Latest in Inspiration
Six Ways to Add Stakes to a Mystery
It takes a little effort to make inheritance compelling.
Six Common Misconceptions Among New Writers
The structures in place to teach storytelling are woefully inadequate.
What Does and Doesn’t Make a Signature Weapon Cool
Coolness goes far beyond how well it stabs things.
Seven Musts for Dominating a Fantasy Battle
Take off your helmet and don your plot armor, it's time for a fight!
Five Epic Fantasy Conflicts Other Than War
I’ve got nothing against a good war – in fiction anyway.
Classical Music to Set Any Scene
Most authors listen to music while they write.
Five Activities I Use to Beat Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is an unpleasant experience, to say the least.
Seven Black Women You’d Want on Your Side in a Horror Movie
In many horror movies, the black woman is a mere friend – cannon fodder, to put it bluntly.
Seven Recipes for Heroes to Win Desperate Fights
How to concoct a victory for your protagonists when their odds feel slim.
Five More Dualities That Can Replace Good and Evil
Six complex conflicts to help your story move beyond "Stop the bad guys".
Five Plausible Scenarios for Planetary Evacuation
How your protagonist's plans to depart from the planet can make a little more sense.
Choosing a Weapon for Your Hero
How to choose what your character carries into battle—and what might be out of their league.
Five Underused Settings in Spec Fic
Five places for your story to boldly go that few have gone to before.
Six Subversive Heroes for Stand Out Stories
Six characters who haven't gotten their time in the spotlight—and whom you could give it to.
Seven Scenarios That Provide Immediate Conflict
These story setups will get readers' pulses pounding from page one.
Five Haunting Backgrounds for Deep Characters
These old ghosts can show character complexity and give them a resolution to work towards.
Six Ways Guns Change a Fantasy Setting
How these newfangled hand cannons will alter your fantastical world.
Ten Ways to Generate Story Ideas
Helpful habits to kick-start your brain's concept cogs.
Tony