Hitting it out of the park: Understanding the four act structure using sport
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Everyone loves a good sporting idiom, metaphor, or analogy – “A game of two halves”, “throwing aContinue Reading
Category: Story Structure
Writing the final act: a step-by-step guide
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky In some ways, the fourth and final act in a novel (somewhat confusingly titled Act 3 (sinceContinue Reading
Is your plot skeleton showing?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I started writing short stories eighteen months ago. Seduced by the competitions and submission opportunities, I thought itContinue Reading
Energising your plot – working with narrative energy to improve pacing
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I’m in the second act doldrums of my current WIP (but not for long, because the break intoContinue Reading
Divergence and Convergence – the curse of the second act
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky It seems that every time I reach the middle of a WIP, I start musing on the problemsContinue Reading
How does this ‘conflict, not goals’ thing work anyway?
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I wrote a post about character needing conflict, not goals. I received a great question fromContinue Reading
The 15 Minute Four Act Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Over here, in my part of the world, it is winter. Which means flu season. Which, when youContinue Reading
Forget the Goal – Your character just needs conflict
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Everyone has seen them – the pithy pieces of writing advice that can fit on a 940×780 pixelContinue Reading
Rinse & Repeat – The Four Act Novel Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently I reached the midpoint in the first draft of Divided Elements (Book 2). As anyone who has read myContinue Reading
Your First Act is not a plot device
By Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Lately I’ve read a few stories that had something not quite right about them. At first it was difficult toContinue Reading
Time for Reflection (2) – What I learned about first drafts
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Recently, I was feeling all kinds of nostalgic about nearing the finish line for Divided Elements | Resistance, and decided itContinue Reading
Insert Break – when to start a new paragraph, scene, or chapter
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky When I first started writing seriously, I was surprised at how I suddenly started to second-guess myself aboutContinue Reading
Reversing Chekhov’s Gun – Why you can’t introduce new information in Act III
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky There is a well-worn narrative principle that often does the rounds in writer’s circles. You would have seenContinue Reading
Starting your novel – Your protagonist needs a problem
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I recently had a moment of enlightenment regarding this whole writing a book thing. The start of a storyContinue Reading
How to start your novel – The first part of the first act
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Starting a novel is no easy task. The problem with beginnings is that they are all about set-up, and set-upContinue Reading
Five Turning Points and the Gaps Between – All you need to know about Story Structure in one blog post
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I think about story structure. A lot. I’ve read countless books and studied hundreds of movies to gainContinue Reading
Understanding Story Structure – Part 3: Micro Structure
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Over the last couple of weeks I have been looking at story structure – from the global levelContinue Reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
Mikhaeyla Kopievsky 