The creative writing blog

The Novelry

We recap our first season of The Novelry on Writing, featuring tips from bestselling writing coaches and Big Five publishing editors.

Amanda Reynolds

What is a foil character, and how can you incorporate one into your novel? In this article, bestselling author Amanda Reynolds clarifies this literary device, provides examples of famous foil characters, and offers ten tips for writing an effective foil character.

Sadé Omeje

Editor Sadé Omeje takes a deep dive into magical realism as a form of fiction writing, shares her best tips, her favorite books, and tidbits from our writers and editors.

Melanie Conklin

Is your character curious and conscientious, or vicious and vain? This article defines what character traits are and how to use them, with a comprehensive character traits list to help you build compelling characters.

Libby Page

How do you want to leave your readers feeling? In this article, author and writing coach Libby Page explores various happy endings and how best to finish your novel to leave your readers feeling satisfied.

Ella McLeod

In this article, YA author and coach Ella McLeod explains the distinction between writing for and about teenagers, demonstrating how to write a Young Adult novel that connects authentically with teenage readers.

Jenana Kekic

In this blog, we take a closer look at what a traditional publisher does, who the Big Five are, and some notable independent publishing companies to have on your radar.

Alice Kuipers

Do you dream of writing a book about your life? Writing about your life brings myriad challenges. Alice Carrière, the bestselling and award-winning author of Everything/Nothing/Someone, offers insights from her experience writing a memoir, and writing coach Alice Kuipers gives you 5 tips to get you started.

Melanie Conklin

What is rising action, and how do you use it to create a page-turning story? The Novelry defines rising action and demonstrates how to use Freytag’s Pyramid as the story structure for your novel.

Elsa Doig

Binge-watched every season of Bridgerton so far? Get your Regency romance fix with five secrets from Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton series, shared during a live writing class with The Novelry.

L.R. Lam

What are character archetypes? We explore Carl Jung’s major archetypes and how you can use them to write and develop your novel’s characters.

Emylia Hall

Emylia Hall, bestselling author of the Shell House Detectives series, shares five insightful tips on writing a gripping detective novel series.