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For Writers

Can a Novel be Nonfiction?

  Can a novel be nonfiction is an interesting, and tricky, question to answer. Before we delve into this topic, let’s first examine: Definitions Merriam-Webst...

For Writers

How to Create a Hero: Tips and Ideas

In fiction, we often talk about the need to create a hero, but not every protagonist needs to be a hero. Sometimes they can be ordinary people caught in difficult or...

For Writers

Passive Voice in Fiction Writing: Should you use it?

Passive voice has power. Not the kick-you-in-the-face, don’t-look-away, hold-your-breath-and-jump kind of power, but power just the same. But it’s considered...

For Writers

Writing a book: 5 expert tips to finally make it happen

The thought of writing a book can seem overwhelming. The empty page can be intimidating for writers venturing into that first novel. Endless advice is given on how t...

For Writers

Direct vs Indirect Characterisation: Differences and Examples

Our connection to characters creates stories we love, and we can create loveable characters through direct vs indirect characterisation. Characters’ actions create...

For Writers

Beta Readers: How to find and work with them

Every writer benefits from engaging with alternative perspectives, and using beta readers can help with this. Without opening ourselves to other points of view, how ...

For Writers

Speculative Fiction: Definition and examples

When I first started writing with the intent to publish, I called myself a speculative fiction author because my story ideas didn’t all fit into one neat little ge...

For Writers

Types of Conflict in Fiction Writing

One of the first issues a writer tackles in a new story idea is determining where the conflict of the story lies, and what types of conflict they’re going to u...

For Writers

Creating a Character Goal: What Drives Your Characters

Introduction Giving your protagonist a character goal is vital to writing great fiction. That’s all well and good, Shane, but what is a character goal and why ...

For Writers

The Ultimate Writer App: StoryTeller is a Must Have for Authors

Which writer app is your favourite? Countless writers’ apps exist today. For example, writers’ apps can help with: Brainstorming plots Proofreading (checking you...

For Writers

Man vs Supernatural: Types of Conflict and Examples

From ancient epic poems and Greek tragedies to more recent books, movies, and series, the man vs supernatural struggle in stories has been, and still is, very popula...

For Writers

Creating Historical Fiction Settings That Bring the Past to Life

Creating historical fiction settings is essential to writing great historical fiction—the name says it all! The setting, in time and space, sets the boundaries and...

For Writers

The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction That You Should Know

Increased curiosity about the world around us is driving readers to pick books in a growing genre of narrative nonfiction. Narrative nonfiction is an umbrella term f...

For Writers

How to write a striking book title

  Your book title has a huge job to do. Simultaneously, it must: Hook readers/agents/publishers into reading your novel (or at least into reading the blurb and ...

For Writers

Jargon In Literature: Understanding jargon and examples

Introduction Whether we realize it or not, we all regularly encounter jargon in our work and in our everyday lives. But what is jargon and, specifically, what is jar...

For Writers

5 Romance Elements You Should Know

Let’s talk about all the romance elements that make love stories so popular. In part, the romance genre stands the test of time because the experience of falli...

For Writers

Flat Characters: Using the senses to add depth

Ah… flat characters, the bane of writers the world over. Are you worried your characters are flatter than steam-rolled pancakes. Struggling to bring your story...

For Professional Editors

Strengthen the Logical and Emotional Power of a Story

When editors talk about helping writers intensify the power of a story, what does that actually mean? What is it exactly that makes a story powerful, and how can we ...

For Writers

Unreliable Narrator: Definition and Examples

Introduction As writers and editors, we all learn that using first person point of view or even third person limited/close point of view gets readers closer to the s...

For Writers

Archetype vs Stereotype: Key Differences

Let’s address what we mean by archetype vs stereotype. Archetypes and stereotypes could be trapped in the battle between form and formula. Archetypes provide a...

For Writers

The importance of historical accuracy

The genre of Historical Fiction has gained popularity in recent years with the success of works such as The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon, The Wolf Hall Trilog...

For Writers

6 tips for effective book research

Bookshelves, libraries and the internet are great sources of inspiration for writers. Who hasn’t whiled away hours researching essential story questions like: how ...

For Writers

The Western Genre: Everything You Need to Know

Introduction Many people think that the western genre is dead: that it ended with stories like Shane, Wyatt Earp, and Gunfight at the OK Corral. And it is true that ...

For Writers

Person vs Fate: Type of Conflict

An important question to ask when considering person vs fate is, “How do you fight fate?” Another is, “Faced with a prediction of an inevitable fut...

For Writers

5 tips for writing engaging children’s characters

Stories we read as children can provide some of our very first friends. These children’s characters teach us those important early lessons of how to be brave, ...

For Writers

Formatting and Tips for Writing Dialogue

Writing dialogue provides the subtext, irony, and complexity required for compelling characters and stories. Small words carry heavy loads, when skilfully handled. ...

For Writers

10 Science Fiction Elements Every Novel Should Include

 In the following, we’ll look at 10 major science fiction elements (or beats, if you will) to consider when writing science fiction. To set the stage, or perhaps ...

For Writers

5 Writing Habits You Should Incorporate To Your Routine

The most successful writers who share their processes often speak of creating strong writing habits. For these writers, good writing habits are a necessity that come...

For Writers

World-building: Tips to Create Fascinating New Worlds

What is World-building? World-building is the construction of story worlds, whether for novels, games, movies or comics. World-building is often seen as the purview ...

For Writers

Realistic Fiction: Definition and Examples

Every story (even realistic fiction story) takes us into a different world. We experience the familiar in strange, new ways or discover the strange is oddly familiar...

For Writers

How to Create Suspense: Tips to Create a Thrilling Experience

Introduction How to create suspense is a question writers often ask me. I get why they ask it, though. Creating suspense (i.e., raising the hairs at the nape of your...

For Writers

What is an Omniscient Narrator?

Writers often debate where stories come from, though we have all heard the advice, write what you know. But what if you want to write a great story with an omniscien...

For Writers

Narrative Structure: Everything your need to know

Ask yourself, do I have a story? Did that make you shudder with anticipation or giggle with glee? Whether you have a gem of an idea that you are outlining and planni...

For Writers

Anti-Hero: Defintions and Examples

Creating believable characters (and a believable anti-hero) requires much diligence by the writer. Listing questions to define traits of a character are common in wr...

For Writers

Different Types of Point of View: Guide and Examples

Every author is searching for a definitive answer to the question, which type of point of view (POV) makes the most riveting story for readers. Are you struggling wi...

For Writers

How to Use Food to Increase Story Stakes

Recently, I found myself lingering over the images of food in the stories I read. The sensory experience of the story told with the use of food connected me to the c...

For Writers

How to Write a Single Protagonist Synopsis

Introduction A synopsis is one of those things that authors—especially those who plan to query agents and publishers—need, but usually hate to write. But learnin...

For Writers

Writing humour: Applying humour to your writing

Writing Humour: Let’s Get Serious About Being Funny Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate. Writing humour is hard, and there’s a lot o...

For Writers

How to Write Heroes and Villains

Fiction is largely driven by conflict, and nowhere is conflict more on display than in the clash of heroes and villains. At their best, these clashes leave indelible...

For Writers

How to Create Compelling Characters

When we talk about compelling characters, character or plot: which comes first? Barbara Kingsolver says: Plot comes first. The plot is the architecture of your novel...

For Writers

How to Structure a Fantastic Plot

Have you ever written 60-120,000 words of a novel, only to sit back, read your manuscript and wonder how any author ever manages to write a plot that actually feels ...

For Writers

How to Write a Book Blurb

Introduction Like novel writing, blurb writing is an art form in its own right. I’ve seen it compared to copywriting; I’ve even seen it compared to poetry. But, ...

For Professional Editors

Why you should become a Certified StoryCoach Editor

Want to become a developmental editor? Want to help writers turn their words into bestsellers? Maybe you’re a structural editor already, but you’re strug...

For Writers

Fiction vs Nonfiction: Differences and Definitions

The Truth in Story, an Explanation of Fiction vs Nonfiction As readers, we love a great story. In most cases, stories entertain us, take us out of our reality, and i...

For Writers

How to Work with Your Editor

Making the decision to work with an editor can be tricky, especially if this is your first novel. You’ve completed your manuscript, self-edited it, incorporated be...

For Writers

How to Describe Sounds in Fiction

It’s important to describe sounds in fiction When you describe sounds in fiction, it creates an immersive experience for your readers. There’s an urban legen...

For Writers

Writing Your First Novel: 6 Tips to Get You Started

Writing your first novel is hard. I remember when I wrote my first novel way back in 2010. It was terrible… no, really. I read through it in 2018, and it will neve...

For Writers

What is a thriller? Definition and Anatomy

What is a Thriller? What is a thriller? On the face of it, this seems like a really easy question to answer. Thrillers are meant to be thrilling… the clue̵...

For Writers

How to Write a Dual Protagonist Synopsis

Dual Protagonist Synopses For many novelists, condensing tens or hundreds of thousands of words of fiction into a synopsis of five hundred words or so (depending on ...

For Writers

How Many Words in a Novel? Average word count for novels

  A common question new writers ask is, “What are the average word counts for novels?” and, “Just how long should a novel be, anyway?” a...

For Writers

5 Ways to Build Tension in Your Novels

Tension drives fiction, and successful writers are adept at the dance of teasing out tension, building it to nearly unbearable levels, and then releasing it satisfac...

For Writers

How to Write Plot Twists

Introduction to Plot Twists A deliciously unexpected plot twist delivers a rush of adrenaline that causes readers to fly through the pages to see what happens next. ...

For Writers

How to Generate Unique Story Ideas as an Author

Introduction If you’ve paid close attention, you’ve likely seen a hint of despair in an author’s eye when asked where their story ideas originate. Authors are ...

For Writers

What is Hard Science Fiction?

Introduction Are you intrigued by where we are going with science and technology? Are you a fan of “The Martian” by Andy Weir? Do you love to debate the accuracy...

For Writers

What’s the Difference Between Narrative and Exposition?

Narrative vs. Exposition Whether writers are in early stages of developing their craft, or are perfecting prose they have practiced for years, understanding the subt...

For Writers

Horror Writing Tips: Basics and Fundamentals

Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor James Gallagher Talks Horror Writing Beats Writers in any genre benefit from a deep understanding of how their genre works, an...

For Writers

Top 3 Self-Edits When Writing for Young Audiences

Stories written for young audiences need to be better than stories written for older audiences. And they must have a stronger structure so young audiences can clambe...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Being Objective as an Editor

Why Objectivity is Important in Editing Objectivity, or the Editing Holy Grail An objective edit, free of the whims and fancies of personal opinion, is the gold stan...

For Writers

Outlining a novel in StoryTeller: A NaNoWriMo Success

Outlining a novel for NaNoWriMo in StoryTeller Introduction Writing a novel is a huge undertaking. You can plan out the story as much or as little as you want. Still...

For Professional Editors

Changing from a Copy Editor to a Story Editor

So, you’re a copy editor, but you’re considering becoming a story editor, eh? Or perhaps you’re tentatively dipping your toes into the editing career pool, and...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Historical fiction: Definition and Examples

THE WHAT AND THE WHEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION Most writers find their passion for storytelling through their love of the books they read growing up, and one of the mos...

For Writers

Black Friday 2022 Deals for Writers: Don’t miss out!

Black Friday 2022 Deals for Writers This year, we have amazing Black Friday deals for writers.  Whether you’re shopping for a gift for yourself, or for a writer f...

For Writers

How to Write a Mystery Novel: 5 Tips

5 Actions that can Focus your Mystery Novel Edit Who doesn’t love the challenge of a mystery story? As a reader, you are a silent partner with the detective: exper...

For Writers

4 Tips To Come Up With Strong Character Names

A good character name tells a whole story anytime you hear it. You know the type of name: Jane Eyre, Randall Flagg, Moby Dick, Katniss Everdeen, Lando Calrissian. Se...

For Writers

How to Write a Love Story: Tips to hook your reader

Can a love story appear in any novel? When thinking of love stories, we often think first of Mills and Boon romances and Merchant Ivory rom-coms. But love stories ar...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

5 Lessons I Learned Judging the Fictionary Book of the Year Award Contest

Time Management | Perspective  | Process | Heart | Humility Little did I know when I volunteered to judge the 2022 Fictionary Book of the Year Award (BoYA) contest ...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Fictionary Secures $1.8M CAD of Investment in a Seed Round

Fictionary, a Canadian tech company, is revolutionizing the way writers and editors collaborate to create bestsellers. November 29, 2022, Inverary, Ontario — Ficti...

For Writers

How to Write a Compelling Author Bio

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve written your novel, self-edited it, and sent it off to a professional editor (hopefully, a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Edit...

For Professional Editors

The Importance of Positive Comments When Book Editing

As story editors (structural book editing of fiction), it’s our job to point out what our author clients need to change to make their book better, right? Well, yes...

For Writers

Principles for Writing a Fantasy Novel

What is a Fantasy Novel? So, you want to write a fantasy novel, eh? I don’t blame you. Losing yourself in a fantastical world of your own design is fun… and we w...

For Writers

How to Craft the First and Last Scene of a Novel

Beginnings and endings can make or break a story, and this is true whether we’re referring to the workings of the scenes within the novel (see 6 Ways to Exit a Sce...

For Writers

Identifying the Right Target Audience for Your Book

What is a target audience? Simply put, your target audience consists of readers who enjoy books like yours. They will likely buy your book, recommend it to a friend,...

For Professional Editors

Becoming an Editor: What Type of Editing Is for You?

The decision to become an editor raises an immediate question: What type of editing is for you? As we’ll see, the answer involves more options than the general pub...

For Writers

Fictionary 2022 Book Of The Year Award Shortlist

Ten Talented Writers Chosen Five Novels In Each Category The book of the year award is for the best unpublished novel edited in Fictionary software. The shortlisted ...

For Writers

Flat Characters: Definition and Examples

EDIT YOUR ROUND AND FLAT CHARACTERS TO PERFECTION A reader connects with a story’s characters; they are who the reader follows through the story. Kristina Stanley ...

For Writers

How to Write a Horror Story: Best Tips

Don’t Go in the Cellar: Elements to Consider When Writing Horror [Editor’s note: The horror community suffered a great loss when author Peter Straub, 79, died on...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

How to Better Use Track Changes

  Imagine you’ve exported your  manuscript from Fictionary, and it’s ready for copy-editing or sharing with your writing group, beta readers, or ed...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

How to Edit a Narrative Nonfiction Book

Narrative nonfiction is a book written in the format of a novel but based on a true story.  The important words are novel and true. Narrative nonfiction is a sto...

For Writers

Five Setting Elements of a Story Explained

What is the setting of a story? The elements of a story in a novel are grouped into character, plot and setting.  When we talk about the setting of a story and what...

For Professional Editors

Why a story editor should not copy edit first

A story editor edits story structure As the writer, you write for your most attentive reader, then a story editor edits for the most casual readers. Once the structu...

For Writers

Ten Elements Of A Story You Should Know

Introduction: The Story Element Using one story element will not create a great story. A story is a collection of scenes woven together to illuminate an overarching ...

For Writers

THE HUNGER GAMES Story Arc Key Scenes and Example

The Hunger Games story arc shows how a very successful novel relied on story structure to tell a powerful story. What is a story arc? How do we create one? Which ele...

For Writers

Questions to discover your inciting incident

How to Discover Your Inciting Incident Whether you are a plotter or a pantser, at some point you will need to have a look at your story structure. Do you have all th...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

5 Character Elements of a Story Explained

Use these 5 Elements of a Story when editing characters Editing Characters When a character is being edited—any character from your book—you need to see if you h...

For Writers

5 Plot Elements of a Story Explained

Plot, Plot Points, and Everything In Between. We’re going to cover the 5 main plot elements of a story. “What is a “plot point”, or even a plot for that ...

For Writers

What is Narrative Non-Fiction?

Narrative non-fiction is a book written in the format of a novel but based on a true story.  The important words are novel and true. I’d like to share a true ...

For Professional Editors

Be an Objective Editor using the Fictionary Story Elements

Have you ever had that heart-stopping moment where you’re editing a client’s manuscript, you want to suggest an improvement, but don’t know how to phrase it? Y...

For Professional Editors

Developmental Editing: Become the Best Fiction Editor

Introduction Editing makes a story the best it can be by revising content, fixing errors, and ensuring the story engages readers. Every book needs editing, and revis...

For Writers

Rediscover How to Write a Novel with StoryTeller

Tips for Writing a Novel Whether it’s your first novel or your tenth, writing and self-editing full-length fiction can be quite a daunting process. Where do you st...

For Writers

Plot Points: How to Avoid Confusing Plot Points in a Novel

Plot Points tell you if you have a story. Please read this blog if the story in your head is not what’s written in your draft. Or you have shown your story to some...

For Writers

What is a Scene in a Novel and Does the Genre Matter?

What is a scene in a novel? Want to learn how to structure a fantastic scene? Great! You’ve come to the right place… but first, what in the name of all things bo...

For Writers

How to Edit a Character Arc

Why Edit your Character Arc Your beta reader’s feedback Is the feedback from your beta reader that your story did not interest them? Or, if they are a braver type ...

For Writers

5 Plot Points of a Story: Definition & Examples

Let’s Talk the Plot Points of a Story… When people talk about the plot of a story, what do they really mean? Isn’t plot just what happens? Boy meets girl, they...

For Writers

Settings for a Story: Fantasy novel basics and examples

Settings for a Story What are Sensational Settings? Want to learn how to write sensational settings? Great! You’re in the right place. But first… what do I mean ...

For Writers

Fictionary Book of the Year Award

    Our goal is to recognize and promote writers who are dedicated to the process of great story telling. The Fictionary Book of the Year Award – for...

For Writers

What Is A Book Blurb?

A blurb is one of those things that all fiction authors need but most of us hate to write. Condensing our 50-, 80-, or 100-thousand-word book down to between 100 and...

For Writers

External Conflict Definitions and Examples

External conflict (and some internal, too) will be covered in this post.. And what to look for when self-editing using the Fictionary story element: Conflict. After ...

For Writers

How to Write a  Book Synopsis

Many authors of long-form fiction dread writing book synopses and blurbs: We have a hard time narrowing down our meticulously crafted, finely detailed book babies in...

For Writers

Book Editing with Fictionary – Learn the Basics

Book Editing is for Every Author Congratulations! You’ve done it. You finished that manuscript! Now what? Your next best step is to perform a self-edit on your sto...

For Writers

How to Edit a Fantasy Novel

What is a Fantasy Novel? Want to learn how to edit a fantasy novel? Well, you’ve come to the right place… but first, what is a fantasy novel? Put simply, fantasy...

For Writers

4 Tips for Choosing a Story Setting

Story Setting What is story setting, and how do we, as authors, go about choosing a story setting? Most people think of setting as the time and the place where a sto...

For Writers

Overcome your writer’s block with Elements of a Story

Stories matter. Your story matters. But, and it is a big BUT, your fingers stumble, they fumble, they refuse to work when you sit down to write, or type, or chisel e...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

What is a good story arc?

What is a good story arc? This is a question that writers often wonder about, sometimes even stress over. But to tackle the question, we must first understand the ba...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

How to Win the Wattys by Emma Baird

Vampires, Wattys and chick lit tributes Welcome to the world of Emma Baird wannabe writer circa 1997… I’m knees deep in the ‘new’ genre chick lit, and I love...

For Writers

Editing for Authors on a Budget

By Mark Bertrand Published Fictionary StoryTeller Subscriber Editing for Authors on a Budget Holidays often spark creative spirits around the world for people to dec...

For Writers

Great stories written in the 2nd person POV

Secrets to writing great stories in the 2nd person Point of View (POV) You want to write a story that is different, that is edgy, and that is the only reason you wan...

For Writers

Seven Tips on How to Become a Better Writer

Very few writers are best-sellers right out of the gate. Even the immensely successful Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, talks about his y...

For Professional Editors

Why Editors Must State the Obvious – Editing Basics

Editors must state the obvious starts long before the actual edit begins. One of the things that I’ve realized as I matured was that – much to my shock and disma...

For Writers

How to Create the Plot of a Story

Learning the craft of writing is not only learning how writing concepts work, but also learning how you work—as a writer. You cannot just read a how to create a pl...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

The Future of Editing is Here

History of Editing Tools Before looking at the future of editing, let’s look at the past. Imagine trying to edit in 3200 BC. I’ll bet a typo caused great...

For Writers

Types of Editing

There are many types of editing, and navigating which is which, and which one you need when, can be confusing, especially for new authors. One reason for the confusi...

For Writers

How to Write a Compelling Climax for a Story

A compelling climax is a thrill for readers, but you are the artist.  Here is something to think about as you sit down to begin a novel…What do you want the e...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

What is Developmental Editing?

By Sherry Leclerc Many new authors struggle to understand the different levels of editing, including which is needed and when. This confusion is not surprising. Some...

For Professional Editors

How to Become a Book Editor

This is how to become a book editor… When you asked the search engine “how to become a Book Editor”, you landed here on the Fictionary blog. Here you will find...

For Writers

Plot of a Story: Definitions and Examples

What, exactly, is the plot of a story? What is a structured plot, and why should you apply one to your story? These are very important questions, but plot and plot s...

For Writers

What is the Climax of a Story?

There are many ways to look at how stories are formed, but the one I have been using (and therefore the one I’m most familiar with) is the three-act story structur...

For Writers

Inciting Incident Definition and Examples

  Inciting Incident Definition and Examples The world of creative writing comes with a whole new vocabulary, and it can be overwhelming to try to figure out wha...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

The Fundamentals of Book Editing

The fundamentals book editing, aka story editing, aka fiction editing – when I first started looking into editing as a career, I knew this is what I wanted to do, ...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

The Fictionary Story Arc and the Story Elements

The Fictionary Story Arc and the Story Elements together show you why a scene is working or not working. In his discussion on a storytelling model, Larry Brooks says...

For Writers

How to Start Writing: Honest Advice and a Handy Checklist

NaNoWriMo – Ready, Set, Go Fictionary is sponsoring NaNoWriMo this year. We love NaNoWriMo because they encourage writers to complete a first draft, and when i...

For Writers

How to Edit a Cozy Mystery

Before we cover “How to Edit a Cozy Mystery”, I’d like to introduce Ryan Rivers. Ryan is enrolled in the 2021 October Fictionary Certified StoryCoach p...

For Writers

How to Edit a Book with the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

Thanks to Jessica Brody for giving me permission to use the Save the Cat! beat sheet. Jessica is the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and the founder of The Wr...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

7 Tips to Self-Edit Your Novel

Before we cover 7 Tips to Self-Edit Your Novel, I’d like to introduce Sherry Leclerc. Sherry is enrolled in the 2021 Summer Fictionary Certified StoryCoach program...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Editing Path from Self-Editing to Professional Editing

  Before this post shows you an editing path from self-editing your novel to working with a professional editor, I’d like to introduce Ane Ryan Walker. Ane is...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Why I Enrolled in The Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Program

Before this post motivates you to follow your dreams, I’d like to introduce Kara Henderson. Kara is enrolled in the 2021 Summer Fictionary Certified StoryCoach pro...

For Professional Editors

Tools to Edit a Memoir – You’ll be surprised

  Tools to edit a memoir is a great topic, and before we delve into it, I’d like to introduce Christine Gordon Manley. Christine is enrolled in the 2021 S...

For Writers

How to Write a Romance Novel Readers Will Love

  How to write a romance novel is an extension of the question: How to write a novel?  We’re going to use ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes and pretend we are ...

For Writers

How to Write a Novel

  How to write a novel is a question I’m often asked. We’re going to use Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and pretend we are writing it from scratch. How ...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Power of Clean and Clear Writing by Larry Paz

Do you want clarity in your writing? Read on… The theme today is Keep It Simple, StoryTeller. This summer, as we host the Fictionary Certified StoryCoach progr...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

NAIWE: An Introduction from Fictionary

Have you ever wished someone understood your sense of humor and quirky puns? A person who you could bounce business ideas off of? Looked for help regarding starting...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

What is a Story Element?

  Simply put, a Story Element is a mandatory portion of a story. You can think of the story elements as the building blocks you’ll use to ensure your nove...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

How Many Scenes in a Chapter? And How do You Evaluate it?

How many scenes in a chapter is the right number? And why is that number important? A scene or several scenes will make up a chapter. The Scenes per Chapter insight ...

For Professional Editors

How to Become a Structural Editor for Fiction

The Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Training teaches you how to become a structural editor for fiction. We call structural editing for fiction “Story Editing&#...

For Writers

How to avoid 8 mistakes to write the perfect novel opening

I am Kim, CEO of Novlr – an online novel-writing tool – and I have been invited to share with you some useful advice that we have learnt from the tens of...

For Writers

What is the Setting of a Story?

  Setting creates the world your story exists in. To answer the question, what is the setting of a story, we must look at the setting story elements. Why? Becau...

For Professional Editors

How to Become an Editor and Be Amazing

To become a story editor is not easy. You owe it to writers to learn how to edit a story before you take money from anyone. Just because a person writes a novel, doe...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

What is a Character Arc?

  Two Types of Character Arcs A character arc is either an internal emotional arc or an external arc. The external arc is as important to the story as the inter...

For Writers

What is a Plotpoint or is it Plot Point?

  First, let’s talk about spelling of plotpoint. One word or two. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you know what a plotpoint is and how t...

For Writers

Self-edit a Novel by Mastering Story Editing

Sharing a draft of your novel with anyone for the first time can be scary. The stress of waiting to hear back from your readers or editor, of worrying about what the...

For Professional Editors

How to Story Edit a Series

Performing a story edit on a series is more complex than editing a stand-alone novel. For those of you not familiar with the term story edit, it is similar to a stru...

For Professional Editors

An Editor’s View of Character Names

A fiction editor has many responsibilities. One of them is to give a writer the editor’s view of character names. Character names are a way for readers to conn...

For Writers

Linking the Inciting Incident and Climax

Linking the inciting incident to the climax scene is one more step to ensure readers love your story. We’ve covered the major plot points in detail, so let’s go ...

For Writers

The Advent Calendar for Writers Starts Today!

Writers all across the globe look forward to this annual event – the biggest and best writing giveaway around: The Advent Calendar for Writers. My new found friend...

For Professional Editors

Why Does a Story Editor Need a Blurb?

Every story editor should request a blurb from their client prior to starting work on the client’s manuscript. Sometimes a writer panics when an editor asks fo...

For Professional Editors

Find Your Editor’s Voice and Shine!

Like an author, an editor must work hard to find their editor’s voice. An author’s voice is the unique style they use when writing.  An author can be fu...

For Writers

Connect Readers with Characters Using Description

Connect readers with your characters by describing characters in a way that keeps the reader engaged. But how do you do this in the most effective way? The most impo...

For Professional Editors

Why Characters per Scene are Important for Story Editors

One of the most important services you can offer a client is to get to know the characters in their story. You’ll evaluate the story based on the characters an...

For Professional Editors

Why Naming Each Scene is Important for Story Editors

When you perform a story edit, you’ll be evaluating every scene. And to evaluate every scene, you must be able to determine what the scene is about. Story Edit...

For Professional Editors

How an Editor Can Phrase Feedback to Motivate a Writer

Motivate a Writer The range of talent in the stories you edit will vary greatly. Some will need a lot of work, others are almost ready to be published. It’s im...

For Writers

How Creating A Book Outline Helps You Edit

Book Editing for Writers and Editors A book outline is important for every novelist. Today, we’re talking about an outline that you create after you’ve w...

For Professional Editors

How An Editor Creates Trust With A Writer

Book Editing & Trust Trust between an editor and a writer starts before you begin editing a writer’s manuscript. When you connect, you’ll gather informat...

For Writers

A Chance To Get A Free Year of Fictionary StoryTeller

Hi, Fictionary community!  I’m Mary, and I’m thrilled to introduce myself to you—I’m a novelist. You can find my novels When You Read This and Privilege, pu...

For Writers

Point of View: Why Head Hopping Reduces Tension

How to Edit a Book Focussing on Point of View When you choose a point of view character for a scene, it’s a promise to the readers they will experience that scene ...

For Writers

Can Academic Writing ever Be Creative?

How many of you think academic writing can ever be creative? To answer this, I went straight to an expert on the topic, who not only has the answer but has a writing...

For Writers

Connect Your Readers With Your Characters

Connect your readers with your characters and your readers will cheer for them. And readers love to cheer for characters. Make your readers feel the sadness, the ter...

For Writers

Make the Scenes in Your Novel Flow and Capture Readers

Tips to Make The Scenes in Your Novel Flow Capturing the reader at the beginning of each scene and making them want to start the following scene could just lead you ...

For Writers

Evaluate Pacing of Your Novel Using Word Count per Scene

When you’re about to begin a story edit, you may wonder if  word count per scene is important. You can stop wondering. We’re going to  show  you why it ca...

For Writers

Anatomy of Prose by Sacha Black Will Improve Your Writing

Improve Every Sentence by Reading Anatomy of Prose Anatomy of Prose arrived in my inbox, and I had no idea it would immediately change the way I write. I was thrille...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Freelance Editing: A Comparison of Editors

Freelance editing can vary from editor to editor. I’m putting myself out there as an author and sharing editor comments on my novel Evolution. Thirteen editors per...

For Writers

When Distraction Causes Writer’s Block

Life seems to be putting a lot of distractions in front of us right now and one of the consequences can be writer’s block. You’re not alone. Here are some id...

For Writers

Choosing a Point of View Character is a Big Decision

Choosing a point of view character is a big decision because you’re making a promise to your readers. You’re promising them they will experience the scen...

For Professional Editors

What is a Story Coach? And How to be the Best!

A story coach helps a writer create a powerful story that resonates with readers because its structure will be in the form that resonates with how the human brain co...

For Professional Editors

What Every Editor Needs to Know About Their Clients

Editors and clients have a special relationship. A writer wants to tell a powerful story, one that readers can’t put down, and we as editors can help them get ...

For Writers

Naming Scenes to Tighten Your Plot

Naming each scene will help you tighten your plot. Here’s how. Let’s Start With What Is A Scene A scene is a section of your novel where a character or ...

For Writers

Join Us At The London Book Fair

We’ll be at the 2020 London Book Fair, and We’d Love for You to Join Us! You’ll find us hanging out with ProWritingAid and FirstEditing at stand 1F...

For Professional Editors

Introducing Fictionary StoryCoach Software For Editors

Become an Exceptional Editor StoryCoach is productivity software for quickly completing a substantive, developmental, structural, or line edit of long-form fiction...

For Professional Editors

Introducing Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Training

Your clients demand a comprehensive and objective edit of their manuscript. But how does a writer know they’re going to get the edit they need and deserve? They h...

For Professional Editors

The FIRST Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Company

We are proud to announce First Editing is the world’s first Fictionary Certified StoryCoach company!   Fictionary’s dream is to create the worldR...

For Writers

The London Book Fair That Wasn’t

At this time next week, we were supposed to be exhibiting for the first time at The London Book Fair. We were super excited. You would have found us under this banne...

For Writers

How External Conflict Links to POV Character Goals

How external conflict links to POV character goals is important because when it’s done well, it creates tension in the story, and tension in the story keeps th...

For Writers

The Character Arc and Internal Flaws

Relating the character arc and internal flaws will give your characters depth. What is a character arc? A character arc starts when the character enters the story an...

For Writers

Scene-by-Scene Editing Makes a Story Come to Life

Scene-by-Scene Editing Makes A Scene Come To Life By Jordan Rosenfeld Great stories, just like any large structure, are built of many smaller parts, known as scenes....

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Manuscript Editing: Two Editors Compared

Fictionary’s series on manuscript editing is just beginning. Thirteen editors performed a Story Edit on the same manuscript. We’re going to share the res...

For Writers

Everything You Need to Know About Fiction Editing

Posted on Alliance of Independent Authors Getting your first book edited can be an overwhelming experience. There’s different types of editors, huge swings in pric...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

Plot Versus Story: What’s the difference?

When Lisa at ProWritingAid.com asked me to write about plot versus story, I thought no problem. I’m a story expert. However, once I started researching the topic, ...

For Writers

Characters Per Scene Are Important

Knowing who is in each scene helps you control how the reader experiences not only the scene but the entire story.  Having a list of your characters per scene on a ...

For Writers

Black Friday 2021 Deals for Fiction Writers

Once Upon A Time… How wonderful are those words? They create expectation, making the reader want to dive into your world and experience your story. With great ...

For Writers

Black Friday 2020 Deals for Fiction Writers

Once Upon A Time… How wonderful are those words? They create expectation, making the reader want to dive into your world and experience your story. With that i...

For Writers

Make the Most of Your Cast of Characters

Readers love to cheer for a character. Make them feel the sadness, the terror, the happiness your character feels, and you’ll keep them reading. In a novel, gi...

For Writers

Fictionary: A Proud Partner Member of ALLi

We’re proud to announce Fictionary is now a vetted, trusted Partner Member and affiliate of Alliance for Independent Authors (ALLi). Alliance of Independent Au...

For Writers

StoryTeller: Creative Editing Software for Fiction Writers

StoryTeller is creative editing software for fiction writers. It helps you quickly complete a substantive, developmental, or structural edit on your own story—we c...

For Writers

14 Tropes about Writers: How readers see your ‘self’ in your writing

How does your writing fare against these writing ‘behaviors’? We can always see the writer through the cracks to some extent when we read.  It is inevitable. Ma...

For Writers

20 Ways to Populate Your Blog to Engage Readers

Donna Galanti – founder YourAwesomeAuthorLife – gives you 20 ways populate your blog to engage readers   If you share your publishing journey and...

For Writers

New Release by Fictionary Beta Tester Kelly Brakenhoff

A new release is always exciting, especially when it’s written by someone fabulous. Sometimes people are generous of heart and Kelly Brakenhoff is one of those...

For Writers

Founder of DIY MFA, Gabriela Pereira, Tells Us A Secret

Let me introduce Gabriela Pereira, the founder of DIY MFA. She’s funny. She’s sincere. She’s serious about her work and helping writers. So, I’ve interviewed...

For Writers

Create a Strong Story – Rebecca Monterusso Story Grid Editor

I’m thrilled to host Rebecca Montrusso, a Story Grid certified developmental editor, as a guest. Rebecca is sharing her expertise on how you can become your ow...

For Writers

Free 10-Day Story Editing Course

We’ve  partnered with Reedsy and created a free course on Story Editing. Reedsy has a series of courses for writing, editing, and publishing. All are free....

For Writers

Are You Joining NaNoWriMo This Year?

NaNaWriMoo Starts in November! It’s almost time to his the go button. I’d like to share why NaNoWriMo worked for me. A participant needs to write 1667 words...

For Writers

Need a Book Endorsement?

The Advance Reader Copy is Your New Best Friend I have a confession to make: when a novel of mine is close to being published, I get nervous. I get nervous because ...

Fictionary & ProWritingAid – Two Powerful Editing Tools Together

It should come as no surprise I’m a huge believer in software tools that help writers. One of my favorites is ProWritingAid. Now I’m addicted to it and don...

For Writers

How To Build Your Dream Publishing Team

This week we are thrilled to have our friends from Reedsy share their thoughts on a dream publishing team. We asked Reedsy to help us with this as our readers wanted...

For Writers

Who Will Read Your First Draft And How Do You Help Them?

When I finished the first draft of my first novel, Descent, I was exhilarated and terrified. Exhilarated because I’d accomplished my dream of writing a novel, and...

For Professional Editors, For Writers

What is a Scene in a Powerful Novel?

Fictionary StoryTeller guides a writer through their novel on a scene-by-scene basis in order to help a writer tell a powerful story. As I read many drafts, it occu...

For Writers

Top 10 Story Issues: Learn What to Avoid

Today, I want to share the top 10 story issues I find in manuscripts hoping you can learn from them. Part of being a story editor means I’ve met a bunch of int...

For Writers

The Story Arc: Definitions & Examples

Story Arc Key Scenes The story arc, also known as the narrative arc, is made up of 5 key scenes (plot points) and can help you create your story structure in a way t...

For Writers

The Climax In The Context Of The Story Arc

The climax scene is where you get to shine as an author. Every word you’ve written up to this point is going to pay off. What is the Climax? You’ve built your s...

For Writers

Plot Point 2 In The Context Of The Story Arc

Plot Point 2 is the end of act II and all is lost. Your protagonist must work hard to get what she wants or lose everything. The story arc has been around for over 2...

For Writers

The Middle Of A Novel In The Context Of The Story Arc

The middle of a novel is often the most difficult of the key scenes in the story arc to write. Act II is underway, and your story is dragging. What do you do? A drag...

For Writers

Plot Point 1 In The Context Of The Story Arc

You’re heading into Act II of writing or editing your novel. So how are you going to keep readers engaged? You need a great plot point to drive them forward. In th...

For Writers

Inciting Incident In The Context Of The Story Arc

You’ve written a first draft. And with that major milestone completed, I’ll guess you want others to read your story and love it. That means you need to take you...

For Writers

11 Steps to Find and Connect with Authors in Your Genre

Even before you publish your first book, building an online network will help you when the exciting moment of releasing your novel to the world arrives. Connect with...

For Writers

Why, When And How To Beta Your Book

Sharing your story can be frightening, so I’ve asked the experts at BetaBooks to talk about how to get the most out of beta readers. Please welcome guest writer, P...

For Writers

2 Checklists for Flashbacks and Backstory

A flashback takes the reader from the current time to a previous time. This usually happens quickly, and then the reader is returned to the present.  Backstory i...

For Writers

Tension and Conflict. What’s the Difference?

Tension and conflict will keep your reader engaged in every scene. Knowing the difference and when to use each will drive your story forward. Tension Tension is the ...

For Writers

6 Ways To Exit A Scene And Keep Your Reader Reading

The exit hook is the magic that keeps your reader wanting to begin the next scene. It’s what will stop them from putting your book down, which means it’s critica...

For Writers

5 Ways to Hook Your Reader In Every Scene

Many writing books talk about the importance of the first line, first paragraph and first page of a novel. If you don’t hook the reader early in your novel, you mi...

For Writers

Top 5 Mystery Story Elements

If you’re a mystery writer, it’s important to keep track of your story, and not only in the context of what you share with your readers but also what your charac...

For Writers

Three Ways To Know If A Scene Is Anchored

Leaving your reader adrift is never a good idea. Farley slowly drifted away from us as we snorkeled nearby. You can tell he wasn’t happy. Even he knew we could ha...

For Writers

Six Qualities You Need To Be A Successful Author

Every writer wants to know what it takes to be successful. Guest author and book-marketing manager Christian Fink-Jensen shares his knowledge about the qualities you...

For Writers

2 Questions to Ask When Writing a Sequel Scene

Action scenes and sequels drove me crazy until I figured out a way to deal with them. Writing a sequel takes as much thought and effort as writing an action scene. M...

For Writers

Transform Your Story, Not Just Your Words

“Tell me a story!” your reader demands. “I want to feel happy, sad, frightened. Take me to a new world and make me care about what happens next.” That’s a ...

For Writers

3 Reasons To Relate A Character’s Goal To The Plot

Richard North Patterson has some great writing advice. I’d like to take the high-level advice and get practical with it. Let’a talk about a character’s...

For Writers

The Importance of Failure

Failure will make your point of view character human. Failure will add tension to your scene. Failure drives your character and your story forward. That’s the ...

For Writers

Two Types of Character Goals To Build Depth

Character goals are what a character wants. She should want it so badly that your readers feel her need in their guts. The Point of View (POV) goal is what the POV ...

For Writers

First Person Rocks! Here’s what you need to know about the rules…

Choosing the point of view for your novel is a critical decision. Today, we’re hosting an expert to talk about the rules (and when to break them) that apply to the...

For Writers

№1 Character Naming Issue To Avoid Or Risk Losing Readers

What’s the big deal about character naming? Confusing readers with character names that are too similar to each other might make a reader stop reading your boo...

For Writers

Ensure The Purpose of A Scene Is Engaging Your Readers

A great scene makes your reader feel an emotion. What is a Scene? A scene is a section of your novel where a character or characters engage in action or dialogue. Y...

For Writers

Conquer Your Story Edit and Finish Your Novel (NaNoWriMo)

As a NaNoWriMo winner and a repeat sponsor of NaNoWriMo I was thrilled when they asked me to guest blog. I decided to give advice on how to Conquer Your Story Edit A...

For Writers

How to Avoid Plot Holes — Scene Timing (Part IV)

Don’t let your readers get lost in the timing of your scenes. They might stop reading. Causes of Plot Holes (Articles I to IV) Scenes are not connected to one ano...

For Writers

How To Avoid Plot Holes – Setting (Part III)

Setting in a story must elicit an emotional reaction and must not cause plot holes. Let’s look at how to make the most of your settings and avoid plot holes. Cause...

For Writers

How To Avoid Plot Holes— Character Arcs (Part II)

A character’s arc includes when she enters and exits the story. Every character arc is a journey, and at the end of the journey, the character either succeeds ...

For Writers

How To Avoid Plot Holes and Tell A Powerful Story (Part I)

A plot hole will make your readers unhappy. So how do you avoid falling into a hole? How do you even know there is a hole? Scenes and the order that events take p...

For Writers

Conquering the Blank Page by Editor Eric Anderson

It happens to all of us. The dreaded blank page stares at us with high expectations. Our fingers freeze. Our eyes glaze over. The blinking cursor demands words from...

For Writers

Seven Drafts by Editor Allison K Williams

Seven Drafts: Editing advice from an actual big-time editor! It is our pleasure to welcome editor Allison K Williams. Allison is a writer, editor, speaker, and coach...

For Writers

Fictionary’s Story Editing Masterclass: Tell Powerful Stories

We believe to become a successful author, you need to tell a powerful story. We’ve created the Fictionary Story Editing Masterclass to help you. Think about so...

For Writers

Take Your Story up Several Levels by Editor Jodie Renner

Today it is our pleasure to welcome editor & author Jodie Renner to share expert editing advice. Jodie is generously sharing her wisdom on how to improve your ...

For Writers

Six Tips to Combat Writer’s Anxiety by Editor Erin Liles

Before you can use Fictionary to edit your first draft, you have to write your first draft. That can be a daunting task and may even cause writer’s anxiety. Edito...

For Writers

Character Arc: Where it Begins and Ends

Character Arc How a character changes and grows (or not) throughout the story. A character’s arc includes when she enters and exits the story. The first time a...

For Writers

Improve Your Story’s Setting With Story Editing

When you can’t see the story for the words, you need help. How you improve your story’s setting? With story editing. I once read a book where I didn’t ...

For Writers

Why Do People Read Fiction? Let’s find out.

One reason people read fiction is to escape and experience the world through the thoughts and actions of the characters in the story. We believe characters are your...

For Writers

How To Improve Your Plot With Story Editing

Improve Your Plot You’ve finished your first draft, and you’re about to embark on a story edit, turning that draft into a powerful story. Now is the time to focu...

For Writers

Story Editing: Top 3 Questions For Fiction Writers

All Fiction writers need to know what to evaluate when revising their story. We’ll give you the top 3 questions to ask yourself when performing a story edit. S...

For Writers

10 Benefits of Fictionary StoryTeller for Story Editing

One of our early testers asked: “How will Fictionary help my manuscript?” What a great question!  It made me think about a better way to explain the b...

For Writers

Story Editing: Word Count Per Scene and Plot

As a writer, you’ve probably read there are recommended lengths for a manuscript depending on the genre you write in. We’ve done some research and thou...

For Writers

Free eBook: Story Editing Using Fictionary’s Key Elements Of Fiction

You’ve finished your first draft. Congratulations! Now what? Whether you’re self-publishing or going the traditional route, your story needs to be as good as you...

For Writers

Story Editing: Focus on Setting and Tell a Powerful Story

Let’s focus on setting. I once read a book where I didn’t skim any of the setting description. Afterward, I wondered why. I admit, I’m impatient with too m...

For Writers

Story Editing: Self-Evaluating a Scene Ending and Plot

Imagine a man reading your novel. You watch him read. He gets to the end of a scene and quickly turns the page to the next scene. He does this for hours. You watch t...

For Writers

Story Editing: Self-Evaluating a Scene Opening and Plot

There are times when a person has the luxury of sitting down and reading a novel in one session. Wouldn’t that be nice if we could all do that? However, most of us...

For Writers

Story Editing: Focus on Plot and Tell a Powerful Story

You’ve finished your first draft, and you’re about to embark on rewriting that draft, turning it into a powerful story. Now is the time to focus on plot and stru...

For Writers

What is the Point of View in a Story, And How to Get it Right

Are you writing your first draft during NaNoWriMo this November and wondering what to do next? To illustrate how Fictionary StoryTeller will help with your perform ...

For Writers

Story Editing: Focus on Characters and Tell a Powerful Story

Why do people read novels? We think it’s to find out what happens next. But what happens next is only interesting if it the “what happens next” involves chara...

For Writers

Story Editing: When To Self-Edit In Your Writing Journey

In today’s world, fiction writers have access to many tools to create and publish novels. That puts writers in the luxurious position of having control over their ...

For Writers

Story Editing. Copyediting. Proofreading. Revise Your Story

After you’ve written your first draft, you’ll need to revise your story. In today’s publishing environment, it’s up to the author to ensure all t...

For Writers

Story Editing: Self-Edit & Create Powerful Stories

Sharing a draft of your novel with anyone for the first time can be scary. The stress of waiting to hear back from your readers or editor, of worrying about what...

For Writers

Fictionary: Tell Powerful Stories with StoryTeller

Whether you’re a plotter or a panster, you’ve completed a first draft. Congratulations! Now what? If you’re anything like me, you’re asking yourself: Where ...