One of the most common challenges writers face is keeping their story from unraveling halfway through. You might have a strong opening scene and a clear idea of how you want the book to end—but somewhere in the middle, things get murky. Characters lose direction, plot points feel disconnected, and your once-shiny story idea starts to feel like a tangled mess.

The good news? Creating a cohesive plot from beginning to end is a skill you can learn.

If you’ve ever been hooked by the very first twist in a novel—the moment everything changes for the main character—you’ve experienced an inciting incident. This is the event that catapults your character out of their ordinary world and into the main conflict of the story. Without it, there’s no story—just a character going about their life with no reason to change.

Irony is one of the most powerful storytelling tools you can use to create depth, tension, and surprise in your work. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, irony can turn a straightforward moment into something layered and memorable. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood techniques—often mistaken for simple sarcasm or coincidence.

When you think of your favorite novels, chances are the main storyline isn’t the only thing that kept you turning pages. The secondary threads — those side stories that add texture, emotional depth, and complexity — are called subplots, and they can make the difference between a good story and a great one.

When you think about storytelling, you might picture vivid descriptions, sharp dialogue, and memorable characters. But there’s another ingredient—often invisible to the reader—that gives a story its richness: subtext.

When dialogue works, it feels effortless—like you’re eavesdropping on a real conversation. When it doesn’t, it can pull a reader right out of your story.

The trick to writing realistic dialogue isn’t about perfectly replicating how people talk in real life. In fact, real-life conversation is full of filler words, tangents, and half-formed thoughts that would make for a very dull page.

There’s something undeniably thrilling about a good mystery. The twists, the secrets, the unraveling of a puzzle one clue at a time—it’s a genre that pulls both readers and writers into its grip. If you're a writer who loves suspense, unexpected turns, or simply enjoys asking what if, mystery might be your genre.

Whether you're dreaming up a cozy small-town whodunit or a psychological thriller with dark secrets, here are a few foundational tips to help you get started writing your own mystery novel.

Choosing to write a book from multiple points of view (POVs) can be both a creative thrill and a structural challenge. When done well, it can deepen the reader’s experience, expand the story’s emotional range, and offer nuanced perspectives that a single narrator can’t provide. But writing in multiple POVs requires clarity, precision, and thoughtful intention—otherwise, your story may feel fragmented, confusing, or emotionally disconnected.