Nov 9, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Not sure where to start with science fiction? Here's how to choose your subgenre, turn a "what if" into a theme and a plot, build a world that feels...
#genre, #worldbuilding, #writing tips, #research
read moreNov 6, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Today’s readers are more discerning than ever. They don’t want to see cookie-cutter villains who do evil for evil’s sake. They want to see deep...
#character development, #writing tips
read moreNov 2, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
The "therefore, but" rule is a simple way to check that your plot is driven by cause and effect. Here's what it means, when to use it, and why it...
read moreOct 26, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Good at imagery but short on words? Seven habits that will help you build your vocabulary, and why plain words still have a place.
#writing tips, #reading, #writing community
read moreOct 19, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Passive voice isn't the same as past tense, and plenty of sentences that sound passive aren't. Here's how to spot it, why we use it, and when to keep...
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Oct 12, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
A deliberate anachronism only works if the reader can tell you meant it. Here's how to signal that early, and how to avoid the opposite trap of...
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Oct 9, 2026 | by Parker Fogg
Write what you know. It’s the oldest and simplest advice handed out to new writers, and while some people may disagree over its applicability when it...
#writing inspiration, #writing tips
read moreOct 5, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Not sure how a two-year-old talks compared to a four-year-old? Here's how to write children's dialogue that feels believable and suits your audience,...
read moreOct 2, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Dialogue tags can make or break a reader’s immersion in your dialogue. Great use of dialogue tags can result in clear, engaging, and memorable...
#dialogue, #grammar, #writing tips
read moreSep 25, 2026 | by Nimrod Cortés
Trauma in storytelling is a powerful force that can shape a character’s life and experiences. Depending on the type of story you’re telling, writing...
#character development, #writing tips
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Sep 21, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Torn between several writing projects and can't decide where to focus? Here's how to work out why each one feels stuck, figure out what you actually...
#writing tips, #motivation, #productivity, #writers' routines
read moreSep 18, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
We don’t always write when the mood of our surroundings matches the mood of what we’re writing. It’s hard to write about a group of friends having...
#playlists, #writing inspiration
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Sep 14, 2026 | by Walt Kessler
What actually happens to a defendant during a murder trial, from arraignment through the verdict, and how to capture it on the page.
#research, #genre, #writing tips
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Sep 7, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Struggling to turn a great horror premise into an actual plot? This post breaks down why horror lets you coast on atmosphere longer than other...
#plotting, #genre, #fiction, #writing tips
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Sep 4, 2026 | by Kim Montgomery
Chapters across the top, plot lines down the side: how a plotting grid keeps your novel on track, and how Novlr's new Planning tool builds one...
read moreAug 24, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Drowning in contradictory search results while researching a historical period? Here's where to actually find sources worth trusting, from free...
read moreAug 21, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
There is nothing quite like the feeling of finishing off a chapter that you’re really happy with. You’ve hit all the beats just right, the pacing is...
read moreAug 17, 2026 | by Jess McKenna
A slow burn where the hero's still grieving his "perfect" dead love interest is a melodrama trap waiting to spring. Jess McKenna breaks down why...
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Aug 6, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Six imagined worlds, six soundtracks; from a Southern Gothic swamp to a dead-eyed dystopia, these are the playlists to queue up before you open your...
#playlists, #writing inspiration
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Aug 3, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Got a story with history that matters, but explaining it keeps turning into a lecture? Here's how to let readers discover your world's backstory...
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Jul 27, 2026 | by Ravi Ahmed
A software developer and amateur sci-fi writer debugs why his platonic hugs kept reading as romantic and finds the real fix isn't the touch itself,...
#character development, #writing tips
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Jul 24, 2026 | by Crystal Kamm
Writing a novel is arguably one of the most gruelling of endurance sports. We write and write and write, only to scrap what we wrote and write it,...
#productivity, #writing events
read moreJul 20, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Robotic third person narration and boring scenes usually share one cause: information being stated instead of experienced. Here's how to close that...
#character development, #voice
read moreJul 13, 2026 | by Pamela Koehne-Drube
Learn how to write vivid smell descriptions even without a strong sense of smell yourself, using borrowed language, taste connections, and character...
read moreNovlr is a writer-owned writing workspace built for, and by writers. We are the home for creative writing, here to support you at every stage of your writing journey, no matter what that looks like.