A series of books is a good way to bring in an audience, and then keep them around. If they get hooked on book one, your return readers are ready and waiting rather than having to build up interest from fresh. But making sure your first installment ends in a way that makes them want to keep exploring your world and your characters is key.
Your Protagonist needs to be motivated throughout your story. They want something, they go after it, and your story follows that journey. However, what they want might not always be the thing they need. I’ll be exploring that and the impact it’ll have on your story.
Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting to your audience where your story is going, without actually telling them. It works to make your story flow and feel planned and prepared, as well as making the end feel more satisfying. I will be writing how you do it.
Your Protagonist has to have strengths to make them worthy of being your Protagonist. You’re telling a story about them so they need qualities that make that story work, be it strength, intelligence, or determination to succeed. However, their weaknesses are just as important as their strengths. I’ll be writing about why.
Most people have a friend. At least one. Someone they talk to and share their fears with, reflect on their options with. The same is true of your Protagonist. I’ll write about how to write a friendship that feels both real, and is also beneficial to your story.
I’ll be talking through things you need to include to write Chapter One of your book, and hopefully leaving you feeling empowered to make that step. The world needs more stories, let’s make yours one of them.
Murphy’s Law is when anything that can go wrong, does go wrong. It’s associated with people who are very unlucky, or how the toast always lands butter side down. Murphy’s Law is also an excellent tool to use when you’re writing your story.
If you want to write books for children or young adults, killing your character’s parents is a common trope you might want to replicate. I’m writing about why it happens, the impact on your story, how to do it yourself, and alternatives that work to the same effect.
When you’re planning your story, one of the first jobs is to establish who your Protagonist and Antagonist are. Your Protagonist is your main character, the person who you are travelling with. They want something and are motivated to get it. Your Antagonist is the person who wants the opposite, and is motivated to stop them. I’ll be writing about the balance between them in strength, ability, and determination.
Your story will follow your Protagonist, your main character, on their journey to try and get something they want or need in their lives. The stakes of your story are how much your character will suffer if they fail. The higher the stakes, the tenser and more dramatic your story will be.