by Cole Salao
Plenty of writers love the challenges of a tight word limit. It’s why short stories always have a place in their portfolios. But have you heard of a drabble—a complete story told in 100 words? What is a Drabble? A drabble is a type of microfiction that is 100 words...
by Cole Salao
Gone are the days when heroes simply need to embody Good. It doesn’t matter what genre you’re writing in, your character must not only be memorable but unique enough to avoid being derivative. After all, premises and settings get your readers diving into a book but...
by Cole Salao
Coming-of-age stories explore a character’s transformative experiences—particularly their transition from adolescence to adulthood. Such stories echo the maturation, personal growth, and self-discovery you encounter as you grow older. In these stories, certain themes...
by Cole Salao
Fantasy is one of the most enduring genres of fiction. Its broad spectrum captures anything that involves magic and the supernatural. However, the way these magical and supernatural elements interact with the world greatly varies from story to story. This has resulted...
by Cole Salao
Whether it’s a movie, a book, or a video game, a sympathetic villain is guaranteed to make a story much more engaging. There’s a conflict between wanting the hero to succeed and commiserating with the villain. It’s a complex feeling that’s hard to understand, much...
by Cole Salao
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where a character survives something impossible? This is called plot armor—the invincibility granted to a character proportional to their importance to a story. It’s generally a bad way to protect your characters and extend...
