The decision-making logic problem
There's a peculiar kind of reading experience where you finish a chapter and realise you can't quite remember what the main character did in it. The plot…
Posts tagged: writing
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How content design taught me to write better fiction
I've spent several years now writing content for various UK government services. One thing I have to do is apply Government Design Service (GDS) standards to…
Screenplay structure: why film needs different architecture
You know three-act structure. Every screenwriting book starts there. But understanding why film stories are structured differently from novels matters more…
Dealing with imposter syndrome
Every writer I know has felt it. The conviction that you don't belong. That the things you've written are fraudulent, or lucky, or about to be found out. That…
Your villain believes they're right
The best villains in fiction don't think of themselves as villains. They have a worldview. A logic. A set of values that, from inside their own perspective,…
New apps and websites
I do like to tinker with building apps and websites, and it's been a while since I shared my recent efforts. Scribomatic I created an iOS app of the same name…
Killing your characters: when, why, and how
Character deaths are powerful. They can be the emotional high point of a story — or they can feel cheap, manipulative, and pointless. The difference is in…
How to fix a saggy middle
You started strong. The opening crackles with energy. The characters are vivid, the premise is gripping, the stakes are clear. Then you hit the middle, and…
Agency
Agency, in terms of character and plot, is something that has always been something of a mystery to me. So when my editor flagged that sometimes my characters…
The gap
There's a phase in every writer's development that almost nobody warns you about. Ira Glass described it better than anyone: “All of us who do creative work,…