Author Archives: jarodselig

Sequels are a very sensitive subject when it comes to storytelling. It is very easy to completely ruin a sequel story. This week I will be going into how to properly set up a sequel and even tips on how to write a good sequel.  The first way to set up a sequel correctly isContinue reading “Tip #14 Sequels”

Heroes are loved by everyone. That’s just what they are. They fight the villain, beat them, and go home to great praise and rewards. That’s how the stereotypical hero is written. This is the very reason that the hero and the main protagonist are not always the same person. Most of the time they areContinue reading “Tip #13 Heroes”

Villains are the most important part of a story. Without a good villain the story just won’t work. Villains create the conflict, drive forward the story, and are the main enemy of the protagonist. If you write a villain wrong, it can ruin the flow of the entire story. I know I say that aContinue reading “Tip #12 Villains”

Tension is a writing element that goes incredibly well with conflict. The right amount of tension can cause a scene to go from boring to interesting, or interesting to amazing! The key to good tension is for the conflicts to be believable and the characters to be likeable. If you aren’t interested in the charactersContinue reading “Tip #11 Tension”

Conflict is a central part of any story. Without conflict nothing will happen, and the readers won’t be pulled into the story. There are good and bad ways to achieve conflict, and the bad ways can completely destroy the narrative you are trying to build. Good conflicts are natural. You can tell where they originatedContinue reading “Tip #10 Conflict”

Brainstorming ideas for a story can be difficult. Writer’s block is a real thing and it effects pretty much every writer. There are a few things I do to help alleviate the stress and strain of writer’s block. The first is to go for walks every so often. The more the better. Going for walksContinue reading “Tip#9 brainstorming tips”

Self inserts are when you develop a character that is meant to be you inside of a fictional story. Most people make their first character a self-insert but this is not something that should be done. Not because it is hard, but because it is very conceited. Developing a character like this can lead toContinue reading “Tip#8 Self-inserts”

It can be easy to get too attached to certain elements of a story. From design choices to characters, some aspects of the story, you can grow extremely attached to the world you have created. This isn’t necessarily bad as it can help to motivate you to develop that part more, but it can beContinue reading “Tip # 7 Don’t get too attached”

This week we will be discussing how to properly get your story to flow naturally and effectively. Flow can make or break a story depending how you implement it. A well flowing story can draw in the readers and keep them reading for long periods of time, engrossing them in the world. This can onlyContinue reading “Tip #6 Flow”

Last week I talked about the setting of the overall book. This week I will discuss establishing setting from chapter to chapter. This is much more complicated to perform correctly if you don’t know what you are doing. Starting the story, you should set up the world the story takes place in, but each timeContinue reading “Tip#5 Setting part 2”