Sometimes the story isn’t so simple, the villain so clear. Sometimes the antagonist is hidden from sight, but their influence is seen by many. Their motives, their origin, is unknown, but the destruction they cause isn’t. The kind of villain that strikes in the dark, or uses others to do their dirty work, or influences technology to enact their devious plans.

It’s been a while since I read anything other than my students and my own writing. When returning to the hobby, not many books came to mind. Luckily, the one I chose was exactly what I needed. A grim atmosphere made harsh and interesting with the inclusion of sinister scientific anomalies; the Strugatsky brothers did not disappoint.

Plot twists have been a favourite in many genres, from mystery to thriller, to general fiction. By creating a plot twist that successfully surprises the reader, the writer has done an excellent job of weaving a story, employing subtle distraction and made great use of misdirection. I will be showing you how to plan and write a plot twist of your own.

Ah, fight scenes. What is supposed to be exciting for the reader can turn out to be a difficult balancing act for the writer. In theory, a fight scene seems incredible, but on paper, it can easily be too short, or too long, or too detailed, or not detailed enough. In essence, most fight scenes today are written poorly, coming off as boring, confusing or not impactful.

Side characters, one of the most useful tools in fiction writing. Supporting characters present the writer with an opportunity to not only create smaller stories to make your book more interesting but also develop main characters and add to the world of your creation. After all, a well-written side story can make your already great story better. The challenge is making good use of this writing tool.

Writing a good dialogue should be as easy as having a conversation with your best friend. Words should come to mind in an instant, flow together and make sense. The real niggle that many writers encounter is realism. Realism is hard to maintain without going off-topic, or breaking character, yet it can be done.

First, this is the fourth in a series of articles on writing a good book. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out earlier pieces, where I cover story structure, protagonists and antagonists. I would also like to hear what you aim for writing good dialogue.

When writing an antagonist, you need to consider the purpose of a confrontational force in your story. Your hero is being challenged by someone or something for a reason. Is it for the purpose of creating an incredible adventure? Or is it to develop your character? Or is the antagonist the real subject of your story?

When it comes to writing a good story, it goes without saying that you need a good main character. One that you feel good when writing, one which readers feel good reading. The kind of character that truly fits their role in the story. However, it is so easy to miss the mark and write a character that is alright, but not good. A character which could have been better, a character that could have been memorable.

Welcome to the first in a series of articles/videos where I talk about writing a good book. Advice, tips, examples and exercises that will help or challenge you to write a certain aspect of your story better, until it is at the very least...good. A good book is hard enough to find and a great book more so. However, what makes a great book depends on one’s opinion. Whether one likes a genre, a theme or even a character. However, most readers can agree on whether a book is good or not, bias cannot affect that.

Dialogue, much like any part of writing a novel, has its own challenges. There are many examples of dialogue falling flat, of dialogue being used for small-talk and other unnecessary conversations. I have organized this 5-step process to ensure you get a grip on great dialogue.