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
Tag: writing tips
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
