He said, She said – when the words outside the speech marks aren’t working
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I’m currently slogging away at NaNoWriMo – the first time I’ve genuinely attempted it since my disastrousContinue Reading
Tag: writing tips
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
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
Plotting to the Midpoint: Why you need a half-time plan
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky With Divided Elements in the hands of my copy-editor, I’ve been using July to get some new writing done.Continue Reading
Show, don’t Tell – What it really means
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky I have to admit, I’ve always been a little confused by the old adage ‘show, don’t tell’ –Continue Reading
Writing for your readers…and yourself
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky During the initial drafting of Divided Elements, I realised that I needed more eyes on it than just mine. AsContinue Reading
To be or not to be – Why the ‘to be’ verb is not always passive
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Ah, the passive voice – much maligned by writers and critics alike. Search the internet for articles on theContinue 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
Protagonist & Plot Problems – The 3 types of problems in stories
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky So, we’ve figured out that stories are about stuff happening. And the best kind of stuff happening isContinue 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Writing Inspiration
by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky Sometimes I find it easy to get overwhelmed by the task in front of me. Surrounded byContinue Reading
Mikhaeyla Kopievsky 