by Ali | May 7, 2026 | Fiction
Plotting vs Pantsing: How Much Should You Plan and Outline Before Starting a Novel? This post was first published in October 2012 and last updated in May 2026. If you’ve got a novel idea, you might be wondering how much you need to plan and outline before you...
by Ali | Apr 30, 2026 | Fiction
What is Worldbuilding … and How Detailed Do You Need to Be? Wonderland. Narnia. Hogwarts. Middle-Earth. Westeros. These are all famous story worlds … and if you’ve read any of the books they feature in, they probably instantly conjure up a sense of escaping into...
by Ali | Apr 23, 2026 | Creativity
What is Writer’s Block and How Can You Beat It? Seven Crucial Things to Try This post was first published in November 2024 and last updated in April 2026. You’re staring at the screen. The minutes tick by. Not a single word comes to you. Or perhaps it’s even worse...
by Ali | Apr 16, 2026 | Motivation
Writing Progress in Q1, 2026: What Worked, What Didn’t, and Why At the start of January, I set out my writing goals for 2026. I try to review all my goals every three months, so here’s what’s been happening in the first quarter of 2026. Q1 Progress on Big Fiction...
by Ali | Apr 2, 2026 | Fiction
How to Write Stronger Scenes: Add More Depth and Detail This post was first published in March 2021 and last updated in April 2026. All stories are made up of a series of scenes. Essentially, scenes are the building blocks of your story. But it can be tough to get...
