Our Articles

If you love reading romance novels then you can\'t avoid a romantic trope. It\'s that part in the book when the two work colleagues who hate one another suddenly find themselves trapped in a lift together (forced proximity!). Or when two strangers brush fingers picking up the same fallen item (sexual tension!). Or when the heroine faints and the strong, silent type catches her (alpha hero!). In other words, the scene that makes you squeal \'yesss, I knew it!\' In this article, we\'re going to look at what a trope is, romance novel sub-genres, and managing reader expectations. Plus we\'ll also take a closer look at twenty of the most popular tropes and think about how to keep them fresh. What Is A Trope? A story trope, whether found in literature or films, is a totally expected situation between two characters that moves the action forward. Tropes can be found in almost any genre (from fantasy to historical fiction) - but it\'s the romance genre that\'s famed for providing the most sought-after scenarios. Different Romance Genres If you\'re considering writing your own love story, one of the first things you must decide is what sub-genre to choose from. In any love story, readers expect the main storyline to have two (or more) people falling in love and living happily ever after by the end. Although, the time in which the book is set, the setting, and the characters themselves also determine the book\'s sub-genre. Let\'s look closely at each sub-genre and how they\'re defined: Historical: This is when a book is set during a period previous to the current-day (yes, even the 1990\'s count as historical. Sorry, I don\'t make the rules).The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) Fantasy: When the setting is set in a different world to ours (this includes sci-fi, dystopia, and paranormal romance).The Princess Bride (S. Morgenstern) Rom-com: A romantic comedy is when the characters must face a series of amusing events before they finally get together.The Flatshare (Beth O\'Leary) Christmas: This is a relatively new category, but festive books have become so popular with readers lately that they have become a genre of their own.One Day in December (Josie Silver) Erotic: This is a love story where the plot revolves around the sex and not the other way around. It can include BDSM, kink, LGBT characters, and many of its own sub-genres.Fifty Shades of Grey (E. L. James) Young Adult: Romance books written for teenagers, often depicting first love and all the drama that can happen when two young people fall in love.The Sun Is Also A Star (Nicola Yoon) Religious/Spiritual: This category often includes Christian fiction, or \'clean\' fiction (ie very little sexual tension and no on-page sex), but can also include characters spiritually finding themselves...as well as one another.Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) LGBTQ: Any romance novels depicting love between anyone who doesn\'t define themselves as straight. This can be combined with any of the above categories too, of course.Tipping the Velvet (Sarah Waters) Romance stories don\'t need to fit neatly into just one category, many fall into various sub-genres. For instance, Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) is a steamy, fantasy and historical romance. Whereas Red, White and Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston) is an LGBTQ rom-com YA novel, with the US president\'s son falling in love with a British prince. Why Do Tropes Matter To Romance Readers? It doesn\'t matter what particular trope features in a love story, the most popular romance tropes are the ones that bring a couple together and create tension and pace in the story. With each trope, a writer is pushing their characters together then ripping them apart again. This not only builds attraction and tension between the protagonists, but it heightens the stakes and keeps readers hooked. My one aim as a romance novelist (I\'ve written both paranormal romance and fantasy romance novels) is to keep my readers on the edge of their seats, wondering whether the main characters will get together - then making sure that by the end they do. That\'s all romance readers want; the pain and suffering of impossible love, followed by the sweet joy that love won after all. A happy ending gives us all hope. It makes us believe that we too can find love. It makes the world seem like a nicer place. This is what romance readers expect. Don\'t let them down! Top 20 Most Powerful Romance Tropes As Shakespeare once wrote, \'the course of true love never did run smooth.\' Which is why every romance writer ensures that their main character has to fight as hard as possible (be it an internal struggle or a literal battle with external forces) to be with their one true love. Soul mates who are destined to be together, suffer together - and the most entertaining way of ensuring that is to throw in a few tried and tested tropes to keep the pace and tension going. Here are my favourite twenty romance tropes, including examples from both books and movies: 1. The Cute Meet-Cute A meet-cute is when two lovers first meet. This needs to be memorable, and preferably it also needs to be cute. A classic example is one of them humiliating themselves in front of the other, or something happening that instantly turns them into enemies. Or you can be original and have a one night stand be the beginning of their love story, then make the couple work hard to turn instant attraction into true love. 2. Enemies to lovers There\'s a thin line between love and hate, which is why the Enemies to Lovers is one of the most popular tropes. Demonstrating bristling tension between your protagonists, and then showing readers how those initial feelings change over the course of the book, can create conflict, tension and a lot of romantic angst. For example, everyone loves a bad boy, but it\'s a lot more fun if the heroine falls for him after a long time of thinking that she hated him. Or perhaps, such as in a workplace romance, she\'s the mean boss and he\'s the nice guy who can\'t stand her. So many scenarios are available! 3. Forced Proximity Nothing gets my heart soaring as much as a scene in a book where the enemies to lovers couple book into a hotel and...THERE\'S ONLY ONE BED! Sarah J Mass does this beautifully in A Court of Mist and Fury. Or (I love this one) two people who have been refusing to acknowledge their feelings for one another have to quickly hide and find themselves locked IN A SMALL BROOM CUPBOARD! Excuse my basic tastes here, but this is the classic example of creating a physical and emotional connection between two characters who have allowed their heads to rule their hearts (and lower regions). But once they\'re touching, once their lips are inches apart, they can\'t fight it any longer. Swoon! 4. Destiny This may seem like a lazy trope but it\'s a classic. When two characters are thrown together by fate, who are they to argue? Star crossed lovers trying to live out their destiny? Yes, please! In my own book, The Path Keeper (N J Simmonds), Zac has been in love with Ella for over 2,000 years and hundreds of lifetimes. It\'s his fate to love her, yet in this lifetime she loves him back. The only problem is that he\'s an angel (don\'t you just hate it when that happens?). 5. Childhood sweethearts This romance trope is a favourite with YA books and less-steamy romance novels. No one forgets their first crush, or the potency and drama of first love, and it\'s this friends to lovers theme that makes the \'we are best friends, but now we\'re going to ruin everything for love\' storyline so compelling. Look at Elle in The Kissing Booth, she\'s about to ruin her friendship with her male friend, Lee, because she\'s fallen in love with his alpha brother, Noah (also her friend). What could possibly go wrong? 6. Forbidden Love From Romeo and Juliet, to Twilight, as soon as you tell someone (OK, a teenage girl in a lot of these cases) that she can\'t have someone - that certain someone becomes ten times more desirable. A forbidden love interest is key to this trope, and it\'s that one obstacle that will keep them apart and keep raising the stakes (excuse the vampire pun). And what happens when they finally do get together? Well, as Juliet and Bella will tell you, it\'s not pretty. 7. Impossible Love There\'s a fine line between impossible love and forbidden love. In forbidden love, the obstacles are normally societal or human (ie he\'s a prince and she\'s an ordinary person, or she\'s a Capulet and he\'s a Montague). But with impossible love, the obstacle can be something a lot more esoteric. In the aptly-named rom-com novel, Impossible (Sarah Lots), a couple fall in love over email - then discover they are in two different parallel universes! How on Earth are they ever going to find one another? 8. Second Chance Love Can someone find happiness a second time around? Whether their first blind date went badly and she\'s giving him a second chance, or (like in Nicholas Sparks\' The Notebook) they fell in love, separated for seven years, and then couldn\'t keep away from one another, second chances are the biggest \'will they, won\'t they\' risk. Another version of this is when a recently widowed or divorced character no longer trusts love...but they\'ve just met their perfect match. We believe in their love, but do they? 9. I Have A Secret Every story needs a surprise, and every character needs a secret. Whether they\'re hiding the news of a secret baby (like in Helen Fielding\'s Bridget Jones\' Baby where we don\'t know who the father really is) or whether they\'re pretending to be someone they\'re not (like Casanova who doesn\'t reveal his true identity until the end of the film) it\'s the suspense that draws readers - whether they\'re in on the secret or not! 10. The Bet This trope is where someone (usually an alpha hero) places a bet that he can get the unobtainable/prissy/ugly duckling girl. Then he falls for her - but not before she finds out, loses trust in him, and ironically breaks his heart in return. This trope was used widely in the 90s (think movies like Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, and She\'s All That) but, thankfully, with the rise of feminism in storytelling, it\'s now often presented in a less misogynistic way. 11. Fake Relationship This is one of my favourite tropes, not because it\'s original but because I enjoy seeing what will happen to the couple to make them realise that they\'re not faking their love after all! Whether they\'re involved in a marriage of convenience/arranged marriage, or it\'s simply a fake relationship in high school (such as the one in To all the boys I loved before by Jenny Han), the fun part is watching them realise what we, the readers, spotted from the very beginning. 12. Love Triangle Love triangles are corny and a little tired, but if written originally they can still add a lot of tension to love stories. In Outlander, for instance, the heroine is torn between loving her husband in 1945 and her lover in 1743 (now there\'s a quandary). 13. Opposites Attract I do love a sunshine and grump couple. There\'s nothing more appealing than when two completely different people, who would normally have nothing in common, become foil characters because their opposite attributes are exactly what the other needs. This trope can be made even more entertaining if you choose a difficult setting, such as marooning them on a desert island or situating them in the middle of the jungle. I especially love the \'high flying woman and rough and ready guy\' combo in the movies Crocodile Dundee or Romancing The Stone (and the recent modern twist to these movies, The Lost City). 14. Amnesia/Mistaken Identity In the 1987 rom-com movie Overboard (and the less amusing, gender-swapped remake of 2018) a rich woman on a yacht is rude to her handyman (opposites attract) and she refuses to pay him. When she falls overboard and loses her memory, as revenge he convinces her she\'s the mother of his children and makes her pay him back in hard labour. But it all backfires when...surprise surprise...he falls madly in love with her. But what if she finds out what he did? Highly immoral, yes, but also highly entertaining. 15. Instalove This trope gets a lot of bad press, but personally, I want to see an instant something between soul mates in the book I\'m reading. I don\'t care if that initial reaction is curiosity, desire, lust, friendship - no matter what people say, when you meet someone you want to have a relationship with there is often a spark. A pull. An \'oh no, I\'m not going to be able to fight this\' longing. And that instalove, the one the couple keep trying to ignore, is what makes the belated love epiphany at the end so much sweeter! 16. Fish Out Of Water This one is a lot of fun and works well in romcoms and YA. It is also perfectly paired with Opposites Attract and Enemies to Lovers (for the single reason that if you aren\'t familiar with your surroundings, the chances are the people there will be very different to you). One example is the series Virgin River (Robyn Carr). She\'s a strong-headed medical professional from the big city, he\'s a homely bar owner from a small close-knit town. She\'s widowed (Second Chance trope) and he has a shady past. Can they make it work? Of course they can (eventually)! 17. Stuck Together This trope is the perfect mix of the Forced Proximity and Enemies to Lovers tropes - but with the added tension of the fact that they can\'t escape one another. In The Hating Game (Sally Thorne), work colleagues are forced to share an office and find themselves competing for the same job. They\'re rivals, they hate one another, neither of them will give up...but then love gets in the way. 18. Just Friends Friends to Lovers is one of the most popular tropes because, well, who hasn\'t once had a crush on a friend? In the 2011 movie, Friends With Benefits, two friends who get on really well decide that instead of bothering with a romantic relationship - and all the stress that brings - they will keep things purely physical. Surely they can be just friends...with benefits...and not fall in love, right? Wrong. 19. It Was Right In Front Of You All Along! There\'s nothing more romantic (albeit frustrating to watch) than a belated love epiphany, with the main character realising right at the last minute that the one they love was there all along. In the movie Yesterday, a struggling musician, Jack, one day discovers that everyone has forgotten who The Beatles are; which means he becomes famous by pretending to write some of the world\'s most popular songs. But while he\'s sucked into his newfound stardom he doesn\'t realise that Ellie, his best friend, is the true love of his life. 20. And The Biggest, Most Important One? Happily Ever After. If your story doesn\'t end with a happy ending, then it\'s not a romance. I\'m not saying you can\'t make us cry at the end (Me Before You, One Day, The Songs of Us), and I\'m not saying the couple has to get together, but at least leave us believing that true love really does exist. So whether you have your protagonists kissing in the rain, riding off into the sunset, or realising they love their best friend, just make sure you give your what they readers expect - lots of love! Trope Vs Trite As we\'ve seen, tropes can be predictable and formulaic. If we settle down to watch a romantic movie we want three things: A believable scenario (female heroine returning to her small town). Things bringing the couple together then ripping them apart (misunderstandings, love triangles, bad boys making bad decisions, unrequited love, a bride getting cold feet). And then it all being resolved by Act 3 and the two of them living happily ever after. It\'s OK to put all these things in your book, in fact, it\'s vital - readers love this - but it\'s how you introduce a romantic trope that matters. That\'s the part people will remember and how you set your book apart from all the other stories. So how can you achieve that? How To Make Romance Tropes Feel New How do you write a unique story, but include lots of well-loved romantic tropes? Here are three ways... Unexpected Outcome Surprise your readers. Instead of a girl not being able to choose between two boys, why not make the relationship polyamorous, feature bisexual characters, or involve a thrupple? Change The Setting Maybe you want to write the next Romeo and Juliet... but what if it\'s set in a dystopian world? With aliens? Mix Up The Genres In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins introduces a love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. The difference is that this book isn\'t a love story, it\'s a dystopian YA series with a David And Goliath trope. Yet it still works. And They All Lived Happily Ever After... I hope you found this article as entertaining to read as I found it to write! Adding romantic tropes to your novel can make all the difference, just make sure you keep it fresh and keep those readers guessing (and swooning).

All writers have different writing styles - whether that means what they write, how they write, or the way they approach their writing. It\'s always fascinated me how the English language is made up of simply twenty-six letters arranged into more than 171,500 words, all of which we use to express thoughts, ideas and emotions. Every piece of literature, from ad copy to Shakespeare, is made up of that! But how you choose to combine those letters to express information to an audience is what matters, and is entirely unique. That\'s why no two books are the same, and no two writers are either. If you\'re asking yourself \'How many types of writers are there? And which am I?\' then you\'re at the right place! In this article, I will shed light on the different types of writing out there, as well as the different writing personalities you might come across. Hopefully, you will find one you identify with and can use the tips in this article to embrace your own unique style. Different Kinds Of Writers As a child, I remember telling my careers advisor ‘I want to be a writer’. All I knew at the time was that I wanted to use words. I wanted to tangle them up, mix them around and find new ways to express myself. Descriptive writing, scientific writing, creative writing - it didn\'t matter to me, I just had a lot to say! There are four main categories of writing styles: expository writing (explaining something), descriptive writing (whether fiction or non-fiction), persuasive writing (as in copywriters for advertising agencies or journalists for certain press) or storytelling. If, like me, you\'ve always known you want to write but have no idea what kind of writing jobs exist, then take a look at the list below where I will be discussing authors (both fiction and non-fiction), technical writing, what it means to be a blog writer (like I\'m doing right now), and lots of other avenues writers choose to take. Let\'s start with storytelling... Fiction Writers Creative writing isn\'t a vocation that always guarantees a full-time wage (at least, not to begin with), but it is very rewarding, plus it\'s a great way to build your writing skills. Being an author often involves conjuring up the five senses, lots of narrative writing and descriptive writing - it\'s describing something that isn\'t real. In short, creative minds love nothing more than inventing new worlds. Some authors write novels and short stories, while others prefer flash fiction and poetry - and most dream of one day becoming published.  If this is the kind of writing that makes your heart flutter, take a look at our many articles on how to get published, along with lots of examples of what it takes to become a fiction author. Non-Fiction Writers When it comes to non-fiction you can choose to be a technical writer (ie content creation, such as this article and blog post) or a non-fiction creative writer - but either way, what you\'re writing about is not made up. Non-fiction writing suits those who love research as it\'s based on facts (no made-up stories).Instead of starting with a ‘what if…’ question, most start with a ‘why…’ question. The goal is to teach and inform. For authors, this includes how-to books, self-help books, historical tomes, scientific or academic books, political biographies, and even memoirs. Instead of wanting to write books, other writers may prefer to submit articles to publications or run their own blogs, which may cover writing on current events, first-hand accounts or business writing. Either way, this type of writing (like fiction writing) often means planning and writing your work before knowing whether it will get published (or make you any money). So if it\'s writing as a full-time career you are after, then that leads us on to... Professional Writers All writers work, but by \'professional\' I mean a guaranteed, regular income that comes solely from your writing. If you want a job that pays you to put pen to paper, then you may choose to become an investigative journalist, copywriter or work in marketing. Although this does mean studying the professions, because none of these are jobs you can easily fall into. Freelance writers, on the other hand, are employed on an ad-hoc basis to create content such as this article. It\'s a fun way to find your feet as you get to try out various types of writing, reporting on various subjects, and in various writing styles. It\'s less about qualifications and more about building up a decent portfolio. Full-time employed copywriters are similar to the above but employed by a business or agency, writing everything from advertising and marketing copy to specialising in business or technical writing. Writing for business may not be as much fun as spending all day in your PJs conjuring up plots about dragons and mystical lands, but it does guarantee a regular wage (which is why many authors manage to do both types of writing side by side until their books take off). Other Types Of Expressive Writing Styles Fiction, non-fiction, and technical writing are not the only styles of writing you can explore. There are so many more. Each of them tend to follow their own structure, have their own rules and certainly have their own audience. If you haven\'t found a style that suits you yet, why not explore a few of the following creative ways to express yourself? Playwright Songwriter Screenplay writer Comics/Manga/Graphic novels Radio plays Even though each of these unique crafts takes skill, practise and perseverance, unlike being a professional writer there\'s nothing stopping you from taking an online course and having a go. Investigative journalists don\'t leave university and walk straight into a top job at The New York Times, but many creative writers have accidentally fallen into their area of expertise and made it work. There are no rules about picking just one type of writing style or job and sticking to it. Try them all and see where you end up. It\'s not just what you write about that\'s important. With so many different writing styles and approaches out there, it\'s also important to understand what kind of writer you are. So let\'s take a look... Finding Your Writing Style It’s important to point out that there\'s no right or wrong way to be a successful writer. With technical writing there are usually brand guidelines to stick to and an audience to consider. But in fiction, although there may be guidelines within each genre and sub-genre, the longer you work on your craft the more you understand that those rules are there to be challenged, bent, sometimes even broken. Finding a writing style to suit you means finding what works for you. Yet how are you able to know what works if you\'ve yet to put a single word down on paper? Or perhaps you have but it\'s not going as planned. Each writer is different in terms of how much time they have, how much energy, experience and even how their mind works. Here are some ways to approach writing and find a style that works for you! Trial And Error The only way to know if you have the time or the tenacity to be the type of writer you want to be is to have a go. It\'s that simple. Take a look at all the styles in this article and set yourself a task - offer to pen an article for your favourite blog, come up with a song, enter a short story competition. What do you have to lose? Try different areas of writing and see what feels natural to you. See where your voice feels most comfortable and what you enjoy the most. You don\'t even have to tell anyone, it can be your own private passion until you\'re ready to make it your own. Read. A Lot! And Widely The very best piece of advice I was given as an aspiring author was “read often”. Explore different styles of writing and see what sparks your interest and what engages you as a reader. This doesn\'t only apply to creative writing but also to non-fiction and journalism. Devour as much as you can, make notes, read books on becoming a writer, and keep learning. Work To Your Strengths/Embrace Your Voice Most of us will know instinctively what we enjoy writing. If you know, you know. And whatever style that is, it’s ok! You don’t need to change who you are to fit into a box that doesn’t feel right for you. If you write novels, and you don’t enjoy writing short stories, that’s ok. Maybe you know you have a great story inside you, but you simply don’t want to write a whole 90,000 word novel; in which case, try writing shorter novellas.  All writing is creative. It’s art. It will always find an audience no matter how niche. Don\'t get stuck on narrative style or a specific purpose, or what the publishing industry and your favourite authors are doing, just write and see what happens. Once you have decided which style of writing suits you, and you can hear your author voice, the next step is to truly understand, embrace and enjoy the type of scribe you are. What Kind Of Writer Are You? Just as there are many types of books and ways to express yourself, there are also many types of writers. How you approach your work influences what you write, how long it takes, and how hard you will find it. For now, I\'m going to focus on fiction. Below is a list of personalities I have come across in my time. You may well find yourself here – you might not. Many writers are a combination of more than one type of personality, and like a writer\'s work and their readers, other authors find that they\'ve approached each one of their books in a different way.  So what\'s your personality type? Here\'s an example (or eleven). Writing Personalities Planner/Intense Plotter You know exactly what you\'re doing. You know exactly what you\'re writing, how long it needs to be and what needs to be included in each chapter, because you\'ve spent weeks (or even months) plotting every scene. Your office is covered in sticky notes. If you get a block, you turn to that 10,000 word outline you created before you wrote a single page of the novel or the character profiles you drew up before you worked out your beats. You might still have wobbles, but you know how to get back on track. You work on one novel at a time and until it’s polished, then you take those sticky notes down and start all over again. Pantser The opposite of a planner, you fly by the seat of your pants and love it. You use the freedom of no rules and no structure to let the characters tell their story and delight in the surprises that arrive on the page when people in your head suddenly do something you didn’t see coming. You embrace the ‘dirty first draft’ and expect to wrangle the story out of the arms of those wild voices and turn their bizarre exploits into an understandable plot. You start with a rough idea and let your imagination do the rest. Structure and beats can wait, that all comes in the edit. Turtle Slow and steady wins the race, right? As a turtle writer, you often feel intimidated by those who seem to be able to sit at their desk and churn out chapter after chapter. You, however, take your time. Every word has its moment to shine. You might not write in great quantities, but quality counts. It can, and often does, mean your edits don’t take as long, because you polish as you go, but by the time the pantser has wrangled their characters into shape, the turtle will be right there with them at the finish line. Magpie You never ignore a voice when it speaks. Your notebooks are filled to the brim with ideas and half-written chapters, sometimes even a detailed synopsis. You have Pinterest boards for your settings and a mood board per scene. You could be deep in a first draft and a new idea will pop up, which you embrace, make a note of, then set aside to percolate. It may mean your first drafts take longer to complete, but at least you know once you are finished, you have a million books to choose from to work on next. Be careful though magpie, you can very easily turn into an eternal procrastinator. Speed Demon You write fast and furiously. As soon as you sit in your chair, you know you won\'t leave until all the words in your head are on the page. But it can be exhausting. You may feel depleted at the end of the day, but that’s fine, as you will take the down days in between writing days to find inspiration and fill that creative well again ready for your next writing sprint. You may need to learn to embrace the lulls as well as the sprints to make the most of this writing personality. NaNoWriMo-er You love nothing more than a deadline, and a cheerleading squad behind you gives you the push to get through the slow days. That\'s why NaNoWriMo is perfect for you. The constant accountability means you can’t procrastinate. You know that writing an entire novel in a month will mean a very dirty first draft, but you also know you will have something to edit at the end of the month and embrace that. One Hit Wonder You\'ve written a book that means the world to you. This book is destined to be your bestseller and you\'re not prepared to accept anything less than your very best work. You work, and rework that book because you know you will see perfection on the page when it\'s finally finished. You won\'t hear the constant chatter of ‘move on’ because you know your end goal and that is all that matters. But be careful, because no book is ever truly finished, and if you can write one good book you can create another… so don’t take too long! The Eternal Procrastinator You know you should sit your bum in the chair and write all the words. Every single self-help book you\'ve ever read says you “can’t edit an empty page”. No matter how many times you shout at yourself to sit down and write the damn book,the doom scrolling on Twitter is just too tempting. Doing short bursts of writing, often with an accountability buddy, may help you get out of the eternal cycle of procrastination. The eternal procrastinator has a tendency to slip into the Magpie category too – so be careful, because all that glitters isn\'t gold. The Happy Murderer You love nothing more than ‘killing your babies’, getting a real thrill out of over-writing your first draft and then taking the axe that is the red pen and cutting out thousands of words at a time. You know you may lose a character or a whole scene, but that’s the thrill. Seeing all the words on the page and then cutting them down to only those that are necessary gives you a buzz. You\'re the writer that prefers to edit. Life is tough, and so is writing, so you spare no feelings and are ruthless with your work. After all, if you want a perfect book, you have to be discerning with what you put on the page, right? Multitasker Why work on one book when you can work on two, or three? Life is too short to focus on one story at a time and you have many to tell. You’re only happy when you\'re editing one book, polishing another and plotting a new one, all at the same time as writing a first draft. You have no issue hopping between worlds to keep things fresh. but beware, you may exhaust yourself easily or become too distracted to finish any project in a timely manner. Secret Keeper/Dark Horse No one knows you are writing the next best-seller. You work away silently in the shadows hoping to emerge with a beautifully polished novel and surprise everyone with your \'overnight\' book deal. You don’t need or want the opinions of others. You know what you want to write and you don’t want to muddy your mind with other people\'s thoughts. Also, no one knowing about your secret project means there are no expectations, no time constraints, and no deadlines. You\'re entirely self-motivated. Just remember that the story you\'re writing for yourself will only ever live if you do eventually share it… so don\'t bottle it up once the time is right. All Writers Are Unique Did I convince you? Have you recognised yourself in any of these personality types? Or are you a mix of more than one? As writers we are creatives. As creatives, we buck the trends and rebel against the world to make sense of it using words. There\'s no true way to write a book. No one personality that suits being a writer and no rules that can’t be bent or broken. Instead, use this article as a framework to understand that there are a million ways you can approach writing and none of them are wrong. Writing should, at its core, always be enjoyable. If you\'re finding it a chore, try a different style (write short bursts of poetry or short stories to flex your writing muscles). Challenge yourself! Or, take a look at the different personality types and try a different method. If you\'re a pantser but you’re struggling to just go with the flow, try some planning techniques to break away from the norm - or do some freestyle writing to free your muse. Each book, each piece of writing, and each creator is unique. Embrace that and have fun getting to know the writer inside of you waiting to show the world what you can offer!

One of the very first things we must ask ourselves as we sit down to write is, \'who is telling the story? Who is the reader listening to?\' You may have an ingenious plot and a cast of wonderful characters, but you must also be able to tell the story in a way that will resonate with your reader. This is why establishing point of view is so important. In this article you will learn how to write in third person limited point of view, what that means, and how to make it work for your story. Choosing What Tense To Write In The two most common points of view (or POV) are first person and third person. In the first person, the character is the narrator, they talk about themselves using ‘I’. In the third person, the narrator is separate to the character, talking about them using their name or third-person pronouns such as she/he/they.   But how do you choose between first and third person? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. With first person POV, you are right inside the character’s head and constantly listening to their thoughts and opinions which can be hugely effective. However, with third person you can put space between the character and the narrator; useful for adding flavour and depth, and for withholding some elements to increase suspense.   You can also choose to mix it up! If you are writing a novel, perhaps have one character in first person, and others in the third. This may also help you to create a more distinct ‘voice’ for them.  Now, let’s assume you have chosen to use the third person. This article will explore in greater depth how you can use the third person point of view, offering tips and tricks to be more effective, and some key examples to help illustrate.   So read on for help on how to use third person POV to really make your stories stand out.  What Is Third Person Limited Point Of View? Having decided on the third person POV, there is one more choice to make: how much does your narrator know? Are they an omniscient narrator, knowing all things about everyone? Or are they limited to only one character (or a handful if you are using multiple POVs – which we’ll talk more about in a moment)?  The third person limited point of view is where the narrator tells the story from the perspective of a single protagonist, referring to them by name or using a third person pronoun such as they/she/he. The narrator can only see inside the mind of the protagonist. They are sitting on their shoulder, watching as the action unfolds around them. By definition, the limited nature of this POV comes from the fact the narrator cannot tell what other characters are thinking or feeling.  How is third person limited different from writing in the first person? At first glance it may seem that the two are similar, you could just use ‘I’ instead of ‘he/she/they’. However, third person limited allows you to zoom in and out from the character, so you can choose to be right in their head at one moment (also known as close third person), and then further away from them at another, adjusting the lens for optimal impact. For more on this, read our article on narrative distance. Some third person limited examples from books include Stephen King’s Misery, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, and Jane Austen’s Emma.  Choosing what tense to write your novel in is very important! Writing In Third Person Limited Point Of View Writing in third person point of view limited can offer a plethora of opportunities, allowing you ample flexibility to tell your story, while still creating characters who are vibrant and seem to leap off the page as the action unfolds through their perspective.  Five top tips for writing in third person limited POV are:  Choose your POV character carefully  Consider multiple POVs (if appropriate)  Be consistent  Show the world as your character sees it  Allow your POV characters to be fallible  1. Choose Your POV Character Carefully The third person limited narrator is most likely the protagonist, the primary person around whom the plot is centred. Can they see enough of the action to make the plot satisfying for the reader?  If not, consider using a second POV character. Can they carry the story? Will the reader enjoy being with them? They do not have to be ‘liked’ per se (and their flaws will add flavour) but they must be engaging. Do they have a sufficiently interesting perspective to ensure readers continue to turn the page?  In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig tells the story of Nora who, following a suicide attempt, is given the opportunity to experience some of the other lives she could have lived. Haig uses a limited point of view to show us these lives from Nora’s perspective, whilst being able to add narrative flavour through the third person style. The result draws you into the story and helps to suspend your disbelief at the semi-speculative nature of the plot in a more powerful way than if it was written in the first person. It also helps to create suspense as the novel progresses, because the third person POV avoids answering the question of the potential ending of such a book (where first person may have hinted at a conclusion).  2. Use Multiple POVs You can use the limited third person whilst utilising more than one point of view character. There are many successful novels that employ this mechanism, including the Games of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin wherein events unfold across a huge number of characters to great effect.  Multiple POVs can help provide the reader with information, filling in gaps with things that the protagonist doesn’t know, as there’s only so much that one character could feasibly experience. With just one POV character you may find yourself inventing increasingly ridiculous or clichéd ways of finding out key information; rather than have them spend their whole time eavesdropping, why not introduce a new POV character?   You can use multiple POVs to show contrasting experiences, including how the same events may be seen completely differently by two different individuals. Think about how you could play with showing the same scene through the lens of one character, and then replay it from another character’s perspective. Those contrasts can help to provide further information to the reader about the plot but might also provide the opportunity to deepen the character development based on the things they each observe and how they react.  In The Power, Naomi Alderman uses four major POV characters (Roxy, Tunde, Margot, and Allie) to tell the story from a much wider perspective than if she had used a smaller cast. The effect of this is significant; showing that, although different cultures may react differently to the development of ‘the power’, there are stark similarities with how that power is used and eventually corrupted. The novel would be significantly less powerful (excuse the pun) with only one or two POV characters.   For your own project, why not think about how you could broaden the story by adding another POV? I often use this as an exercise to work through a writer’s block; if I’m struggling, I flip the scene to look at it from another perspective. This often helps the words to flow again and has even thrown up some very interesting plot twists!  3. Be Consistent When writing in the third person limited, consistency is key. Watch out for times when you might be inadvertently breaking the rules, for example by ‘head-hopping’. This is where you accidently switch into the perspective of a different character; it can be extremely jarring to the reader, pulling them out of the world you have so carefully crafted.   In the example below, Gary is the current POV character:  Gary looked at Ella and grinned. ‘We could go for pizza?’ Not that he was hungry, but it wasn’t actually about eating, he just wanted to spend more time with her.  But Ella was ravenous and to her it was all about the potential to eat. ‘I’d love to.’  Buoyed by the promise of a date, Gary sent a quick text to his mum to say he’d be late home.    Notice how the narrator tells the reader that Ella is ravenous? If Gary is the POV character, how would the narrator know this? The reader may now be sitting confused, wondering if perhaps Ella is the POV character for this scene, which will drag their focus away from the action you had intended.   One of the ways to avoid ‘head-hopping’ is to be very clear with the demarcation for any switch in POV. For example, you may choose to only shift at the end of a scene, or chapter. Then, during the editing process, make sure you scrutinise each sentence, asking yourself if that POV character could know that. In the example above, Gary wouldn’t know Ella was ravenous, but she could infer this through her body language, tone, or speech.   4. Show The World As Your Character Sees It The use of the third person limited POV is an absolute gift for character development. When a character walks into a room, what do they see? A book-ish character may be immediately drawn to the towering bookshelves, while a character who embraces order may recoil at the piles of laundry strewn across the space. As well as providing a description of the setting, these observations reveal subtle clues about the observers themselves.   Take Edward St Aubyn’s Mother’s Milk. The novel opens from the third person limited perspective of Robert. A bold choice perhaps, given that Robert is a newborn baby. St Aubyn gives the narrator an advanced adult vocabulary, but the observations (including the angles of sight etc.) are decidedly infantile.  Another author using third person limited to great effect is Stephen King in Misery. Told from the perspective of Paul Sheldon as he lies with two broken legs in the home of his ‘rescuer’, you soon realise she is not the kindly nurse Paul would have hoped for! Limiting the perspective to the things he can see and hear from his bed creates a wonderful tension and heightens the suspense of the novel.  When writing in the limited third person, try to put yourself on the shoulder of your character, stepping where they step, seeing what they see. Colour your writing with the things that only they would observe, and the things that would be meaningful to them.   5. Allow Your POV Characters To Be Fallible It may be tempting to make your POV character perfect. The kind of person who would remember every conversation, who would take the time to listen carefully or read all the small print. But that is not reality!  We all mishear things, or misconstrue the meaning of things, or jump to conclusions without having all the facts. We’re only human after all. Your characters are the same and trying to make them perfect will only make them seem false to the reader. You may find any misunderstandings are minor, merely adding further flavour to the scenes in the story. Alternatively, you may use them as a helpful plot devise. This is often used in romance novels to push the couple apart before they are reunited at the final moment or to provide a red herring in a thriller to keep the tension high.   You can also use third person to reveal negative traits about your protagonist that they may not reveal in a first person POV. After all, we don’t necessarily think of the things we do with an air of negativity, but the third person narrator can reveal those elements. This may be especially effective for villains in your story.  The fallibility of the POV character may also allow you to explore the use of an unreliable narrator (one who is not telling the reader the whole truth). Often unreliable narrators will be written in the first person, as it is often easier to obfuscate this way. However, it is possible to write a third person unreliable narrator; using their fallibility for effect may allow you to do so without destroying the reader’s trust in you by feeding them an obvious lie.   There are many examples of third person unreliable narrators. Jane Austen’s Emma is one such example, as the whole novel is told from Emma’s perspective, significantly influenced by her own biases. Other examples include The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Atonement by Ian McEwan. Try exploring fallibility in your own project. What happens if your character thinks they are meeting their friend an hour earlier than they are? Who might they meet as they wait? What might they witness? If you are working on a project with two POV characters, try writing a scene where one remembers an event from long ago. Then flip it around and write the memory from the other character’s POV. What are the key differences in how they remember the event? How have their own experiences in the intervening years coloured and twisted the memory?   Third Person Limited The limited third person point of view is a gift for writers. It allows you to showcase the world from your character’s perspective, whilst giving you the ability to pull away from them at times. The overall effect can be immersive and compelling to the reader, giving your writing that added magic.  Just remember as you sit down to write to always ask ‘who is telling this story?’. Let go of your own biases and pre-conceptions and write with your storyteller in mind: sit on their shoulder and see what they have to say for themselves! 

Knowing which tense to write in can be one of the earliest stumbling blocks that a writer can face. Getting the tense right is key to ensuring that your text flows smoothly and that your reader can engage with your writing. Although it seems like such a simple decision, it can be so easy to get in a muddle with tenses and confuse both yourself and the reader. I guess it’s fair to say that tense in writing can make the most experienced writer tense! Therefore, its vital that we understand the benefits of each tense and try to use them to our best advantage.  In this guide we will dig deeper into the main tenses and explore past, present and even future tense to discover how these they can be used to the greatest effect. We will also explore the advantages and disadvantages of writing in each tense and consider some writing examples that demonstrate their use well.  Hopefully, by the end of this guide you will have a clearer idea about how to write in each tense and will have a better idea of which would work best for you.  So, sit back, untense yourself and read on!  First, let’s consider what the main tenses are.  What Are The Main Tenses?  In short, there are three main tenses.  Past tense Present tense Future tense  I will take each one in turn, beginning with the one most commonly used in writing; past tense.  Writing In Past Tense Past tense is the most traditional and familiar form of writing and is a form of tense that we can recognise in many of the books that we read. It is popular in many contemporary novels and traditionally has been seen a lot in the historical and fantasy genre. It harps back to the old and comforting ‘once upon a time’, that makes us want to settle down and listen to the story unfold in its ‘told’ form. In short, the narrator is looking back to the past, commenting on events that have already taken place. This can often help the writer and reader feel more in control as the events taking place are already resolved.  A great example of past tense is in Reservoir 13, by Jon McGregor, which opens with:  They gathered at the car park in the hour before dawn and waited to be told what to do. It was cold and there was little conversation. There were questions that weren’t being asked. The missing girl’s name was Rebecca Shaw.Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor As readers, we are that the narrator knows lots of information about past events that they will be feeding to us throughout the book. There is often a sense of familiarity and reassurance in knowing that the events have already happened, and the outcome has been decided, which is part of the reason why past tense is popular with readers.  If we were to change the above section to present tense it will read like this:  They gather at the car park in the hour before dawn and wait to be told what to do. It’s cold and there is little conversation. There are questions that aren’t being asked. The missing girl’s name is Rebecca Shaw. Immediately you can see that, in present tense, the dynamic of this piece has changed. It is now feels far more immediate and urgent. The reader has been dropped directly into the action at the moment it is occurring. The narrator is speaking in the ‘now’ and therefore has no knowledge of how the future will play out.   Another advantage of writing in past tense is that it’s much easier to play with the order in which things happen. In many ways you have more flexibility and freedom. Backstory, flashbacks and hindsight are much easier to manage.  The acclaimed author Stephen King is very keen on writing in past tense and this works well for him, as his stories often include the use of hindsight, memory and flashback. An example of this can be seen in his book, The Talisman written in collaboration with Peter Straub: He closed his eyes, squeezing his legs together. His mother looked uncertain, lost and confused and the men forced her into the car as easily as they would a weary collie dog. But this was not really happening, he knew: it was a memory – part of it must have been one of the Daydreams – and it happened not to his mother but to him.The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub This memory recollection doesn’t feel forced and doesn’t disrupt the flow of writing in any way, which shows that such a device works particularly well when used in conjunction with past tense writing. That’s not to say that when you are writing in present tense you cannot use these devices, it’s just that they can appear a little clumsier or forced if not used carefully.   Writing In Present Tense  Writing in present tense has always been a common form of writing in the YA and children’s fiction genres but is now becoming increasingly popular in thrillers and psychological books too. This is probably because writing in present tense feels much more immediate and places the reader right in the ‘now’. Emotions and drama can also be instantly intensified. In many ways, writing in the present tense can be likened to watching a film or TV programme, where the reader is watching the events unfold right in front of them. There is often a sense that anything can happen because the future is unknown, much as it is in reality.  A great example of present tense writing is used in the book White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock which opens with the lines:  Mum finds me in the larder. I crouch in the corner, flinching from the sudden light in the doorway. My mouth is full of blood and shards of porcelain.White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock This is an excellent example of the reader being immediately thrust into the action and straight into the characters’ thought processes. There is a sense of urgency and suspense that is created because the narrator and reader are on this journey towards an uncertain future together– which is a powerful tool to use.  Changing this example to past tense, we can see that there is a shift in energy:  Mum found me in the larder. I was crouched in the corner, flinching from the sudden light in the doorway. My mouth was full of blood and shards of porcelain. Although it is still an effective piece of writing, there is less urgency about it. Also, some of the intrigue has been removed as we can assume that the narrator has survived the experience, as they are now recounting it.  Writing in present tense can also feel quite personal and is a great opportunity to develop voice as you are experiencing the story in real time alongside the characters. A lovely example of this is in This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, which feels conversational and natural.  There is a man. He’s standing on the back step rolling a cigarette. The day is typically unstable, the garden is lush and shining. The branches weighty with still-falling rain. There is a man, and the man is me.This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell Here you can see O’Farrell is deep in thought and taking the reader on that journey with her – it feels intimate and immediate which is very powerful.   Writing In Future Tense  It’s rare to see future tense used in an entire book – as it places the narrator constantly in the future (for example – “I will be going to town, and I shall be buying some clothes and then I will be meeting my friends”) which would be limiting to the narrator and possibly repetitive and jarring to the reader.   However, writing in future tense can be effective in sections of writing or in shorter books. It is also useful for describing spontaneous actions or predictions, and authors often use it as a tool when their characters are trying to decide what decision or path to take next.   There aren’t many examples of future tense being used effectively continuously in novels, but in the Spanish editions of the novella Aura Carlos Fuentes uses future tense to good effect.  It is certainly quite a unique style of writing and can stand out from the rest, but this is a tense that needs to be treated delicately and with consideration if used at length.  Let’s now explore how the main tenses are used and how you can decide which one to choose for your writing.  Writing Tenses  Deciding which tense to write in can be one of the most challenging writing decisions, however there are some things that can help you make your choice. Consider the books that you enjoy reading yourself. Ask yourself if there is a tense that you particularly engage with, as often the tenses we best connect with are the ones we can write well. What type of book are you looking to write? Is it a thriller or a YA mystery? Do you want your character/narrator to ‘know’ the outcome of the story? Are you likely to play around with timelines or introduce devices such as flashbacks? All these points can help you decide which tense might suit you best.  Also, knowing the main pros and cons of each tense can help you decide:  Past Tense Pros A familiar and traditional form of writing. Readers will know what to expect. Non-linear timelines are easier to manage and control.Suspense is easier to convey as the narrator (usually) knows how events will play out.  Cons The reader knows that the narrator is alive and safe, and the story has already happened – this can take away some of the intrigue and pace.  It can be easier to slip into ‘telling’ the story (rather than \'showing\' it) and the writer must be mindful of this. There’s a risk that the voice can become passive, and readers will struggle to connect.  Present Tense  Pros Writing in present tense feels much more immediate and places the reader right in the ‘now’.  There is a sense of urgency and intrigue that is created because the future is unknown to both the narrator and the reader. You have an opportunity to showcase voice as the reader can see into the characters immediate thought process.  Cons It can be inflexible and possibly restrict your ability to manipulate time or play with chronological order. The future is blank and therefore the narrator is unable to build or manipulate suspense because they can’t know what is about to happen. It can be easy to fixate on smaller, mundane details and risk boring your reader.  Future Tense  Pros As this is such a rare form of writing in novels, your book is much more likely to get noticed.  Your writing can be more fluid and unique. Your narrator is rooted in the future which gives you greater scope to have fun and experiment.  Cons Readers may find it hard to connect with the writing and find the tense jarring.  As the events haven’t happened yet it may be much harder for the reader to connect with the characters.  It is very difficult to maintain for long periods.  Past, Present, And Future Tense  Using tenses well will develop your own writing and bring your work to life, but a lot of it comes from practice, trial and error and having a bit of fun. Some writers find that they like to combine tenses in their work to have the best impact, others will stick to one tense throughout and will find that far less muddling and easier to edit. The key is to find what works best for you and then run with it.  Five Tips For Using Tenses Well  Try using a combination of tenses in your work. Explore, have fun and play with a range to see what suits you.  Read! Remember the books that you connect best with and see if you are drawn to any particular tense. Often the tenses we personally connect with are the ones we write best.  Take time to rewrite paragraphs in different tenses to see which one works best for you.  Read passages out loud to yourself. Does the tense sound right? If not, change it.  Don’t limit yourself. If you’ve always written in past tense, try writing a new piece in present tense to see how it changes your writing. Enjoy experimenting!   Tense In Writing When it comes to writing tenses, the truth is there is no right or wrong answer. The most important thing is to take time to explore the different tenses and try not to be wary of trying each one out and experimenting a little. What suits one writer might not suit another, and what works well for one piece of writing, might not deliver for another.  Consider the type of narrative you are using and how you want the action to unfold. Perhaps you can use a combination of past and present narratives to best deliver the story and showcase your characters.  Personally, I love writing in present tense because I prefer being in the immediate moment. I also feel that by writing in the present tense I have more insight, and can reach into my characters current thoughts. However, this is a personal preference, and I can also see and appreciate the benefits that other tenses bring.  The most important thing to remember is that each of the tenses bring something to the table (or page!) and when used correctly can have an outstanding effect on your work.   So, my advice is - pick up your pen and stop being tense about tenses!  

Think about your favourite book for a moment. How does the story begin?  I would venture to guess that the storyline sunk its claws in from the very start. Maybe it was a heart pounding action scene. Or perhaps, a moral dilemma. Or did the main character’s first lines suck you right in?   Whatever occurred to pique your interest in those opening pages, it’s known as a hook, and it’s an essential component used in all forms of storytelling. From fiction writing (novels, flash fiction, short stories), to non-fiction writing (narrative essays, academic research papers, memoirs), and other forms of writing (poetry, advertising) hooks are crucial. In this article, I will describe what a hook is, and provide some top tips for writing them well, with examples. So, if you’re a writer who is interested in learning how to create a hook that will grab your reader’s attention and never let go, read on!  What Is A Hook? So what is a hook exactly?   Just as the name implies, it’s a literary technique used to capture (‘hook’) the reader’s attention in the opening of a story. In fact, as mentioned above, hooks are necessary for all types of writing, and they are designed to gain the readers’ interest so that they want to read on.  There are a number of ways an author can create a good hook, and different techniques work for different kinds of writing.  Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in.   How To Write A Hook Coming up with a truly compelling hook takes some thought and effort, but it isn’t rocket science. Think about what makes your story interesting. Is it the characters? A mystery? An unusual setting? Once you’ve settled upon the answer to this question, begin crafting your hook around that.   Story hooks work by reeling in the reader and making them want to learn more. Therefore, a good hook will create some sort of question (or better yet, multiple questions) in the reader’s mind. They will simply have to keep turning pages to find out what happens next.  With that in mind, here are 10 tips for writing a great story hook:  1. Startle The Reader With Your First Line By using a startling or intriguing first line, you can take the reader by surprise and get them excited to delve into the story. For example, in my young adult novel, Not Our Summer (2021), I opened with this:  Where does someone even get a bright green casket like that?  Not Our Summer by Casie Bazay This sentence serves a dual purpose: it gives readers an immediate clue about the setting, and it also shows that the character is just as shocked as the reader probably is upon seeing this oddly coloured casket.   To write your own startling first line, consider a character confession, a surprising observation, or maybe pose a not-so-ordinary question. Have fun with it and see what kind of attention-grabbing first line you can come up with.  2. Start With Action This is probably the most common way to get a reader engaged with a story right away. Of course, there are varying degrees of action and not all involve high-speed chases or explosions. However, by dropping readers into the middle of a tense scene, you are likely going to pique their interest.   Here is a great example from Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury:  It was a pleasure to burn.  It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the atters and charcoal ruins of history.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury A fireman instigating a fire rather than putting it out? Now that, my friends, is interesting.  There are a number of ways to devise your own action-centred hook, and it certainly doesn’t have to be a fire. Your protagonist might be escaping from someone or something. Or getting into an argument. Or witnessing a crime. If needed, you can use a flashback or non-linear story structure to employ this type of hook, but the possibilities are endless.  3. Form An Emotional Connection If you can’t drop your reader into an action scene, consider hooking them with an emotional one instead. Showing a character’s intense emotional response will help the reader connect with them on a sympathetic level, and this type of connection will lead readers to be interested in what happens to that character for the rest of the story.   Take this opening scene from Monster (1999) by Walter Dean Myers for instance:   The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way even if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.  Monster by Walter Dean Myers This passage causes the reader to immediately sympathise with the protagonist. We are no doubt concerned for this person’s wellbeing and we want to know more about the situation we’ve presented with.  By utilising emotions such as embarrassment, sympathy, fear, anticipation, surprise, or excitement, you can help readers instantly connect with your characters and become more invested in their story.   4. Begin At A Life-Changing Moment Another great technique is starting with a life-changing moment for your protagonist. This is usually a moment that thrusts the character into the story’s conflict, aka the inciting incident. But once readers experience this life-altering moment with the character(s), they will likely have no choice but to keep reading.   Here is a perfect example from Metamorphosis (1915) by Franz Kafka:   As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.  Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka A gigantic insect? I don’t know about you, but I simply need to know what’s going on here!   Think about your novel’s inciting incident and consider using it right in the beginning of your story to get the reader interested in the literal or metaphorical journey your character is about to take.   5. Create Intrigue About The Characters Every good book needs interesting characters, and you can intrigue your reader right away by alluding to a character’s lies, secrets, or scandals. On the other hand, maybe there is something unique or special about your main character—like the protagonist in the middle grade novel, Wonder (2012) by R.J. Palacio:  I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an Xbox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary, I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get stared at wherever they go.  Wonder by R.J. Palacio This opening paragraph leads us to sympathise with the main character, August, but we also want to know why it is that other kids run away screaming when they see him. The author creates intrigue right away with this opening.   There are many ways to similarly create intrigue about your own characters. Capitalise on what sets them apart from others and the things which would make a reader want to get to know them more.   6. Start At A Moment Of Confusion  Confusion leads to questions, and in a novel, questions are often a good thing. If the protagonist is experiencing a moment of confusion in the opening scene, reader questions will abound.   In the young adult novel, That Weekend (2021) by Kara Thomas, the story starts with the main character awaking in the woods, alone, injured, and confused. As a reader, you are dying to know what happened and also why it is that she can’t remember anything.   Of course, not every character is going to wake up with amnesia, but you can start your story by placing them in a scene where they are unsure of what’s going on around them. This will no doubt serve to pique reader curiosity.   7. Draw In The Reader With A Strong Voice  Technically speaking, voice is the stylistic mix of vocabulary, tone, point of view, and syntax that makes words flow in a particular manner. Plainly speaking, it’s what gives third-person POV novels their character and first-person protagonists a distinct personality. The best thing about writing with a strong voice is that it, alone, has the ability to pull the reader into the story.   For example, Maverick’s opening scene in Concrete Rose (2021) by Angie Thomas:  When it comes to the streets, there’s rules. They ain’t written down, and you won’t find them in a book. It’s natural stuff you know the moment your momma let you out the house. Kinda like how you know how to breathe without somebody telling you.  Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas Right away, we get a feel for who Maverick is as a character; we also want to know more about what he’s alluding to in these first few lines.   If you’re a newer writer, play around with voice until you find one that works well for your character and/or the story you’re telling. Then, strive to amplify that voice in your novel’s opening to create an intriguing and effective hook.   8. Introduce Something Ominous  Alluding to something mysterious or foreboding right off the bat is another method of hooking the reader. Between Shades of Gray (2011) by Ruta Sepetys follows the Stalinist repressions of the mid-20th century as well as the life of Lina as she is deported from her native Lithuania to a labour camp in Siberia. It opens with this line:  They took me in my nightgown. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys This simple statement plays into our sense of fear. We also have questions: who took her? Why was she taken? And what did they do with her?  If your story has ominous undertones, consider starting it in a similar manner. Give readers a piece of information that spooks them, yet also lures them into the story.   9. Stay Away From Description Also important in hook-writing is knowing what to leave out. It’s best not to start out by describing mundane actions such as waking up, eating breakfast, or getting dressed—unless those situations reveal something surprising or intriguing about the character. Also remember that you don’t have many pages in which to hook your reader. While descriptions can be lovely, they aren’t always interesting. Instead, it’s best to stick with in-the-moment action, dialogue, and narration, especially in those initial pages.   10. Once You Have Your Reader’s Attention, Hold Onto It  A great hook will get your reader’s attention, but your job as the author is to hold onto it. Too many unanswered questions can lead to frustration, while answering every question right away gives readers no reason to read on. It’s a careful balance, this attention-holding technique, but the best way to handle it is by answering some of the questions created by your hook while introducing new questions to keep the reader in suspense.   Going back to That Weekend by Kara Thomas: in the book the character has awakened, confused in the woods, but when a stranger and her dog find her, the protagonist learns where she is. She also remembers that it’s prom weekend and that she had gone to her friend’s cabin for the weekend—however this friend as well as the friend’s boyfriend are nowhere to be found. With this, the author establishes an even bigger mystery that both the character and reader want to solve.  Writing Hooks When it comes right down to it, hooks are all about engaging the reader from the get-go. We want readers to be invested in our stories and eagerly turning pages, right? Fortunately, there are a number of ways in which to do this. Play around with your story hook and change it if needed; just make sure that, in the end, you go with one that works well with the story you want to tell.  By keeping the above tips in mind and using the examples as references, you should be well on your way to creating a strong and effective hook for your own story.  

You\'re probably here because you want to know how to write a horror story and improve your own writing. In which case, you\'re in the right place! Horror stories have been deeply embedded in every one of our cultures since time began, from myths and legends of the past to the computer games and movies of today. So how do you learn how to write a horror story that will last the test of time? I was going to open this article with a quote by the modern master of horror, Stephen King. But after five minutes of cursory web searches, I realised that every other ‘how to write a scary story’ article starts in exactly the same way, so let’s not do that. Instead, let’s look to horror writer, Kurt Vonnegut, who not only gave us Slaughterhouse-Five but also his fair share of juicy writing tips, like this one: Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them. Kurt Vonnegut And that, right out of the gate, sets the tone for this article, where I aim to provide some practical tips and considerations for any reader looking to flex their spooky muscles and sink their teeth into a spot of horror genre writing.  What Is Horror Writing? Horror writing is fiction that falls within the scope of the horror genre, whether literary (novels, novellas, anthologies, short story collections, zines, fiction magazines, graphic novel and comic books, flash fiction and drabbles); film and television; audio (horror anthology podcasts, audio dramas, radio plays); theatre; subreddits; or creepypastas (horror-related legends shared across the internet). Luckily, for those looking to write horror stories, there are many different outlets in which horror writers can get their words seen, heard or read these days. Writing horror can be loosely defined (although I take issue and care with such prescribed descriptions) as \"writing that inspires fear, horror, unquiet, terror, repulsion.\" Basically, anything that scares, startles or unsettles the reader. \'But any kind of book can creep you out!\' I hear you say. Exactly, which is why applying such loosey-goosey descriptors to such a wide and varied landscape can be problematic. So let\'s try and hone it down a little. To me, horror covers a massive range of topics, emotions, themes, styles and approaches - not everything can be given the same ‘gothic horror’ or ‘Lovecraftian’ labels. Horror writing can, by default of the genre, be an intensely personal, cathartic and individual genre to write in. And, like most genres, it can be quite nuanced. So how many different book categories fall under the term \'horror\'? Some of the most common horror genre descriptors include: Gothic horror Splatterpunk Slasher Comedy horror Paranormal Folk horror (my particular jam) Dark fantasy Body horror (another personal favourite) Erotic horror Science fiction horror (sign me up for all the spooky aliens please) I could go on...The problem (and beauty) of this genre is that horror is a multi-faceted diamond, with ample room for genre-blending. This is important for me as a horror writer because, as you can probably tell, I’m not a huge fan of being pinned with one strict badge. I like the idea of fluidity and blurred definitions in fiction. But that needn\'t be a negative thing! It means that the horror genre can be the perfect place for those who want to flex their stylistic muscles. As a writer, this makes writing horror stories extra exciting, because within each idea there are endless possibilities!  But producing great horror writing (and instilling fear in the hearts of readers) is easier said than done. To really understand how to write an effective horror story let us first look at the history of the genre. The History Of Horror Writing As a genre, horror fiction often gets maligned as speculative, lumping it into an umbrella category that also covers fantasy and science fiction amongst other \'sub\' genres (a definition I also struggle with, hence the single quotes). If we take a closer look at the history of our favourite fear factor genre, and consider the many accomplished horror authors, the idea of horror writing being a ‘sub’ category is totally preposterous. No one would argue that Mary Shelly, Angela Carter, Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Robert Louis Stephenson were lesser writers in any way! Whether you enjoy reading or writing gothic horror, gory horror novels, or psychological fear-inducing books...the idea of scaring readers is nothing new (or scaring viewers too, if slasher films and horror movies are your kinds of thing). There\'s some debate as to where, when, and by whom the horror genre was founded. The general consensus places responsibility at the feet of Horace Walpole for his 1764 novel Castle of Otranto, although Mary Shelley is often credited with writing the world’s first commercial science fiction novel (Frankenstein), which is also often described as gothic horror.   The likes of Walpole and Shelley may have brought the horror genre to the masses in the form of the printed word, but where did they get their inspiration from? Well, myths and legends aren\'t exactly low on vivid descriptions when it comes to gross-out horror tales of severed heads tumbling, evil spirits and scary monsters attacking. It seems that, from the very moment human beings learned how to fear, we learned how to tell stories that scare us too. Tapping into the emotions of a reader is the number one way to get their attention and keep them turning the page. And what emotion is more visceral, alarming, and ever-present in a human than fear? So how do we exploit our common fears and turn them into horror fiction? How To Write A Horror Story Many writers, at some point or other, have been inspired to write a great horror story. After all, nothing is scarier than our own imaginations. Yet few get around to penning that horror novel. Why? Because good horror stories aren\'t easy to write, and even if your horror novel is great you may still question it (even Stephen King threw Carrie in the bin!). In short, writing a great horror story is no different to writing any type of fiction. I\'m not here to discuss the general structure of a novel (although we have plenty of blogs that talk about that) - I\'m here to show you how to take your scary story and make it exceptionally terrifying. Again, there is a lot of content out there about the craft of writing horror stories, much of it built around the idea that, as a writer, you need to include a certain number of elements or follow a series of steps or adhere to a formula in order to write a decent horror story. Yes, it\'s important to consider tone, character motivation, and backstory - yet really unique horror stories get deep into the heart of what it means to be a vulnerable, emotional, human being. So whilst I don’t disagree with the notion that yes, keeping an eye on structure and commonly used ‘ingredients’ might give a writer some focus as they work, I struggle with prescriptive techniques and feel that shoe-horning elements into a story for the sake of making it ‘horror’ can dilute the end product quite considerably. So let\'s take a look at what to include in your story for unforgettable horror fiction. What Makes A Good Horror Story? Our 7 Top Tips For me, it’s about finding a balance between what is technically a good story in terms of plot, structure, attention to detail, narrative, characters, descriptive prose etc, and then writing something raw and real, from the gut. And that, for me, is the starting point for most of my stories. I write emotionally, reactively, and often begin by asking myself this: What scares me most? So before you start writing your bestselling horror novel, let\'s take a look at my top seven tips for captivating a reader\'s imagination... 1. Tap Into Common Fears Fear is our oldest and strongest emotion - it kept our ancestors alive, after all. And it\'s what readers enjoy feeling when they search for a good horror story. So, before you get too bogged down in the technicalities of writing, think about this: what scares you? Really, truly, scares you? Is it walking alone at night in the dark? Is it the idea of abandonment? Commitment and relationships? Spiders? The quiet of your house late at night? Storms? Cats? Other people? It can be mundane or profound, but fear is incredibly personal to each individual and that is the biggest strength a writer can flex: a unique perspective on something that may affect many of us (fear of growing old, for example), or be specific to a very small group of people (the fear of dying by choking to death on a fridge magnet shaped like Ronald McDonald). The point is, nobody else is going to feel exactly the way you do about this specific fear and that should always, in my opinion, be the starting point. For example, I once wrote a story about man-eating cows. Why? Because when I used to go hiking in the English countryside, cows scared the heck out of me. Their substantial size aside, they stare, and you can interpret that in two ways, as a writer: curiosity, or, (hear me out), hunger. Once the idea of hungry cows staring at you as you walk through their domain took hold, the rest of the story followed naturally. Two hikers. A beautiful sunny day. Gorgeous meadow, flowers and butterflies all around. Hidden beneath the grass: bones. Because the cows in that field don’t eat grass. From a simple, knee-jerk reaction, a story blossomed. So I keep a list, of my own fears and things that others have talked to me about, and I use it as a starting point. Many other stories, novels and movies are built in the same way.  2. Horror Story Inspiration Is Everywhere The beauty of horror (and most fiction, to be honest) is that you can take any mundane, everyday object or experience and turn it into something terrifying - and I\'m not just talking about a creepy doll or spooky settings! The juxtaposition of making something that isn\'t scary, into something murderous, is one of the most terrifying things a writer can do. Clowns are meant to make you laugh, but tell Stephen King that (It). Children are innocent and harmless, but tell David Seltzer that (Omen). Or how about birds? Birds can\'t hurt you...right? Tell Daphne Du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock that (The Birds). One of the best examples of this I can remember is this short story about a carton of eggs by Garon Cockrell. I won’t ruin it for you, but the premise is fantastic: What would happen if one day, the eggs in your carton started to talk to you? Your breakfast will never be the same again! Or why not take a look at our horror prompts to kick-start your imagination? 3. Point Of View Matters With horror in particular, point of view (pov) is important. Who is talking to the reader and how? The main character, an omniscient narrator, or a side character? This may surprise you, but horror doesn\'t have to always be \'jump out of your seat\' or \'can\'t sleep at night\' scary. I\'m a big fan of grief horror, quiet horror, and all sorts of horrible stories that don’t actually have, at their heart, a desire to frighten. However, if that is your goal - to inspire terror in the reader - then thinking about the pov from which the story is written matters. Anyone who has frequented subreddits (a huge home for many horror shorts) like r/nosleep, will know that their stories are written exclusively in the first person. Writing in first person pov immediately lends a more intimate, conversational perspective, with the added effect of blurring the lines between fiction and reality. When reading a story where you can only see things from the protagonist\'s point of view, you empathise with them more - which makes for a much more interesting read when the leading character is a gruesome murderer! Writing in the third person, on the other hand, allows the writer to show more than one point of view at once and distances the reader from the story a little. And second point of view? Well, that\'s a fun one. That\'s the narrator talking directly to the reader or another character. Absolutely perfect for a predatory psychological thriller or horror story (ie You by Caroline Kepnes). 4. Give Wicked Characters Motivation It\'s not good enough to have bad characters in your book, and have bad things happen, simply to build suspense. Of course, that\'s needed to create tension and keep your reader gripped - but you also need context and - most importantly - motivation. Very few people are born evil, and very few dolls get possessed for no reason. If your character doesn\'t have a good enough reason to want to eat all the people in the village, if the zombies in the woods suddenly appeared for no reason, and if your villain has no origin story, then no one is going to believe the horrors they are reading and (most importantly) they won\'t care if the victims live or die. This leads us beautifully to... 5. Tragedy And Trauma There\'s no trigger like a trauma trigger. And that can often be the tipping point for any main character\'s change from \'nice guy\' to \'omg, he\'s coming!!\' In the short sci-fi horror story, The Fly, by George Langelaan, François\' sister-in-law Hélène tells him that she has just killed his brother. We then discover the macabre tale of his mad scientist brother turning into a horrific creature when animals got trapped in his transmitter machine and turned him into a horrifying human hybrid. You can\'t get more traumatic than that, and not just for the protagonist but for the victim, his wife who had to kill him, and the readers! Chuck Wendig has a wonderful horror-reading site Terrible Minds to help you with your writing. Wendig says horror is better when a tragedy takes its truest ethereal form - \"The drama comes from character mistakes and from poor decision-making.\" So true. Had the scientist been less eager to prove himself right, or been more careful, none of that would have happened. But then nothing exciting happens in books where everyone makes the right decision! 6. Make The Stakes Obvious This one is an obvious one too, but how much does the main character have to lose? In every great horror story, you need a main character who sets out to achieve something and keeps coming close to failing (even if that \'something\' is simply surviving). In HBO\'s hit series, and popular comic, The Walking Dead, not only is the main character Rick trying to not get bitten by a zombie, but he\'s also looking for his wife and kid. Then as the series progresses, he builds relationships with people who die, his family isn\'t safe, and his community is under threat not just by the living dead but other survivors. And so the more he tries to be human, and connect with those he loves, the more he has to lose and the higher the stakes are. After all, you won\'t find a horror story where the main character doesn\'t care if they live or die (unless that\'s one of your plot twists)! 7. Remember: Writing Horror Is Fun! And lastly - have fun! This may sound strange, when you\'re writing tens of thousands of words about people being terrifying, hunted, dismembered, eaten alive or simply haunted by a supernatural entity. But any writer of horror needs to remember that their readers are reading horror fiction because they ENJOY IT. So you must have fun writing it too. Where To Find Today\'s Best Horror Writers Before you write a horror story, you must first devour as many horror stories as you can - which means watching, reading, listening and enjoying as much of the genre as possible. I mentioned above that horror writing covers a wide variety of materials, showcasing some of the best horror story creators. Here are a few of the most popular, well-known examples: Books As well as reading work by popular horror writers, such as Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe and I. Stine - check out all creepy stories from various genres. Female writers and books written for a younger audience rarely get as much press in this category, yet often give some really unique twists to well-known horror story classics and offer a fresh perspective on the genre. Best YA horror Great female horror authors What to look out for this year Paranormal novels The goriest out there! Graphic Novels Writing horror doesn\'t just mean books or a short story - many TV series, movies, and even novel adaptations first began as comics, graphic novels, and manga. These are always a great place to start: Manga Comics Graphic novels Movies And Television From cinema, to Netflix, Prime and Apple+, it\'s never been easier to discover your latest favourite horror screenwriter or director. And don\'t forget to check out creepy series and classic films too! Some of the most popular at the moment include: Recent horror movies Recent horror TV shows Audio Dramas, Horror Anthology Podcasts If you can\'t get to sleep at night, perhaps listening to a horror story won\'t help - but, nevertheless, here are some of my favourites! NoSleep podcast Shadows at the Door Creepy White Vault Old Gods of Appalachia Knifepoint This is just a small collection. There are so many high quality audio fiction pods out there that it could take you years to listen to them all!  Creepypastas Type ‘nosleep’ into Reddit, and voila! A massive, massive repository of epistolary horror known as ‘creepypastas’ at your fingertips. Prepare to spend hours of your life reading these fictional ‘first hand’ accounts of spooky, weird, and downright unexplainable goings-on. You can even contribute your own stories, which is a good way to practise the craft- just be wary of several things: The strict rules for posting, and the fact that Reddit’s terms and conditions do not offer the writer much in the way of copyright protection and rights. It is not unusual for YouTube narrators, for example, to use these subreddits for content to narrate on their own, monetised channels- all well and good if you are credited and compensated, but many YouTubers don’t do that, so be aware of the pitfalls before you do place your content there. That being said, the horror community on Reddit is extremely lively and many creators like S.H.Cooper and C.K.Walker (to name a few) have gone on to great things.  Writing Horror And that brings us to the end of this \'how to write a horror story\' article. I hope you have learned lots of interesting ways to really tap into your readers\' fears, and I hope you enjoy all the creepy research I\'ve suggested. But most of all, I hope you have as much fun creating your terrifying worlds as I do, because without the gift of feeling fear none of us would be here today enjoying these great stories. After all, there\'s nothing better than enjoying a big fright while safely tucked up in your bed (just make sure you never look beneath it!).

Why do we find naming characters so hard? Sometimes, names will come to you immediately and that character could never be called anything else. But so often, we agonise over finding the perfect name. This guide will show you how to come up with names for characters, explain why naming characters is important, and provide examples of effective character names.  Why Is Naming Characters Important? What’s in a name?Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Juliet (of Romeo and Juliet fame) would have you believe a name is meaningless. That is her hope. Except for her, the name is the insurmountable wall that stands between her and her one true love. So a name, evidently, has much meaning.   And naming characters is important. A name should embody your character. It should tell us so much about who they are. It is an element of your story that could propel it to stardom. Unforgettable characters should have unforgettable names.   A name should tell your readers so much - place, time, personality - even if the story you are telling is quiet, contemporary and real-world. It should also speak to the genre you are writing and ground your readers in the fictional world you have created. I will break down some of the key elements you should consider when naming characters.  Great Character Names: The Key Components From uniqueness to contextual accuracy, here are some things to consider when coming up with character names. The World We Live In When we think about novels that are showing us our own world, we want characters that we feel we know or could walk past on the street.   For novels such as One Day by David Nicholls, we must relate to the characters in order to be willing to follow them through twenty years of their lives. We all know Emma (or a version of her). Maybe not so much Dexter - but that makes sense because he is from a different ‘class’. He moves in different circles. His name is as important as hers. It shows the divide between them, but as the reader, all you care about is them managing to cross that divide.  Contemporary novels, be it literary, thriller, or romance, all have one thing in common. We know these names and we could know these characters. Sally Rooney did it with Normal People. Marianne and Connell, such beautiful Irish names of characters that could live up your street. Kiley Reid with Such a Fun Age had Emira and Alix. The novel deals with themes of race and privilege, and Alix’s name is a stroke of genius. The character changed a letter in her name to go from Alex (far too normal) to Alix (much edgier). This is a character who cares so much about her image and how she is seen that she changes her name. It\'s a genius character name, as I said. And Blythe, her husband Fox, and daughter Violet in The Push by Ashley Audrain are about as middle-class as you can get. This tells the reader so much before they have even turned the first page.  Don’t be scared to use everyday names. If that is the world, then that is the right name.  Catchy And Unique Do you want your characters to jump off the page? Naming characters in a quirky way will definitely help you get there.  Let\'s take the wonderful Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Would you have cared quite so much if Sarah Smith had been completely fine? Apologies to all Sarah Smiths of the world - it is a great, strong name and I descend from a Smith myself - but it doesn’t tickle the ears or play on the tongue quite so nicely as Eleanor Oliphant. Before even opening that first page, you conjure an image of Eleanor. She stands out. You want to know everything about her.   Charles Dickens was the king of this technique, especially with creative last names. You will never forget great character names such as Martin Chuzzlewit, Uriah Heep and Ebenezer Scrooge.  The same goes for nicknames. So many characters will only ever be known by their nicknames. Scout and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley from the same novel, Rooster Cogburn from True Grit, Piggy from Lord of the Flies. All are completely memorable characters and their nicknames help us remember them.  And let’s not forget Pippi Longstocking! Children’s literature is full of amazing, stand-out names. So, if you want your characters to stand out from the rest, go for a name that is catchy or even completely made up.  Of The Time Historical fiction calls for names that fit the period. It would be no use throwing a character named Jaiden into an 1870s Victorian cosy mystery. And some great character names have come from historical fiction.   The wonderful Fingersmith by Sarah Waters has Sue Trinder (a petty thief), Maud Lilly (a gentlewoman), and Gentleman. Anyone called Gentleman is likely to be anything but.  The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton has names of both time and place. Set in 1686 in Amsterdam, Nella Oortman marries Johannes Brandt. Both names are very much of the time.  I think this is one genre where research is key. You won’t get away with using names from the wrong period. Readers are savvy, they will pick up on it. Get it right and you’ll gain credibility.   Of The Place Place is a strange one. Of course, if your novel is set somewhere very specific such as the cold climates of Scandinavia or amid the colours and heat of Nigeria, then great character names will fit with these places. But place is also closely linked with time, so you should think about both hand in hand. And this is where you can use cultural inspirations, too.  In my current WIP, I have a character named Tara. The novel is set in Appalachia in South Carolina, just across the border from Georgia, incidentally where Gone With the Wind was set. Tara was named after the plantation in the novel and movie and she is so proud of this, she has posters from the movie hanging from her bedroom wall. But her sister, Grace, states that she is “sure Mama has never even watched the movie, let alone read the book.” Tara’s name is of the place, yet it also reveals so much about the family. They are happy to use cultural references without knowing anything about them, so appearances clearly matter to them.  There is a brilliant book called A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley. It is set amid the Civil Rights Movement in America. The character that the story centres around is Tucker Caliban - is that not a character you know will achieve something in his life? He is a black farmer that kills his cattle, burns down his farm and sets in motion a mass exodus of all the black people from the town who reject their life of servitude and head for freedom. The other character names are perfect too - The African, Mister Leland, Dymphna Willson, Bethrah, Dewey Willson III. The state is fictional but everything about these names tells us it’s the Deep South.  For me, this is one of the most important elements of naming characters. Show me where I am without telling me where I am. Anything that doesn’t belong will stick out to your readers.  Weird Names For Weird Characters Naming characters in gothic, weird or uncanny fiction can be a lot of fun. Writers need to show readers that this world is not quite the same as ours, so you can have fun coming up with great character names that fit your odd world where unlikely things happen.  One of my favourite books of all time is Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The narrator is eighteen-year-old Merricat Blackwood. Merricat is an affectionate nickname. But Merricat is anything but lovely. She is malignant. The name of her sister is also clever - Constance is the faithful, dependable and unchanging sister, even knowing what she knows about Merricat. I, for one, have never forgotten the name Merricat. It is as creepy as the character herself.  The same goes for Lucy McKnight Hardy’s Water Shall Refuse Them. Her main characters are called Nif and Mally. I don’t know anybody called Nif or Mally. They are totally unique and otherworldly, just like their macabre story is otherworldly.  Dystopian fiction fits this category, too. Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins\'s The Hunger Games, for example, is a unique name for a unique world. Or in the opposite way, Winston Smith from George Orwell’s 1984. This is where the name Smith works so well. He is the ‘everyman’, yet he is living in a world filled with nuclear war, propaganda and the ‘thought police’. Quite unbelievable, yet totally (and scarily) real.  Here is where you can use your imagination - and the same goes for other genres, too - so get creative!  Roots That Go Deep If you want to stamp your novel in place and time with families that have been there for generations, the key is to come up with good last names for characters. Think about Downton Abbey, for example. The Crawley family are front and centre. They have a heritage that makes viewers care deeply about their future and the changes that occur. Jeffrey Archer achieved the same with his Clifton Chronicles. The surname has roots, giving the characters roots and an automatic history.  Or look at Titanic. Rose and Jack. DeWitt-Bukater and Dawson. Instantly, we know that Rose is from a wealthy family, she is a society girl. Jack is a poor person. They even laugh that he will need her to write her name down. The divide is clear just from their names. And there is an expectation that Rose will marry up. It is the way of things in her world. Jack challenges what has been the norm in her family and her society for generations.  This is where good last names for characters can really help you show the backstory of your characters.  How To Name A Character So, now you know just how important character names are. But how do you come up with an effective character name? Here are our tips. Research Read widely in your genre. See how other writers name their characters. Read articles and non-fiction about the time period and place your novel is set. Look at Census records for when your novel is set. Seek out the root meanings of names.  Read Baby Name Books You can Google baby names and search by year for the most popular. Or keep a stash of baby name books to hand for when you don’t want to spend forever choosing a great character name.  Online Name Generators Online name generators are a great resource, and there are tons of them available on the internet. Here are a couple to get you going:  Behind the name.Name generator. Draw From Real Life You could combine names of people that you have come across throughout your life. Did you have a sentimental teddy or toy as a child? That could make a great character name. Pay homage to famous figures without using their full name.  Teachers or other personalities from your school days always have an emotional draw (good or bad) for people. Who stands out for you? Who do you remember well?  What To Avoid When Naming Characters I wouldn’t recommend using names of people you know personally, especially family. This might come back to bite you. Using full names of famous people can be risky because your readers will always conjure an image of them in their mind. Borrowing names from other books - try to be original.  Creating Character Names While you should think carefully about your character names, don’t spend too long agonising over them. Think about what you want a character’s name to say about them, whether it be personality, image, where they live, the roots they have, or the period in which they live. If the story allows it, be wild. If the story calls for it, be ordinary. But also know that, although a name isn’t just a name, as shown above, it also is just a name. If you want more advice on writing character names, check out our Jericho Writers YouTube video on the same topic. 

There are a truly endless number of poetic types, especially if you consider the forms created across languages and those people create for themselves. While this can seem overwhelming, it means that there truly is a form of poetry that suits everyone and every style. So, whether you’re looking for more poems to read, or want to find a new form to write in and experiment with, this guide of the 25 main types of poetry (complete with examples of each type of poetry) will provide you with a spark of inspiration.  What Are The Different Types Of Poems?  For those who like structure and enjoy the challenge of a rigid poetic form, there are forms such as the sestina, the villanelle, and the pantoum. For those who favour fluidity, there’s free verse, lyrical poetry, and occasional poetry. If one form intimidates you, simply try another! Or break the rules of its form and experiment. Here are some of the most well-known types of poetry.  1. Ode  Odes are one of the most well-known forms of poetry. They tend to serve as a tribute to a subject. This subject can be a person or an inanimate object, and the voice in the poem praises the subject in a ceremonial manner. Odes are short lyric poems, which convey intense emotions, and tend to follow traditional verse structure. They are generally formal in tone. Romantic poet John Keats wrote several odes, including Ode To a Nightingale.  2. Elegy Similarly to odes, elegies are tributes to certain subjects, though in this case that subject is largely a person. These poems reflect on death and loss, and traditionally include a theme of mourning. Sometimes they also include a sense of hope, through themes like redemption and consolation. Elegies are generally written in quatrains and in iambic pentameter, with an ABAB rhyme scheme. These are loose guidelines, and many poets adjust them. There is a strong tradition of poets using the elegy in order to honour and pay respects to their departed literary compatriots, such as in W.H. Auden’s poem In Memory of W. B. Yeats. 3. Villanelle Villanelles (yes, this really is a type of poem, not just the name of one of the main characters in the TV show Killing Eve) are a little stricter and more complicated in form. They tend to have a fluid, almost lyrical feel to them, as they use lots of repeating lines. Villanelles consist of nineteen lines, in the form of five tercets and a closing quatrain, and they have a very specific rhyme scheme. The tercets follow the rhyme scheme ABA, while the quatrain’s rhyme scheme is ABAA. The first line repeats in lines 6, 12, and 18 of the poem, while the third line repeats in lines 9, 15, and 19. These repeated lines need to be signifcant and well-crafted as they occur so frequently. Villanelles often describe obsessions and intense subject matters. Well regarded examples include Sylvia Plath’s Mad Girl\'s Love Song and Dylan Thomas’ Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.  4. Sonnet Sonnets are among the most popular forms of poetry. They are fourteen lines long, and typically centre around the topic of love. The rhyme scheme varies depending on the type of sonnet used. Shakespearen sonnets have three quatrains and an ending couplet. The quatrain has an ABCB rhyme scheme, the couplet has a DD rhyme scheme, and they are written in iambic pentameter. Petrarchan sonnets have one octave and one sestet. The octave uses the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA, while the sestet most commonly uses the rhyme scheme CDE CDE, but also sometimes uses CDC CDC. Sonnet Number 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a particularly well-written sonnet.  5. Free Verse Free verse is a type of poem that appeals to those who find strict forms intimidating. There are no rules, the poem can establish any rhythm, and rhyme is entirely optional. This is a great form to try if you’re new to writing poetry, or want the freedom to explore all kinds of structures and ideas. Free verse is often used in contemporary poetry, such as in Ada Limón’s How to Triumph Like a Girl.  6. Sestina The sestina is a complex French verse form which usually features unrhymed lines of poetry. It has six sestets, and an ending tercet. The ending words of each line from the first stanza are repeated in a different order as ending words in each of the subsequent five stanzas. The closing tercet contains all six of these ending words, two per line, and they are placed in the middle and at the end of these three lines. The sestina is one of the most complicated types of poetry, but its intricacies create beautiful poetry. It often helps to look at examples of complicated poetic forms, so you can see how they’re structured. A Miracle for Breakfast by Elizabeth Bishop is a great example of a sestina.  7. Acrostic Acrostic poems are fun, and very well-known. You may have written an acrostic or two during your time at school. Acrostics vertically spell out a name, word, or phrase, with each letter that begins each new line of a poem. Lewis Carroll’s Acrostic spells out the names of three children he knew, to whom he gave the poem as a gift.  8. Ekphrastic The term ekphrastic poetry refers to any poem that uses a visual image or work of art as inspiration. Ekphrastic poetry is not about form, rigidity, or structure, but the connection between poetry and art. It’s often created by poets writing down details about an art form and how it makes them feel, or imagining when and how the art form was created. Self-Portrait with Sylvia Plath’s Braid by Diane Seuss is a contemporary example of an ekphrastic poem.  9. Haiku Haikus are very popular types of poetry. The haiku originated in Japan, and it is a short and fun form. These poems often refer to nature, though this is optional, and the form revolves around the use of syllables. Haikus are three lines long, with the first line comprising of 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables, and the final line 5 syllables. The fact that this form is so short and simple means that haikus are very accessible and pleasant to write. That being said, it can be difficult to express something meaningful within such limited parameters. Suicide\'s Note by Langston Hughes is an exceptionally well-executed haiku (though note that it’s a newer form of haiku).  10. Ballad A ballad is a form of narrative verse, and its focus on storytelling can be musical or poetic. Ballads typically follow the pattern of rhymed quatrains, which use a rhyme scheme of ABAB or ABCB. Though this is often how they are structured, this is not always the case, as the form is loose and can be altered. An example of a ballad is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  11. Lyric Poetry The term lyric poetry houses a broad category of poetry that centres around feelings and emotions. These poems are often short and expressive and tend to have a songlike quality to them. They can use rhyming verse, or free form. Lyric poetry differs from epic and narrative poetry as the focus is on a feeling rather than a story. Emily Dickinson’s The Heart Asks Pleasure First and her Because I could not stop for Death are both strong examples of lyric poetry.  12. Erasure/Blackout Poetry  Erasure (or blackout) poetry is a form of found poetry, wherein you take an existing text and cross out or black out large portions of it. The idea is to create something new from what remains of the initial text, creating a dialogue between the new text and the existing one. This form is great for experimentation as you can use books, magazines, newspapers, anything you can think of. A great example is Doris Cross’ Dictionary Columns.  13. Epics Epic poetry refers to very long poems which tell a story. They contain detailed adventures and extraordinary feats performed by characters (they can be real or fictional) whom are often from a distant past. The term ‘epic’ was derived from the accomplishments, adventures, and bravado of these poems. Homer\'s The Iliad and Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen are famous epics which are often studied at length by students and scholars alike.  14. Narrative Poetry Narrative poems are similar to epics as they too tell a story, but they are not as long nor as focused on adventures and heroism. They focus on plot over emotion, and tell fully developed stories from beginning to end. Narrative poems are typically told by one narrator or speaker, and they often have some kind of formal rhyme scheme. An example of narrative poetry is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.  15. Limericks Limericks are short, comedic poems, which can be crude and are largely trivial in nature. They often include pithy tales and brief descriptions. Limericks are five line poems of a single stanza with an AABBA rhyme scheme. The first, second, and fifth lines tend to have 7-10 syllables, while the third and fourth lines tend to have 5-7 syllables. Edward Lear wrote many limericks, such as There Was a Young Lady. Limericks are often prevalent in nursery rhymes such as Hickory Dickory Dock.  16. Occasional Poetry The term occasional poetry refers to poems written to describe or comment on a particular event. They are often written for a public reading, and their topics range from sad, serious matters like war, to more joyous ones like birthdays and presidential inaugurations. Praise Song for the Day by Elizabeth Alexander is an example of occasional poetry.  17. Pantoum Pantoums are a more complicated type of poetry. They are poems of any length and are composed of quatrains. Within these quatrains, the second and fourth lines of each stanza are used as the first and third lines of the following stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first. An example of a pantoum is Charles Baudelaire’s Harmonie du Soir.  18. Blank Verse Blank verse is poetry written with a precise meter, often iambic pentameter, but it doesn’t rhyme. That’s all there is to it! It’s another interesting form to experiment with, and it can help you decide which kind of structures you prefer (long or short, rhyming or not, with or without meter etc). Paradise Lost by John Milton is an example of blank verse.  19. Prose Poetry Prose poetry, as the name suggests, combines elements of the poetic form with those of the prose form. It tends to look like a standard paragraph of prose with standard punctuation and a lack of line breaks, though it utilises poetic elements such as meter, alliteration, repetition, rhyme, and rhythm. As some of these devices/elements feature in other forms of writing too, a combination of them must be used in the writing in order for it to be determined as a prose poem. If you’re looking for an example of a prose poem, Bath by Amy Lowell is a great one.  20. Concrete Poetry Concrete poetry is designed to create a particular shape or form on the page which echoes the poem’s message. This form of poetry uses layout and spacing to emphasise certain themes, and they sometimes take the shape of their subjects. For instance, a poem about the moon may have a decidedly crescent shape. Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree by George Starbuck is a wonderful concrete poem (and is a sonnet too; poems often belong in several poetic groups).  21. Epitaph Epitaphs are like elegies, but considerably shorter. They often appear on gravestones and can also include an element of humour. There are no strict rules regarding rhyme scheme and the like, so they are another poetry form suited to those who feel restricted by stricter forms. Epitaph by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a lovely example.  22. Palindrome Poetry This type of poetry combines poetic form with palindromes, so the words reflect back upon themselves, hence why they are also referred to as mirror poems. These poems start with an initial set of lines and then hinge on a line that usually repeats directly in the middle of the poem before they work through the rest of the lines in reverse order. This is another complicated form which seems less daunting once you read an example of it. Try Doppelgänger by James A. Lindon.   23. Diminishing Verse Diminishing verse is a poetry form with unknown origins. Its main rule is to remove the first letter of the end word in the previous line and then repeat it. For instance, if the first line ends with the word blink, the second line would end with link, and the third would end with ink. There are no other strict rules, though diminishing verse poems tend to be written in tercets. This is a newer form, so there are very few well known examples of it, though you can find some written by various people on the internet.  24. List Poems As the name suggests, list poems are made up of lists of things or items. They don’t follow any strict rules, though the last line is often funny and/or impactful and sums up the entire poem. Sick by Shel Silverstein is one great example.  25. Echo Verse Echo verse refers to poems which repeat the end syllable of each line. This ending syllable can be repeated at the end of the same line, or it can be placed on its own line directly underneath it. Other than this repetition, this type of poetry doesn’t follow any rules. An example of echo verse is Jonathan Swift’s A Gentle Echo on Woman.  Different Types Of Poems And Poets  There are numerous different types of poetry, to match every poet or every mood. Hopefully this guide has given you some inspiration, or helped you discover a new form. There are endless poetic styles and forms for you to explore, but if all else fails simply make up your own!