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How to Make Time to Write a Novel (Hint: You'll Never Find It)
Here's a small, unglamorous truth about writing a book: the perfect afternoon is never coming. You know the one. Four uninterrupted hours. A clean kitchen. Inbox zero. A hot and yummy drink at hand. And the words pouring out like they've been waiting all day just for you. If that's the afternoon you're waiting for before you start (or restart) your novel, your future self is going to be waiting a very long time. The good news? Books don't get written in perfect afternoons. Th

Ali Cross
2 hours ago5 min read


eBook Pricing: Should Your First-in-Series Book Be Free?
When permafree works, when 99¢ might be smarter, and how to know whether your series is ready

Ali Cross
Aug 256 min read


Summer Survival Skills for Writers: How to Stay on the Trail When Life Gets Busy
Someone oughta send out an APB on Summer because it has a sneaky way of making writers disappear.
One minute they’re posting their writing goals and promising launch dates. The next: They’re nowhere to be found.

Ali Cross
Jun 153 min read


Campfire: Why Your Side Characters Need a Story Job
What Is the Campfire Beat?
The Campfire beat happens after the hero has stepped into Act 2.
They’ve made their choice and entered a new world, new situation, or new level of commitment. Now the story widens.

Ali Cross
May 115 min read


Understanding the Embers/Debate Beat
This is the part of the story where you:
- Pay attention without panicking.
- Gather information without spiraling.
- Let the world reveal its new rules before you try to master them.

Ali Cross
Apr 223 min read


The Catalyst: When the Bomb Drops
In The Storyteller’s Way (an expanded beat sheet built upon Save the Cat), what most frameworks call the Catalyst/Inciting Incident lines up with Beat 4: “FLASH POINT—the moment the hero can’t un-know or can’t undo, and the plot gains irreversible forward momentum. A template you can use when crafting your own powerful Flash Point is
Disruption → Cost → Direction.

Ali Cross
Apr 167 min read


The Questbook: Act I—The Spark
The Questbook is a story-shaped guide for writers and creative humans who want to reconnect with their work, their rhythm, and themselves.

Ali Cross
Feb 92 min read
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