Theme Articles

8 Ways to Write a Perfect Ending

Are you ready to type “The End”?For many writers, endings are intimidating, because they value a good ending and don't want to botch it. However, this mindset doesn't make endings any easier to write.Endings are one of my favorite topics, and below I'm going to share...

How to Craft Bittersweet Endings that Don’t Turn Off Readers

Fairy-tale happily-ever-afters are fun. Contrary to popular belief, they can even be deep, meaningful, and effective. But they aren’t the only kind of ending you should have in your toolbox.Depending on the story you’re writing, a fairy-tale ending might seem...

Three Reasons to Make Your Villain Sympathetic (and Two Dangers to Avoid)

A villain rounds out your story’s conflict by opposing the hero’s every move. But, like heroes, villains are busy people, and they have more purposes than wreaking havoc. You’ve probably heard that they need to be “sympathetic” and “relatable.” Maybe the source you...

Five Ways to Create Nail-Biting Internal Conflict

By Brandon MillerWhat do character, theme, and tension have in common? They are all results of genuine internal conflict in a story.What is internal conflict? As opposed to external conflict which involves characters battling...
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