Mysteries, secrets, and lies

Mysteries, secrets, and lies

Last updated May 22, 2023 | Blog

Why do readers keep turning the page? The answer is simple – they want to find out what happens. But how do we seed the questions that they want to know the answers to? Mysteries, secrets, and lies are excellent ways of doing this. When used alongside conflict and...
Writing case study – The Serpent Sword

Writing case study – The Serpent Sword

Last updated May 22, 2023 | Blog

(Warning: spoilers ahead.) Matthew Harffy has been one of historical fiction’s best success stories in recent years, going from first-time indie author to landing a book deal with Aria Fiction for his acclaimed series, The Bernicia Chronicles. To mark the release of...
How to create internally conflicted characters

How to create internally conflicted characters

Last updated May 22, 2023 | Blog

What do Tyrion Lannister, Darth Vader, and Hermione Granger have in common? Not much, you might think. Except, from a storytelling point of view, they all share one crucial feature – all three of them, in their different ways, are internally conflicted characters....
Top tips for pulling off an unreliable narrator

Top tips for pulling off an unreliable narrator

Last updated May 22, 2023 | Blog

The first rule of good writing is to know the rules. The second is to know when – and how – to break them. Sure, you can write great stories while sticking to all the established conventions. But if you want to push the boundaries, if you want your writing to be truly...