by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
You have a plot. You have characters. You have conflict. But something still isn’t working. The scenes feel flat. The stakes don’t feel high enough. Readers aren’t gripping the edges of the book, desperate to find out what happens next. This is one of the most...
by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
Readers don’t give books much time. They might pick one up in a bookstore, read the first few pages, and decide if they’ll buy it. They might download a sample on their Kindle, skim a few paragraphs, and make their choice. If nothing grabs them—if they don’t feel...
by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
A great book can be ruined by a bad ending. Everything was working—the characters were engaging, the stakes were high, the tension was building—and then? The resolution falls flat. Maybe it feels rushed. Maybe it’s too neat, or too vague. Maybe it leaves too many...
by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
Writers love to debate whether a story should be plot-driven or character-driven. Some swear that a gripping plot is everything—keep the stakes high, the pacing tight, and the reader turning pages. Others argue that characters are the heart of storytelling, that...
by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
The best plot twists feel inevitable in hindsight—not random, not cheap, not as if the author just threw a wrench into the story for shock value. A great twist doesn’t just surprise the reader; it recontextualizes everything that came before it. But writing a twist...
by Derek Murphy | Apr 26, 2025 | Secrets
You start strong. The opening hooks readers, the world feels rich, the characters have clear goals. Everything is moving. And then… something shifts. The story slows down. The tension fades. The momentum that once pulled the reader forward evaporates, leaving behind a...
