations and original paradigms that you won't find anywhere else.
- [Thank you! You’re enrolled!](https://stormwritingschool.com/thank-you-youre-enrolled/) - Thank You for Signing Up!An email has been sent to me confirming your enrollment. I'll be in touch as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me: td@stormwritingschool.us12.cdn-alpha.comCheck out the Starter KitIf you haven't already enrolledin the Starter Kit, check it outfor an orientation.Fill out the self-assessmentThere's one included
- [Categories](https://stormwritingschool.com/categories/)
- [From-Home Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/from-home-retreat/) - From-Home Writing RetreatJoin us Saturday, November 14th for a day dedicated to writingThe OverviewWhat will the day look like?A morning mingle will proceed the first session. Session #1: Tim will teach a session based on student requests gathered in the weeks before the retreat. (So far, leaning toward depicting emotion in scenes.)Session #2: A panel of
- [November Writing Retreat](https://stormwritingschool.com/from-home-nov-2019/) - From-Home Writing Retreat [mepr-membership-link id="4886"] [mepr-membership-link id="4886"] Register Hey! Thanks for the interest! If you arrived here by clicking on a link in an email sent to you, you have already been added you to a list of people potentially interested. (Again, you’re not committing to anything yet.) If you got here some other way
- [Madison Writing Retreat Fall 2019](https://stormwritingschool.com/retreat-nov-2019/) - Thanks for the interest! If you arrived here by clicking on a link in an email sent to you, you have already been added you to a list of people potentially interested. (Again, you're not committing to anything yet.) If you got here some other way and you're interested, just go ahead and email me
- [How to Write a Logline](https://stormwritingschool.com/how-to-write-a-logline/) - Here you go. Download this bad boy and get started on writing your logline. I know nobody who has ever regretted doing this for their longform story. Click the button below: Logline Writing 101
- [Newsletter Confirmation](https://stormwritingschool.com/newsletter-confirmation/) - You're in. You'll get a couple more welcome emails from me in the next few days, and you'll now be in the rotation for my usual emails. Reply to them when you feel moved. In the meantime, if you want to know more about Storm Writing School, me, or what this whole thing is about,
- [Thank You!](https://stormwritingschool.com/thank-you/) - Check your email. It should arrive within the next minute or two.
- [In-Person Classes](https://stormwritingschool.com/in-person-classes/) - My online classes can start anytime and anywhere, but I'm teaching a few in-person classes this spring (2020). Here's where you can find me: Chicago Writers Association Conference Chicago Writers Association's Let's Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference, Chicago, IL, March 21-22, 2020 This conference is in its third year and is already a two-time
- [Thanks for Subscribing!](https://stormwritingschool.com/thanks-for-subscribing/) - Hey! Thanks for joining us. The Four Lessons in Crafting Tension booklet includes mini-lessons on the types of tension, how to stretch tension, how to create suspense, and how to ramp up romantic tension. Click here to download That link will get you the pdf of the e-book. You can then save it to your
- [Editing Services](https://stormwritingschool.com/sample-page-2/) - I critique short stories and novels—parts or the entirety. I provide very thorough feedback, targeting line-level edits and/or how the piece is working as a whole. Below are the kinds of editing I do and my rates. Contact me if you’d like more information or if you’d like to set something up. Comprehensive Critiques A

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## Tags

- [abstraction](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/abstraction/)
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- [adam gidwitz](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/adam-gidwitz/)
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- [holistic](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/holistic/)
- [hook](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/hook/)
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- [immediate context](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/immediate-context/)
- [immediate return](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/immediate-return/)
- [implementation intention](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/implementation-intention/)
- [implication](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/implication/)
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- [inference](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/inference/)
- [info dump](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/info-dump/)
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- [irony](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/irony/)
- [jack bickham](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/jack-bickham/)
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- [jordan rosenfeld](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/jordan-rosenfeld/)
- [karen joy fowler](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/karen-joy-fowler/)
- [kelly link](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/kelly-link/)
- [kira jane buxton](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/kira-jane-buxton/)
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- [limited](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/limited/)
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- [Michael Kurland](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/michael-kurland/)
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- [mirror of erised](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/mirror-of-erised/)
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- [moments of clarity](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/moments-of-clarity/)
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- [naive character](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/naive-character/)
- [nana kwame adjei-brenyah](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/nana-kwame-adjei-brenyah/)
- [narration](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/narration/)
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- [need](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/need/)
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- [outline](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/outline/)
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- [playing metal gear solid v](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/playing-metal-gear-solid-v/)
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- [plot](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/plot/)
- [plot developments](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/plot-developments/)
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- [quarantine](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/quarantine/)
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- [rumaan alam](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/rumaan-alam/)
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- [scene](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/scene/)
- [scene list](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/scene-list/)
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- [sentiment](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/sentiment/)
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- [shift](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/shift/)
- [short story](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/short-story/)
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- [simone giertz](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/simone-giertz/)
- [situational context](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/situational-context/)
- [situational irony](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/situational-irony/)
- [sliding scales](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/sliding-scales/)
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- [spiral](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/spiral/)
- [spreadsheet](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/spreadsheet/)
- [stage business](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stage-business/)
- [stakes](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stakes/)
- [starter kit](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/starter-kit/)
- [stasis](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stasis/)
- [Stephen King](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stephen-king/)
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- [stimulus control](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stimulus-control/)
- [story](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story/)
- [story events](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-events/)
- [story grid](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-grid/)
- [story momentum](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-momentum/)
- [story people](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-people/)
- [story theory](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-theory/)
- [story units](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/story-units/)
- [story&drama](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/storydrama/)
- [storytelling](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/storytelling/)
- [Strays](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/strays/)
- [stretch tension](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/stretch-tension/)
- [structure](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/structure/)
- [subconscious desire](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/subconscious-desire/)
- [subjective conflict](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/subjective-conflict/)
- [subtext](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/subtext/)
- [subversion](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/subversion/)
- [success](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/success/)
- [summary](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/summary/)
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- [suspense](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/suspense/)
- [sympathy](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/sympathy/)
- [synopsis](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/synopsis/)
- [system](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/system/)
- [tattoo](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tattoo/)
- [teaching](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/teaching/)
- [telegraphing](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/telegraphing/)
- [tell](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tell/)
- [telling](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/telling/)
- [temptation bundling](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/temptation-bundling/)
- [tension](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tension/)
- [tension lab](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tension-lab/)
- [Terry Pratchett](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/terry-pratchett/)
- [the changeling](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-changeling/)
- [the fifth season](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-fifth-season/)
- [the great gatsby](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-great-gatsby/)
- [the inquisitor's tale](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-inquisitors-tale/)
- [the matrix](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-matrix/)
- [the power](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-power/)
- [the third way](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/the-third-way/)
- [theme](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/theme/)
- [thought](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/thought/)
- [threat](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/threat/)
- [three prongs](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/three-prongs/)
- [time](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/time/)
- [TJ Klune](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tj-klune/)
- [tone](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tone/)
- [tools](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/tools/)
- [transformation](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/transformation/)
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- [trigger](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/trigger/)
- [truth](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/truth/)
- [turning point](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/turning-point/)
- [uncertainty](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/uncertainty/)
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- [writing process](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/writing-process/)
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- [writing tips](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/writing-tips/)
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- [verisimilitude](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/verisimilitude/)
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- [person](https://stormwritingschool.com/tag/person/)
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