Components of a Story
Themes add an important element to our stories, giving them meaning and adding extra depth. We'll cover some common book themes and how to write stories with them in mind.
It isn't easy to write a good villain, at least not without the right ingredients. Let Dabble give you the perfect recipe for a villain!
A character sketch is a great tool to flesh out a character and keep your story engaging. In this article, we cover how to write a character sketch to make better characters.
Character archetypes can help you write complex, three-dimensional characters. Learn more about them, including 14 common types, with Dabble.
Conflict is central to every story you write, but actually writing that conflict is tough. No need to fight for information, we've got all you need to write conflict!
In this Dabble Premium Deep Dive, we're looking at character relationships: what's involved with them, how to write them, and what people love about them. Plus, get a FREE downloadable resource to help craft your own relationships.
A character flaw is a fault, limitation, or weakness that can be internal or external factors that affect your character and their life.
While they can seem random, cliché, or epic, a surprising amount of thinking should go into what you name your characters. In this article, we break down why names are important, what you need to consider when picking one, and how to name your fictional characters.
Rising action takes up a massive chunk of your novel. About 50-70% of it, in fact. No wonder so many writers freeze up when it's time to tackle it. If you're one of them, this article can help.
Magical realism is an enthralling genre that somehow manages to illuminate truth by deviating from reality. If you've been curious about this fantastical literary style, here's everything you need to know.
The anti-hero is an undeniably compelling character archetype. It's also wildly complex and easy to confuse with other types of characters. Don't worry. You're about to get all the clarification you need to become a bonafide anti-hero expert.
What happens when your character's greatest antagonist is nature itself? Some pretty thrilling storytelling, usually. Here's everything you need to know to write a nail-biting character vs. nature conflict.
Ready to build some suspense and keep your readers frantically flipping pages? Then you'll want to check out this guide to foreshadowing.
A hook can be a great way to start a story, but it requires skill and a bit of finesse to pull off properly. That's why we've put together this guide to writing good hooks!
The Lie Your Character Believes is the key to their character arc, the central conflict, and even the theme of your story. But, like... what does that mean exactly? And how do you come up with a Lie compelling enough to drive a whole novel? Here's everything you need to know.
Want to create a disturbingly compelling negative character arc? The secret is to make your character's downfall feel plausible—even inevitable. Here's how.
There's a delicate balance when it comes to creating a protagonist readers will root for. Your main character has to be easy to like but also undeniably flawed. How do you pull that off? Here's everything you need to know.
Tension is such a powerful tool in gluing your readers to your book, but only if you know what you're doing. In this article, we discuss what you need to write killer tension.
Creating a whole fictional world can be a daunting task, but there's one tool you can use to make this fun, intricate process better: a worldbuilding bible. In this article, we discuss exactly what you need to create that document and give you a template to make one right here in Dabble!
Flashbacks and foreshadowing are great tools for creating a more immersive experience for your readers. But using them effectively is a craft unto itself. Here are some of the best techniques for putting these time-jumping devices to work in your novel.
English is whack. You should make something better. Here's how to make your own language in four simple steps, whether it's for a novel, show, your DnD group, or just a hobby.
Even if they aren't the star of the show, secondary characters can live rent-free in the minds of your readers long after your story is over. That's if you put in the work, though. So, in this article, we're going to figure out how to craft memorable Side Characters.
Plot holes can quickly make Swiss cheese of your story, ruining all the carefully crafted character arcs, themes, and beautiful narrative you've worked so hard to create. So let's figure out how to identify, fix, and prevent plot holes!
Is the Nice Guy trope really all that bad? Why are we suddenly giving the side-eye to all our classic romantic heroes? Here's everything you ever wanted to know about the Nice Guy, from the trope's influence on culture to its evolution in a new age of storytelling.
We've got you covered with the best character template ever to help bring your story's characters to life!
Snag this free, downloadable character development worksheet, designed to help you craft compelling characters and write an unputdownable story.
Oh hey, look at this! It's a free, downloadable character arc template to help you craft fascinating journeys for your characters. Plus, learn what it takes to create an arc-worthy character and how to weave their arc into your plot.
One of the coolest parts of writing a book with magic is creating your magic users. Here are nine different types of tried-and-true spellcasters you can use in your story!
One of the original story structures, Freytag's Pyramid is the foundation for dramatic stories and tragedies. Learn all about it with Dabble!
The Nice Guy trope: it's gotten increasingly controversial in the last few years, but it is it all bad? What defines this trope and how do authors adapt it for the modern world? We've got those answers right here.
Looking for a sad story idea that will absolutely destroy your readers (in a good way)? Here are 50 ideas you're free to steal, plus a few bonus tips on getting your audience to feel those feels.
Fight scenes are what some readers live for, but writing them can be tough. Let's dissect how to write a fight scene in your novel.
Magic is a staple of many genres, but a spellbinding book needs a good magic system. In this article, we cover what a magic system is and why you should care!
The protagonist vs. antagonist relationship is what makes your story a story. Learn how to craft each of these characters brilliantly and create conflict your readers will keep thinking about long after "the end."
Here's everything you wanted to know about all the types of characters in fiction. Learn how to define and write tertiary characters, protagonists, foils, and everything in between.
Maybe you've heard of foil characters before, but what exactly do these types of characters do? How can you make a good one? Don't worry, we cover everything you need to know about foil characters in this article.
Our three-act structure worksheet makes it easier than ever to plot a novel with this classic story framework.
Explorer Archetypes long for adventure and seek out new places, ideas, and experiences to live a thrilling, exciting, and fulfilling life.
Get to know the Innocent archetype, from Buddy the Elf to Andy Dwyer. Learn how to write this lovable (and sometimes chaotic) character.
Great characters have great character arcs, but those can be tough to come up with! In this article, we cover fifteen character arc ideas you can use to craft incredible stories.
Explore the fundamentals of the Outlaw Archetype and how they serve your story. Explore famous examples of Outlaws in popular media.
The Ruler archetype is one of the most recognizable and is about stability and maintaining order through control and power.
Secrets. They’re the lifeblood of any relationship. If you aren’t keeping at least a few secrets from your friends and loved ones, are you really living? Okay, maybe not. Secrets in real life can be a little tricky—we all have them—but they have a way of blowing up in our faces, depending on how big they are. Your characters are really no different. Only when you’re keeping secrets in fiction, you can make them even darker and deeper than any you might ever have in real life. (Hopefully, I don’t really know your life, so maybe not.) Secrets might not be something you’ve specifically thought about when you’re drafting a story. They’re the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. Adding them with intention can help increase tension, make twists hit that much harder, and keep your reader engaged.
Which of the four character arc types is right for your story? And what is a character arc?
That’s great—our fiction should reflect the world as it is and that means including people of various ethnic backgrounds and skin tones. But the history of writing about people of color is kind of… awful and it’s important to remember that you can’t just throw in a BIPOC character without giving some serious thought to how you represent and describe that character.
Tropes are one of the most important ingredients in storytelling. There are tropes like “enemies to lovers” or “the chosen one” that you’ll see in all forms of media from TV to movies to books. They’re comforting plot lines that readers relate and respond to because they understand what they mean. Characters can have tropes too—often referred to as archetypes—and these are the kinds of characters you’ll see over and over again in your favorite pieces of fiction. These include things like the wizened sage who offers up advice to the hero or the rebellious anarchist whose only goal is to bring down the establishment (often known as The Man.)
Writing abused characters requires humility, empathy, and a lot of research. Here’s how to portray these experiences authentically and with care.
Characters are almost inarguably the most vital part of your story. Sure, you can have a great plot and strong world-building, but if you don’t make your reader care about your characters, then chances are the rest of that stuff will fall flat. Characters are the thing that turn an okay read into a book your readers won’t be able to put down. So how do you create a character that makes them come back for more? By ensuring they have good character development, of course. But what does that mean? So glad you asked. In this article, we’ll go over what character development is, how to develop a character, and the things you can do to ensure you’ve created got the most memorable character possible.
Creating character arcs isn't for the faint of heart. You've got to be ruthless. You've got to be strategic. And it also helps to read this step-by-step guide.
Need a few character motivation examples to get those wheels turning? Or even to just get a better grip on what character motivation is? You can find 'em right here.
Naming your fantasy world and its towns, cities, and other locations can be a tall order. How do you even begin? What's the meaning behind famous names? In this article, we figure out how you can name your fantasy world and why you should put in the effort.
As writers, we have the power to both create and destroy our fictional characters. Sometimes characters die, and you want to make sure you're sending them off the right way. In this article, we dissect all the best ways to write a death scene.
Conflict is what makes books worth reading. Join us as we explore the four types of conflict you can use to make you story memorable!
We call it John Gardner's aquatic monstrosity, the Fichtean Curve is a narrative structure that can help you easily plan out your novel.
Not all antagonists are heartless villains. Some of the most memorable characters are the ones that do bad things but have a motivation we can understand. Learn how to write a sympathetic antagonist with this blog!
When used properly, a trope instantly hooks your reader and gives them a sense of familiarity in your unique story. In this article, we look at how to use motivation tropes, make them your own, and give you more than 50 examples of tropes to kick your characters into gear.
There are many schools of thought on writing character descriptions in your novels. Some people are of the “blank slate” variety offering up almost no physical descriptions and letting the reader decide. While others are more into the “give every detail” until their character might as well be a drawing on the page. Most writers fall somewhere in between that spectrum.
What is the hero archetype? From epic heroes to anti-heroes, here's everything you need to know about crafting a compelling hero.
Showing how characters fall in love can be one of the most challenging things to write. It’s so easy to slide into something that feels forced or unnatural, because the pacing requires a delicate hand and impeccable timing to make it just so.
Want to learn how to write a depressed character realistically and respectfully? Hoping to avoid bad clichés and harmful stereotypes? We can help.
Character motivation is essential in creating characters your readers will care about. Learn about the types of motivation with Dabble!
Learn about Dan Harmon's Story Circle—what it is, how it can help you plot your novel, and whether it's right for you.
Looking for the ultimate worldbuilding guide? You found it. From mapping worlds to dodging Worldbuilder's Disease, this how-to covers it all.
A New York City story coach shares her best tips on how to create compelling characters. She walks through each step in the process.
Antagonists are some of the most important types of characters in stories, but also some of the most difficult to write. Let's breakdown what makes a good antagonist.
The Hero's Journey is a classic story structure. Learn why it's so popular among writers and how to apply it to your own storytelling.
Giving your characters a believable and compelling backstory is one of the best ways to bring them to life on the page. Making it nice and traumatic also doesn’t hurt.
The Chosen One. It’s a trope that many people love to hate despite its pervasiveness across popular culture. If you’re unfamiliar with the Chosen One, it’s a popular trope or narrative device used across books, TV shows, and movies where a character is destined to fulfill a certain role or mission, often because they have unique abilities or traits. These traits are frequently tied to magic, meaning you’ll see this trope a lot in fantasy and other types of speculative fiction, especially those with a young adult audience.
What is three-act structure? Learn why this story structure is so effective and whether it can help you plot your novel.
The Magician archetype is one of the most popular archetypes in writing. In this blog, we explain everything you need to know about Magicians!
Supporting characters often become the best loved, least forgettable players in a novel. But how do you create supporting characters that are interesting enough to be adored without overshadowing the protagonist? Here's what you need to know.
Secondary characters make your fictional world complete and give your protagonist something to care about. But how do you develop these compelling side players without overshadowing your main character? Here's what you need to know.
Here are sixty-five character development questions, plus tips on how and when to interview your characters. Get inspired and get unstuck!
What is the Jester archetype? Find out what you need to know to give your funniest character true purpose and depth.
The Seducer/Seductress archetype can help you craft unforgettable villains and surprisingly sympathetic anti-heroes. Learn how.
We break down Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method, a type of outlining that can make writing your book much easier and faster.
The seven basic plot points offer perhaps what is the most open-ended of the structure archetypes with broad, high-level descriptions.
Internal conflict is essential for a great story, but what makes great internal conflict? In this article, we dissect what you need for a character's inner struggle and look at some examples of incredible internal conflict in media.
The Sage archetype is an important one in all storytelling—one that can either help or hinder the protagonist's journey in your book.
Perfect characters are boring. Readers want characters who struggle through, endure, and overcome the obstacles you throw at them. To do that, we need to give them weaknesses. In this article, we discuss what character weaknesses are and how you can integrate them into your writing.
Sidekick characters. The unsung hero of so many stories. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. They're the ones who are always there to lend a helping hand, crack a joke, or provide some much-needed emotional relief. And let's be real, sometimes they don’t go unsung. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show.
Need character ideas for your next story? Find a ton of original ideas and brainstorming questions right here!
Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? Don’t worry, that’s not a trick question. They should be doing that. In fact, you should be putting lots of thought and development into protagonists because that’s who the story is about. But how much thought have you given to your tertiary characters? They can be important too.If you want to breathe life into your stories, it's time to give tertiary characters a little love. These small but mighty players can add depth, complexity, and a fresh perspective to your plot. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship.
Plot holes: those pesky little mistakes that can fall anywhere between a simple accident in eye color all the way to messing up your entire story. We’ve all been there. You thought you wrapped up everything so nicely, but then you go back to edit, or a friendly and well-meaning beta reader asks you “what about this?” and suddenly you’re struck with a sense of impending doom.
Why does character motivation matter? Find out why a thrilling plot is not enough and how to design motivation that resonates with readers.
Perfect characters are boring. Every character needs a flaw or twelve, not just because it’s more realistic, but because they help deepen your story. Character flaws make your characters more interesting and give you leverage to create conflict, plot, goals, and motivations. If your characters are perfect and have nothing to strive for or nothing they wish to attain, then your story is going to feel a little (or very) flat. Flaws can include a wide range of traits, from something as simple as talking too loudly to as complex and serious as being wildly arrogant. There are degrees of flaws where some will have little to no impact on your story and some will have a significant impact.
Looking for some good villain motivations to drive your evil-doer's dastardly deeds? Find inspiration here... as well as some great tips for creating a compellingly wicked Why.
We tend to give a lot of thought to our characters when we’re writing. Their likes and dislikes. Their appearance and disposition. Hopefully their wants, goals, motivations, flaws and all the things that make them feel like real people. But how much thought do you give to actually introducing them to your readers? A strong introduction to a character can help make or break that character and the way your reader perceives them. So what’s in an introduction, anyway?
Magic is an essential part of most fantasy stories, but creating your own magic system can be tough. We break down everything you need to write your own magic system in this article.
Dystopian fiction is one of the darker subgenres of science fiction and fantasy. It takes us into dark, foreboding worlds, where oppression and bleak landscapes are the norm. Books like 1984 by George Orwell, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley have become classics that shine a light on political corruption, environmental disaster, and societal collapse.Why do we love these stories? Maybe it's because dystopian fiction allows us to explore worst-case scenarios, to grapple with the idea that the world we know and love could be lost forever. It's a way for us to confront our fears and anxieties about the future, to see what could happen if we continue down a certain path.
There are a lot of pieces of writing advice you can ignore, but here’s one you shouldn’t: you need to include character goals in your story.
When you make up fictional people, you're going to become an expert on them. You'll know them more than you know some of your friends. But what do you absolutely need to know about them before you start writing? Let's break it down.
Are you looking for a little inspiration to write your own system of magic? In this article, we examine seven examples of the most popular magic systems in literature.
The Orphan archetype makes for both inspiring heroes and unsettlingly sympathetic villains. Learn how to use this archetype in your story.
Being told your character is "one-dimensional" can feel like a slap to the face. But what does that even mean? And is there a place for one-dimensional characters in books? We discuss all that and more in this article.
The Common Person or Everyman is a powerful archetype that can instantly relate to your readers. Learn how to use it in your writing!
Villains are the characters we love to hate. Or sometimes our love for the villain is equally strong as it is for the protagonist. Why? Because it can be fun to root for the bad guy (speaking in general terms here–not just guys can be bad, obviously). But readers only root for the villain if you’ve given them a reason to do so. A villain needs depth and development, just like any of your more heroic characters. They need motivation and faults and weaknesses to make them full and complete characters.
The Creator Archetype breathes life into their art, often to an obsessive level. Learn all about using this archetype in your writing!
The caregiver archetype is more than a saint. Learn how to craft a fascinating, flawed, and deep-souled caregiver for your story.
Worldbuilding is the subtle backbone of your story. It won’t make or break your novel like the characters or plot might, but it’s necessary for building a believable setting that your readers will embrace. If they’re distracted by inconsistencies in your setting then they might have a hard time focusing on the story. And we don't want that.