Blog about books

Before the binge there was the wait. Seven public-domain serials that built the chapter-hook, the cliffhanger, and the episodic series we still read by.

Seven story patterns (slow burn, unreliable narrators, mystery-of-the-week, and more) that work even harder in serialized fiction, where the wait between chapters turns plot into anticipation.

A finished novel earns the next page in seconds. A serial chapter has to earn it again after days or weeks away. Here is how to build re-entry hooks that survive the gap.

Pilots and opening chapters do the same job under different attention currencies. Three pilots, three craft moves you can use in chapter one.

Serial fiction lives or dies on chapter endings. Here are five cliffhanger patterns that consistently outperform the generic "to be continued."

Looking for more worldbuilding tips? Check out this article with examples from J.R.R. Tolkien to help you create unique and exciting worlds for our July 2022 Worldbuilding Short Fiction Contest!

Are you looking for spooky Halloween movies to enjoy that can also teach you how to improve your writing? Look no further than the films of Tim Burton.

There’s nothing more heart-wrenching than watching a character sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Here are ten self-sacrificial characters in fiction.

Flash fiction stories generally have to be 2k words or less, which can be tough to pull off. Here are fifteen great flash fiction stories.

You can write fantasy or science fiction, but you can also blend the two! Here are seven genre-fusing science fantasy books.