Two Simple Steps (& Two Simple Tools) for Plotting a Great Story

I’m a big believer in the value of having a strong grasp on the ins and outs of character and story structure before you sit down and begin writing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying everyone should sit down and meticulously plan out their stories before they…

PIXELIZED

My eyes shutter open and my brain is pulled out of the trance we call sleep. My mind disposes of all uncertainty, it’s only one week until my untimely demise. Still being 14 my mum insisted I have the time of my short life. I stand up and…

The Underground

PART 2 IN THE UNDERTALE ADVENTURE: A fan fiction tale based on the game “Undertale” by Toby Fox.

The Secret of Stories 

I played with Barbies until I was in high school. I kept this mostly to myself after I realised that the last few friends with whom I used to play had locked away their sets of Barbies in the attic or given them away to their little cousins,…

The Crash

My heart thunders in my chest drowning out all sound. My sweaty hands grip the leathery wheel so tightly my knuckles are white, but I can’t see them through my scrunched closed eyes. I feel my ragged, sharp breaths circulating through my body as the seconds tick by.

Problems and Choices

When someone asks you how your day went, what parts do you tell them? I usually start with the moments that were the most interesting, or had the greatest conflict. Some dude was acting crazy on the tram. My boss had an unreasonable request. I spilt something on…

The Love Scent

Peppermint and Orange. That smell should be fermented into the walls and soaked into the bedsheets. It was a sweet and loving smell. As I saw her that night, all of her, I knew what I had missed. Well, what I had almost missed. Her smell, that sharpness…

How to Write an Interesting First Act

There are a lot of stories in the world and only so many hours in the day. Often, working with students, I’ll point to the Melbourne Young Writer’s Studio bookshelf and ask how many books they think are up there (I have no idea, but it’s a…

A Magical School of Story-craft and Writing Wizardry

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