3 Step Method to Finding and Fixing Plot Holes

My latest novel, The Terminarch Plot, is probably my most ambitious work yet.  I spent at least 6 months designing the backstory and various otherworldly settings where the series would take place. However, once the first novel was complete and off to the beta-readers, I was informed right away that there were several plot holes that

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: Embellishing Headlines for Plotlines

I am currently in the middle of writing the first installment of a science-fiction series I have called “The Five Rims”, the first book in the installment titled “The Last Terran”. The first book is a mystery novel at its core, set in a far-flung future universe where humans are not the saviors but the

How to Revitalize An Overused Plot Line

One of the things I often lament is the tired plot line or the plot line that is completely overused.  There are many of them, but recently there have been two blockbuster films and one best selling book that are, in essence, the same plot as other well known films or books. Three cases prove

Plot Devices: Constructing a Novel

This week I have been plotting out my new novel tentatively titled The Painful Best.  In the process of creating characters, tying the plot threads together and creating some terrible red herrings for my readers to follow, I have been going through some new and interesting things to do to my new novel to make it