This list outlines some cliches I commonly see in modern fantasy novels.

Sometimes dialogue sounds stiff, clunky, or unnatural. Try these tricks to make your dialogue sound more natural and less written.

Suddenly everything was a competition (that her kids always won).

One wedding guest tells a story of how they RSVP'd ahead of the deadline, requested a plus one, and selected their meal options. But then things got weird.

Find the perfect word and tell us exactly how you feel.

As much as I love royals, witches, rebels and assassins, there are other jobs out there for your fantasy heroes!

You cannot help but wonder how this sense of entitlement is even legal.

Ah yes, torturing readers, your favourite hobby!

Time to start binging some documentaries, I guess.

This online user wonders if he's being too harsh after he demanded a public apology from his family who were so against his relationship with his late brother's partner.

Sometimes they’re useful, but some dialogue tags are distracting or jarring. This post is a (hopefully) fun list of my least favourite.

An internet user wanted to know if she was being a jerk when she told her roommate that she did not give a damn about her boyfriend's food allergies.

"I don't want to love her. I don't like what that means for me." "What do you think it means?" "It means I have something to lose again, and I'm not strong enough for that anymore."

Besides the usual vocabulary and grammar, discover other categories you can include in your author's notebook to improve your writing.

There’s nothing quite like a really memorable villain to add drama to a story! Who can forget Count Fosco, or Moriarty, or Sauron? Use this worksheet to craft the perfect villain. Click Here to Download This Worksheet (PDF) If you’d like a more well-rounded villain, you might consider plotting their character arc. You can also…

Not everyone has had an easy start in life or a smooth time. Some people are survivors of abuse from family members, relationships, or people at school or work, so it's important to know how to create a character who's suffered abuse so they can also be realistic. Discover how to create characters who have suffered abuse in this post! Stand Corrected Editing offers professional book editing services in the UK to aspiring authors worldwide. Book Proofreading Services | Copy Editing Services

Need your character to do something, but not sure what would motivate them to do it? This character motivation worksheet can help!

Visit the post for more.

Steal these for your writing unit!

A summary of the comprehensive outlining method developed by Youtuber and writer, Kat O’Keeffe.

Cheating guy got a 'loyalty' tattoo, brother burst out laughing.

An exciting twist on more common story structures, the Four Act Structure is one you'll definitely want in your novel writing toolkit.

A woman (23) asked if she was wrong to be upset when her husband-to-be (35) decided to cancel their honeymoon to Paris so he could fund a monster truck with “the boys.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to decide where to begin telling a story, and “begin at the beginning” isn’t always the best advice. Click here to download this writing worksheet (PDF) The beginning of your story need not take place in your opening scene! The opening scene can be used to… Capture the reader’s attention with an…

Manipulation Tactics To Look Out For. False Concern: "I heard you were sick! I'm so sorry. Can you help me with __?" Mental health quotes.

As most readers will tell you, there is something quite disturbing about a character who loves dogs one moment and is terrified of them the next, or who has pants on at the beginning of a line of d…

The setting of a story performs the vital task of transporting the reader into the story. Download this worksheet (PDF) Story Settings The questions in this 2-page story setting worksheet can help you hone in on the details of your character’s environment. Does the scene take place indoors or out? Is the space light or…

Creating a scene list changed my novel-writing life, and doing the same will change yours too. Includes examples of the scene lists from famous authors.

Using "Oranges" by Gary Soto, "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth, and "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams, I attempt to…

The daughter found such a request ridiculous and said no, which extremely upset her mom.

A Redditor recently turned to the AITA community to get some perspective on having inherited 2 kids from his late dad.

Writing Worksheet: Character Naming (PDF) Character names can be surprisingly useful for characterisation, worldbuilding, and even plotting – if you’re enrolled in How to Be the Heroine of Your Own Story, be sure to read the textbook chapter titled, ‘How to Discover Your (Character’s) True Name’. If you need to set some naming conventions for…