by Edie Melson @EdieMelson Even today—with as many blogs on the Internet as there are—blogging is still a valuable part of building and maintaining an online community. But it’s rare for a blog to take hold and grow—if it’s not a place where comments proliferate. Almost no one likes to…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills You’ve most likely heard every plot idea has already been written. Multiple times. From the ancient storytellers who gathered around the campfire, to Greek and Roman mythology, to the richness of the Celts, to the many ways story is offered today. Plotting is unique to each…

By DiAnn Mills @diannmills Plotting is unique to each writer’s personality and method of structuring a novel. Some writers are married to their outlines. Some are seat-of-the-pants writers, and some are a mix of both. Organic writing allows the character to lead the way in the story with a heavy…

By DiAnn Mills @DiannMills   Welcome to the second blog of Mastering Plot. On June 29th, we talked about: The writer’s goals in establishing a dynamic story. Developing unique characters. Showing how characters lead the way in plot The value of forming a story idea In today’s post, we’ll talk…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Plot is defined as the series of events in your story. It’s also called the storyline. While that may sound simple, mastering plot takes time, imagination, and knowing our characters inside and out. A storyline is filled with action and chronologically propels the story forward. Today’s…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills How do you determine the heroine in your novels? Discovering who my female character is and what matters to her takes time and patience. She’s not a victim, although she might have been in the past. Because of that critical experience, she’s changed and grown into…