What is The Artist’s Way?

What is The Artist’s Way?

I can’t remember where I first heard about The Artist’s Way. It might have been in the context of morning pages, and associated recommendations about making sure to write something first thing every morning. It might have been some advice thread somewhere for blocked...
What is Chekhov’s Gun, and Why Does it Matter?

What is Chekhov’s Gun, and Why Does it Matter?

You may well have heard the phrase ‘Chekhov’s gun’ thrown about in reference to movies, books or TV shows. It’s an interesting dramatic principle, and once you’re aware of it you’ll probably recognise examples everywhere. Including in your own work! What is it, and...
What is the Five-Act Structure?

What is the Five-Act Structure?

The three-act structure is fine, sure, but what about the five-act structure? It isn’t all that different, don’t worry! If you like working with three acts, but they don’t give you quite the support you’d like, you might find five acts more helpful. So: what’s...
Building a Writing Habit

Building a Writing Habit

It can be tricky to form a solid writing habit and stick to it. The number of times I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to write more, only for it all to fall apart by February? Innumerable. I mean, not literally, I’m only 28, but it feels that way. But writing is...
In Pursuit of Original Ideas

In Pursuit of Original Ideas

“There are no original ideas.” You’ve almost certainly heard it before. And it can be hard to know what to do with that! As writers, we spend so much time working on these stories. The ideas might come to us in flashes of inspiration, or they might be the result of...