'Lighted by the Candle Within': E. E. Nesbit's 'The Railway Children'
We know from How Stories Really Work that fiction follows certain templates in order to be successful. Rather than detracting from the...
7 Steps to Compose a Good Detective Story
Detective stories are amongst the most popular genre of tale in the modern age, and it’s not hard to see why. Set in a recognisably...
All Worlds Are Story Worlds
Narrative’ as a term originated in the 17th century and comes from the Latin word ‘narrat-‘ meaning ‘related, told’, which comes from the...
The Joy of Writing
We all work extremely hard already as writers. To be told that we have to do more is not an easy thing to hear. But the truth is that,...
The Darkening of Comics
’Initially, Watchmen gained a lot of its readership because it was taking an unusual look at superheroes, but actually it was more about...
The Shifting Archetypes in Early 'Doctor Who'
We have seen in earlier articles that the Doctor began his life on the television screen in a role approximating that of a villain: he...
Core Needs
In your work, you must have some kind of idea of what you are offering to the public, even if you are still in the planning stage. You...
Becoming a Truly Successful Fiction Writer
To be a truly successful fiction writer, attracting readers must happen on every page of your work - ideally, with every line. Over the...
Frye and Modes of Fiction
Fiction is indeed a vast universe, but it follows laws not dissimilar to those laws we take for granted in the physical universe around...
The Importance of Endings
Endings in stories are incredibly important, but many would-be writers get lost in a labyrinth soon after starting and never make it to...