The Quick Six – with Sara Whitford
Welcome to this week’s The Quick Six – an ongoing series of posts, where I interview independent authors on their self-publishing stories,Continue Reading
Latest Posts
Understanding Story Structure – Part 2: Macro Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Earlier this week I began discussing story structure – looking at the macro structure of entire novels and theirContinue Reading
Understanding Story Structure – Part 1: Global Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky If there is one thing you should learn before embarking on writing your first novel, it is storyContinue Reading
The Quick Six – Interviewing Indie Authors on their Self-Publishing Journey
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky As you all know, I am keen to self-publish my debut novel, Divided Elements: Resistance. I get a lot ofContinue Reading
Whose Story Is This, Anyway? : Selecting the right POV for your novel
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Selecting the right Point of View (POV) for your book can be tricky. If you are anythingContinue Reading
And then… No ‘and then’!
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky In my last post, I wrote about books equalling stories about stuff happening. It’s all about the action,Continue Reading
Books = Stories about stuff happening
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Books are a lot of things, but mostly they are stories about stuff that happens. They are notContinue Reading
The only two things your protagonist needs to be…
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky What makes an effective protagonist? There are a lot of theories out there that list a number ofContinue Reading
Straight & Narrow vs Zigzag Helter-Skelter: Which Character Arc is your Protagonist on?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Now that I’ve past the midpoint of my WIP, Divided Elements, and am on my way towards the secondContinue Reading
Form Follows Function – The Ongoing Process of Structuring Your Novel
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It is a common misconception amongst writers that the structuring process is an activity undertaken only atContinue Reading
Tipping the Balance – How to find Plan B and write your Midpoint
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky As with all things chased with dogged persistence, the middle of my first book, Divided Elements, is growingContinue Reading
Fighting the Blank Page – How to Beat Writer’s Block
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Writer’s block – it happens to the best of us. You are brimming with the desire and motivation toContinue Reading
Supporting Indie Authors
Indie authors don’t have the benefit of corporate machines behind them to generate awareness and excitement about their works, whichContinue Reading
5 Reasons why Community is critical for indie authors and self-publishers
Being independent doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Check out my latest post on Publishing Insider on howContinue Reading
Science vs Art in Writing: Antagonistic or Symbiotic?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently, I strayed from my usual posts on tips, tricks and techniques on how to write and letContinue Reading
Utopia
Is there anything more soul-satifying, deeply engaging or expressly utopian than that moment when you find yourself immersed in writingContinue Reading
And the award goes to…
I was delighted to receive word today that the very talented, supportive and generous Ronovan (famously of Ronovan Writes) hadContinue Reading
SWOT your Antagonist: Driving the middle of your story with well-rounded characters
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Ah, ‘the middle’ – bemoaned the world over. Middle child syndrome causing siblings to feel overlooked and resentful; middleContinue Reading
How to diagnose a sick story using Triple-Loop Learning
Got that feeling that something just isn’t right with your work in progress? Check out my recent post on PublishingInsider forContinue Reading
Mind the Gap: Writing the story between your plot points using Gap Analysis
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Once upon a time, I used to be a pantser (one of those people who writes byContinue Reading
We need some space…
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It’s the phrase that you dread when you’re in a relationship, the thinly-veiled euphemism for a breakupContinue Reading
Three Act Structure (with speculative fiction examples)
Three Act Structure (with dystopian literature examples) by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Click on the picture of link above to access myContinue Reading
Dystopian Archetypes – 1. High Tech Utopia vs Savage Natural World
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently, I finished reading two YA dystopian novels that, while very different to each other, contained aContinue Reading
Understanding the role of the First Draft
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky The messiness of first drafts can either be terrifying or liberating (or occasionally, both). Initially, I wasn’tContinue Reading
Stuck in the middle: Fighting mediocrity with strong plotting
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I hit the middle of my novel and discovered that it was everything everyone said itContinue Reading
Breaking the Patriarchy
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Did you know that Bilbo Baggins was a girl? Neither did I, but it appears that Michelle Nijhuis’Continue Reading
Failing NaNoWriMo
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I had the best plans to really put some stream of consciousness writing down on my ElementalsContinue Reading
Character Mapping
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I’m a bit of visual learner, so it’s no surprise that one of my favourite Scrivener functionsContinue Reading
Sculpture & Fiction
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky The first draft of a novel always feels like a marathon for me. I will write aContinue Reading
‘Mr Miyagi’ your opening scene
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I want to write a great novel. To craft worlds of complexity, develop engaging characters and tellContinue Reading
Fiction & Fashion
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I was browsing through pinterest, looking for images that would help to crystallise my ideas forContinue Reading
Writing Inspiration
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Sometimes I find it easy to get overwhelmed by the task in front of me. Surrounded byContinue Reading
Space vs Place
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Hello and welcome to my very own piece of online space – my writing place. If youContinue Reading
Mikhaeyla Kopievsky 