This week I created a goal to take my writing career and craft to the next level. Since publishing my first novel a year ago and joining multiple creative writing communites, I have learned a lot about my writing skills -strengths, weaknesses, and mehs. Using my notes from the past year, I compiled a list of all the areas of growth to work on.

From there, I used an AI tool to help me break down each of these areas and find resources to support me with them. Here is what I was able to compile using ChatGPT:

1. Pacing and Scene Balance

• You sometimes rush through pivotal moments that would benefit from more tension and emotional depth.
• Some transitions between scenes or character actions could be smoothed out to improve flow.

📚 Books & Articles:

• The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass – Covers how to create tension in every scene and make pivotal moments land.
• The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass – Explains how to slow down and expand moments for maximum impact.
• Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – Offers a great framework for pacing and ensuring important moments get enough time.

2. Deepening Characterization

• Your characters have strong foundations, but at times, their emotions and internal conflicts could be explored more fully.
• Consider adding more sensory details and body language to show their feelings rather than stating them.

📚 Books & Articles:

• The Psychology Workbook for Writers by Darian Smith – Helps build deeper character motivations and emotional responses.
• Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias – Focuses on crafting characters with deeper, more resonant emotions.
• Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card – A classic resource for making characters feel real and layered.

3. Refining Prose and Style

• Your writing is clear and engaging, but some passages could be tightened to eliminate redundancy or overly complex sentence structures.
• Experimenting with sentence rhythm and variety could enhance the immersive quality of your prose.

📚 Books & Articles:

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King – One of the best guides on tightening prose and improving style.
• Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin – A fantastic resource for refining sentence rhythm and variety.
• On Writing by Stephen King – Offers great insights into clarity, rhythm, and making prose more immersive.

4. Worldbuilding Integration

• You have compelling settings, but sometimes world-building details could be woven more naturally into the story rather than delivered in chunks.
• Using character actions and dialogue to reveal lore could make it feel more organic.

📚 Books & Articles:

• Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer – A visually engaging guide on worldbuilding and storytelling.
• The Worldbuilder’s Journal of Legendary Adventures (Dungeons & Dragons) – Even if you’re not into D&D, this book is great for natural lore development.
• Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland – Helps weave world-building into character-driven storytelling.

5. Strengthening Emotional Impact

• Certain high-stakes moments could have more emotional weight by lingering on reactions, thoughts, and physical sensations.
• Expanding internal monologues at key moments can help connect the reader more deeply to the protagonist’s journey.

📚 Books & Articles:

• Writing with Emotion, Tension, & Conflict by Cheryl St. John – Practical techniques for making emotions hit harder.
• The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass – Again, this book is excellent for this specific area.
• The Anatomy of Story by John Truby – Helps create emotionally resonant character arcs.

6. Subtext and Nuanced Dialogue

• Some of your dialogue is strong, but there are moments where it could convey more through what’s left unsaid.
• Layering subtext in character interactions (using implication, tone, and indirect responses) can add depth.

📚Books & Articles:

• Between the Lines: Mastering the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Morrell – A great guide on subtext, emotion, and what’s left unsaid.
• Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias – Focuses on making dialogue, subtext, and character interactions more emotionally powerful.
• How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell – Covers techniques to make dialogue more dynamic and layered.

7. Foreshadowing and Thematic Cohesion

• You could refine how you weave foreshadowing into your narrative, making key reveals feel inevitable rather than sudden.
• Strengthening recurring motifs and themes could give your stories a stronger emotional and philosophical resonance.

📚Books & Articles:

• The Art of Foreshadowing: How to Create Clues and Intrigue in Your Writing by Debra Burroughs (short but insightful).
• Into the Woods by John Yorke – A deep dive into structure and how foreshadowing ties into storytelling.
• Brandon Sanderson’s Lectures on Writing (available for free on YouTube) – His explanations of planting and payoff are excellent.

8. Dynamic Action and Tension Building

• Fight scenes or action sequences could be more immersive with varied sentence structures and visceral, moment-by-moment details.
• Raising tension through misdirection, obstacles, and unexpected complications can add to the suspense.

📚Books & Articles:

• Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction by Benjamin Percy – Covers pacing, action, and suspense.
• Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell – Focuses on building tension at all levels.
• Writing Excuses Podcast (especially episodes on pacing and action sequences).

9. Distinct Narrative Voice

• Your narrative voice is strong, but fine-tuning the tone and perspective for each story could enhance immersion.
• Experimenting with stylistic choices (sentence rhythm, diction, and internal monologue) can create a more distinct voice for each protagonist.

📚Books & Articles:

• Voice: The Secret Power of Great Writing by James Scott Bell – A practical breakdown of finding and refining your voice.
• The Anatomy of Story by John Truby – Helps develop voice through character psychology.
• Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin – Fantastic exercises for narrative style.

10. Manipulating Reader Expectations

• Playing with tropes and reader assumptions can make your stories feel fresh and surprising.
• Misdirection, unreliable narrators, or perspective shifts can add layers of intrigue.

📚Books & Articles:

• Surprise! Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected by Tania Luna & LeeAnn Renninger – About surprising audiences.
• Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – Helps with subverting tropes while staying satisfying.
• Dan Harmon’s Story Circle (many breakdowns available online) – Great for structuring twists and character arcs.

While the AI also gave me suggested exercises to do for each of these areas as well, I just included the books & articles here because these will be my main focus.

For the rest of the year, I will attempt to work through each of these suggested resources and implement what I learn from them in my writing. In addition, I will also be tracking my progress on here, my social media accounts, and YouTube.

While this is sure to give me loads more content to post, the main reason for this is to teach back to others as I learn. This will help ensure what I’m learning sticks. It’s a classic teaching method I implement in my own classes. But what’s also so great is I will actually be teaching people as I learn, so more people will benefit from me learning this stuff -thus, increasing my motivation!

Right now, I am halfway through the first book: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, so far so good!

You can follow my progress on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and… here!