Welcome to the Aliventures blog!
Want to write better, finish what you start, or tackle that novel you’ve been dreaming about? You’re in the right place! Choose an options below, scroll down for recent posts, or take a look at the Start Here page.
How to Start a Novel: Eight Options, Plus Examples
Writing the first scene of a novel is tricky. Perhaps you’ve been slowly developing an idea for weeks, months, or even years. You might have written pages of notes or created a full outline. And now you’ve opened up the document to start … but how do you actually...
Writing Action Scenes That Grip Readers: Five Practical Tips, Plus Examples
Are you struggling to write action scenes? A lot of writers find it tricky to craft a scene that involves a lot of action. These might be crucial scenes in your plot – perhaps the turning point in the middle of your story, or the climax at the end – and you want them...
Annual Writing Goal Progress in Q3, 2025 (Finished a Novel Draft!)
We’ve got just under three months left of 2025 … how’s your writing going? If it’s going well, hurrah! Keep it up! If you’re struggling with lost momentum (or lost motivation), then check out my Finish Your Novel group. I’m about to open registration next week, on...
Do You Head-Hop? Getting Third Person Point of View Right
When you’re writing in the third person, it’s easy to end up head-hopping. This is when you move from one person’s perspective to another, without quite meaning to. It’s not a deliberate perspective shift, at the end of a scene or at some natural break. Instead, it’s like the point of…
About
I’m Ali Luke, and I live in Leeds in the UK with my husband and two children. Aliventures is where I help you get your novel all the way to “the end”.
Archives
Just head on over to the Archive:
Seven Great Writing Lessons from Seventeen Months of Writers’ Cafe
I launched Writers’ Cafe in May 2024 … and it’s been fantastic to see lots of different writers come through the doors! Through our weekly check-ins and writing hours, it’s been great to get insights into how different writers are tackling a huge range of projects. I...
Why a Bad Ending Can Ruin a Great Story (and Seven Ways to Fix It)
Have you ever been really into a book, engrossed in the story, waiting to see how it all ends … … only for the ending to disappoint you? I’ve read a few books like that. And the sad thing is, I wouldn’t re-read them, or recommend them to friends. Because if the ending...
How to Name a Character: Four Key Considerations (and Why They Matter)
Choosing names for your characters can feel almost as tricky as naming a baby … you want to get it right! Your character’s name needs to reflect not just their age, nationality, and upbringing – it also needs to fit the sort of person who they are. A “Jane” is likely...
Why a Bad Ending Can Ruin a Great Story (and Seven Ways to Fix It)
Have you ever been really into a book, engrossed in the story, waiting to see how it all ends … … only for the ending to disappoint you? I’ve read a few books like that. And the sad thing is, I wouldn’t re-read them, or recommend them to friends. Because if the ending...
How to Name a Character: Four Key Considerations (and Why They Matter)
Choosing names for your characters can feel almost as tricky as naming a baby … you want to get it right! Your character’s name needs to reflect not just their age, nationality, and upbringing – it also needs to fit the sort of person who they are. A “Jane” is likely...
How Long is a Novel … and How Long Should YOUR Novel Be?
How long is a novel? And perhaps more importantly, how long should your novel be? You might think this doesn’t really matter. After all, surely what’s important is that your novel is well-structured and well-paced; that your protagonist has an engaging character arc, and that your ending satisfies the reader…