Category Archives: Narrative

Narrative: Narrative person, point of view, tense, pace

How to Structure a Strong Narrative

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Lorena Goldsmith

Following on from the post on the action-consequence principle in building a strong narrative plot, in this post I’ll illustrate how to build a narrative mini-arc, by using one of the greatest examples of accomplished narrative structure, Ken Follett’s masterpiece, The … Continue reading →

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How to Avoid saggy Middles

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Lorena Goldsmith

Middles can be drawn out affairs. The never seem to deliver quite the excitement of beginnings or the satisfaction of endings. Characters don’t appear to achieve anything and the story struggles to get anywhere. This is particularly the case with … Continue reading →

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The page-turner effect: Cliffhangers

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Lorena Goldsmith

It’s a well-known fact that we prefer to read a book in full chapters. Usually it’s one, two, three or more chapters per sitting and therefore, the more grabbing the end of a chapter is, the more likely we are … Continue reading →

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