Hello! If you've got a scene that feels like it's not quite working, it's worth asking yourself what actually happens in that scene. It's very easy to have scenes that are mainly internal reaction: characters deliberating on their best course of action, or remembering things from the past. While it's great to have access to the character's mind (indeed, it's one of the things the novel form does best) ... this can also make for scenes where there's nothing physically happening. Imagine...

Hello! Here's a question that often comes up for novelists: Should my novel have a prologue? Prologues often seem to be frowned upon, and you might have been told that agents don't like them, that readers skip them, or that they're boring, outdated, an excuse for info-dumping, and so on. Personally ... I think prologues absolutely have their place, though most novels don't need one. What is a Prologue? A prologue is a (usually short) chapter that comes before your "Chapter One". Usually, it's...

Hello! On Monday, I ran a free workshop: Four Roadblocks Holding You Back from Finishing Your Novel. This was the first time delivering this material in a group format ... and I was thrilled it went so well! 😊 Big thanks to all those who came along live and left lovely feedback, like: "Thank you. Another great workshop!" "Thanks so much! It was super helpful!" "That was really a great workshop, so thank you very much!" "Very helpful - thank you!" If you missed out and you'd like the...