Writing Fiction
The craft of novels and short stories, one working technique at a time.
A practical course in fiction craft for new and experienced writers. You will learn how stories are built, how to write characters readers follow anywhere, how to choose a point of view, and how to make scenes, dialogue and pacing pull a reader forward. Each lesson teaches real techniques with original examples and ends with an exercise you can do on your own manuscript.
You’ll learn to
- Outline a novel around clear turning points so the story builds instead of wandering.
- Build characters with a want, a need and a flaw that drive the plot rather than decorate it.
- Choose a point of view and tense on purpose, and hold them steady on the page.
- Write scenes, dialogue and description that move the story and reveal character at the same time.
- Control pacing and tension from the first page to the last, including through the middle.
Lesson 1 is open to everyone. A free account unlocks the rest.
Syllabus
- 1
Story Structure: How Three Acts Hold a Novel Together
Why structure helps rather than limits you, and how the three-act shape, the inciting incident, the midpoint and the climax give a story its spine.
5 min readFree - 2
Characters Readers Care About
How to build characters with a want, a need and a wound, give them agency, shape their arc, and keep a supporting cast consistent with a character bible.
4 min read Free account - 3
Point of View and Tense
How to choose between first person, third limited and omniscient, avoid head-hopping, and pick a tense that suits your story.
4 min read Free account - 4
Writing Scenes That Work
Build every scene around a goal, a conflict and an outcome, use sequels to let the reader breathe, and learn to enter late and leave early.
4 min read Free account - 5
Writing Dialogue That Sounds Real
Write dialogue with subtext, use tags and action beats cleanly, handle dialect with restraint, and avoid info-dumping through conversation.
4 min read Free account - 6
Show, Don't Tell (and When to Tell)
What showing really means, when telling is the better choice, how to use sensory detail without overloading, and how filter words put distance between reader and story.
4 min read Free account - 7
Openings and Endings
How to write first pages that hook a reader, avoid the most common opening mistakes, and build endings that satisfy through setups and payoffs.
4 min read Free account - 8
Genre Expectations: What Readers Want
What romance, mystery and thriller, fantasy and science fiction, horror and literary readers expect, how to use tropes well, and approximate word-count norms by genre.
4 min read Free account - 9
Pacing and Tension
Control the speed of your story with sentence and chapter length, raise stakes the reader feels, end chapters on questions, and fix the sagging middle.
4 min read Free account
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