Make a time line. I didn't have time lines for the first 4 Eli novels and OMG did it bite me in the ass. Lesson finally learned, I now make time lines not just for the events of the novel itself, but the important bits of history before it as well. I especially make sure to note the relative ages of all my characters and how long everyone's known e

The point of the scene map is to be a guide, a literal scene-by-scene map of what happens in your book.

If you are not enjoying your writing, you’re doing it wrong.

Ch 1 (7452) D gets Caldswell tip from Anthony D goes to starport, checks the tip, sees the Fool D has her interview, impressive, gets the job Basil takes D on the tour, we meet R, job is laid out

One of the earliest lessons I learned about writing was that if I was stuck, it was because I didn't know something.

That’s what Step 0 is about. You don't need to have a plot or characters or even an ending at this point, but you do need a certainty that the idea floating in your head is something that will not only hold your interest not only through the time it takes to write, edit, and polish a manuscript, but will, once finished, do whatever it is you want t

Specifically, I ask that my scenes do three things: Advance the story Reveal new information Pull the reader forward

Every character in a book, even the most minor, needs a motivation. They have to want something. This is where agency comes from, because characters who want things are the ones who push the story to get them.

characters with proper agency will write their own stories. And they will do it faster, better, and more naturally than you ever could.