Developing, Refining, & Troubleshooting Ideas
The Trouble With Imitation In Fiction - NEW!
Why trying too hard to imitate someone else can be a very bad idea.
How To Become A Creative Writer & Figure Out What You Should Write
Creativity is a skill you can learn, and figuring out what to write is much easier than you think. Here's what you need to do!
"Does My Character Work Okay?" - How To Tell For Yourself!
Never take a Mary Sue test again - ask yourself these ten simple questions instead!
"Help! I Need Ideas For My Story/Setting/Character!" - How To Get Ideas For Yourself!
What you can do when you're in desperate need of an idea!
Easy Offline Randomization Ideas
Methods to get random ideas without computers (or dice).
How To Generate Ideas With Playing Cards
No ideas and no Internet? No problem!
"Is This A Good Idea For My Story/Setting/Character?" - How To Answer This For Yourself!
Ask yourself the right questions and discover the answer for yourself!
"How Can/Should I Do This Thing With My Story/Setting/Character?" - How Figure It Out For Yourself!
You can often solve this type of question yourself pretty easily. Here's how!
How Good Story & Character Ideas Can Go Bad
When an idea for a story or character doesn't work out, it's often not because the idea itself was all that terrible, but because it was done in a terrible way. Here's what to watch out for.
"Help! I'm Worried That My Idea Is Too Cliche!" - What To Do When This Happens
Worried that one of your ideas might be too cliche? Here are some tips to help you out.
Borrowing & Sharing Ideas In Fiction - When It's Okay, & When It Isn't
A basic guideline on when it's okay for a story to share elements with another story, and when it's not.
How To Break Your Creative Blocks
Ways you can get through when you're having a hard time creating.