Have a million amazing story ideas swimming around in that head of yours?

You may not be able to write them all at once, but you can speed up the process of bringing them to life. By utilizing a drafting cycle, you can juggle work on multiple projects without feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, or unproductive. This technique won’t be the right one for every writer, but if you often struggle to finish projects because others get in the way, it may be time to give a drafting cycle a try.

Frustrated with your productivity as a writer?

Whether you’re struggling to find the time to write or failing to utilize the time you already have, today I’m going to share a few tips to help you level up the hours you spend creating. I won’t say these tips are universal, but I do think you’ll find them helpful. So whether you’re a newbie, an established writer, or a published author, let’s talk about maximizing the time we have to bring our stories to life!

Are you easily distracted by new story ideas?

There’s a reason it took me over two years to finish a draft of my first novel, and that reason is Shiny New Idea Syndrome. Every several thousand words into my book, I’d conjure up a new way to tell the same story and scrap everything I’d written to start fresh, convinced that my new idea was better than the last. Sound familiar, writer?

If you frequently find yourself tempted by new story ideas (and have often failed to finish a draft because of this), today is the day to break the vicious cycle. Let’s talk about how we can filter pesky plot bunnies to better find focus in our writing lives today.

Building a consistent creative practice is key to achieving our writing goals.

But with all the chaos of life, establishing a writing routine is often far from easy. With a scarcity of time, energy, and motivation alike, it’s easy to guilt ourselves for skipping writing sessions or outputting uninspired work. But rather than give into creative blues, how can we build writing routines that leave us feeling free? Let’s break down my top tips in today’s article, writers!

“Show, Don’t Tell” is far and away one of the most common pieces of writing advice. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

This popular writing mantra claims to be the key to rich and immersive storytelling, but what does “Show, Don’t Tell” actually mean? Is it a technique you should truly pay mind as you work to improve your skills? And if so, how can you employ this popular piece of advice in a way that doesn’t feel contrived? Let’s discuss everything you need to know in today’s article, writers.

Every story is a carefully woven tapestry of tensions.

And while narrative tensions can vary in both nature and magnitude, every form of tension has the power to create dissonance that’s vital to a story’s success. It’s this dissonance, the divide between a character and an object of their desire, that will keep readers turning pages, eager to see how tensions will resolve.

But not all threads of tension are created equal — and some are far too easy to snap. How can you ensure a deft hand as you weave a little necessary tension through the pages of your book? Let’s discuss a few key techniques today, writer!

Ah, the Great Prologue Debate. Should they or should they not have a place in fiction?

The necessity of prologues (or lack thereof) is a topic that’s frequently discussed in online writing circles, and today I’d like to add my two cents to the clamor. You see, I feel pretty strongly about the power of a prologue well written. It’s a story element I’ve enjoyed time and time again as a reader, and also one that I’ve worked to emulate in many of my own stories.

Why do I think that prologues have their place? And what defines a prologue as well-written in my eyes? Allow me to share my thoughts with you in today’s article, writers.

Want to challenge yourself to write with consistency and commitment?

Consider joining this year’s NaNoWriMo challenge. Short for National Novel Writing Month, this annual event challenges participants to write 50,000 words of fiction in the month of November, an average of 1,667 words per day.

Every year, over 500,000 writers worldwide take part in this online and in-person event — and that number continues to grow. What makes NaNoWriMo such a popular affair?

One thing I love about Scrivener is how many convenient revision tools it offers.

In particular, my favorite of these tools is called Snapshots. With Snapshots, you can take a picture(s) of your document, make changes to the text, then compare the two versions with ease. You can even revert your document back to the version found in a Snapshot, meaning you never have to fear you’ll regret the changes you make during revision ever again.

Ready to begin utilizing this handy revision tool? Check out our video lesson and transcript on Snapshots below. Today’s lesson is an excerpt from our full-length Storytelling With Scrivener video course as well, so if you’d like to learn how to harness all that this epic writing app has to offer, make sure to check out our course curriculum today!

Do love the easy visual organization that working with index cards can provide?

When it comes to your writing projects, you can now create and work with virtual index cards by utilizing Scrivener’s Corkboard Mode — and you’ll never have to worry about misplacing your physical cards again. Not sure how to access, utilize, or customize this epic Scrivener feature? Let’s dive in deep!

Today’s video lesson and transcript are excerpted from our full-length Storytelling With Scrivener video tutorial course, available now. If you’re unsure if Scrivener is the right program for you, make sure to give this article in our Scrivener blog series a read.

Do you often feel you don’t have a strong handle on your writing projects?

When it comes to streamlining your day-to-day writing life, I’ve found no tool as versatile and effective as Scrivener’s Inspector. This multi-faceted feature in my favorite writing program allows you to take notes on individual documents; tag text files with labels, statuses, and keywords; review past versions of your current chapter or scene, and more!

If you’re interested in making best use of this feature, I’m breaking down an overview of Scrivener’s Inspector and diving deep into the features contained in its Notes tab below. Today’s video lesson and transcript are also excerpted from our video tutorial course, Storytelling With Scrivener. Click here to learn more and enroll today!

Setting goals and deadlines for our work can be instrumental in helping us achieve our writing dreams.

But holding ourselves accountable to these targets is often easier said than done. If like me, you’re someone who often lacks the internal drive to sit down and make words happen, you may need a little extra accountability to keep you on track. And for me, nothing works better than utilizing Scrivener’s built-in target feature.

What exactly can this feature help you accomplish? And how can you begin making use of Scrivener Targets today? Let’s take a look in today’s video lesson and transcript, which are excerpted from Storytelling With Scrivener — our full-length tutorial course designed specifically to help you harness the power of this epic app for writers.