by Michael J. Totten | Oct 27, 2026 | Plot and Structure, Uncategorized
Story structure and plot are not the same thing. They’re like climate and weather, where climate is what you expect and weather is what you get. Plot is what happens in your particular story. Fido the dog steals kibble from Gaius the cat, then Gaius gets his revenge...
by Michael J. Totten | Sep 24, 2026 | Plot and Structure, Uncategorized
The worst possible place for a flashback is right at the beginning of a story, but I see this on the regular from beginning authors. I know what’s usually going on here. Most of the time, these early, misplaced flashbacks are there to illustrate a character’s...
