Writing

Writing has always been about ideas, clarity, and connection. But the process of getting those ideas from your mind onto the page-especially when English isn’t your first language-can be challenging. Over the past year, I’ve developed a writing process that combines human creativity with AI assistance, and it’s fundamentally changed how I create content. This isn’t about AI writing for me. It’s about AI helping me write better, faster, and more clearly. Let me show you how. ...

A slow burn doesn’t explode. It smolders. It’s the story that starts with unease and, over hundreds of pages, transforms that unease into suffocating dread-without a single jump scare, twist, or explosion. This is the hardest narrative mode to execute. Because you’re asking readers to stay engaged while denying them the payoff of immediate action. But when done right, a slow burn is devastating. What Is a Slow Burn? A slow-burn narrative builds tension through accumulation rather than escalation. ...

Every compelling opening uses one of five fundamental hooks-or combines them strategically. These aren’t arbitrary categories. They represent the primary ways humans process story: through curiosity (question), assertion (statement), movement (action), voice (dialogue), or immersion (setting). Understanding each type lets you choose the right tool for your specific story. Hook Type 1: The Question What It Does Poses an explicit or implicit question that demands an answer. The reader’s brain can’t help but seek resolution. The gap between question and answer creates tension that pulls them forward. ...

There are two ways to enter a pool: dive into the deep end or wade in from the shallow. Stories work the same way. A cold open throws readers into the deep end-action, conflict, mystery-with no preamble. A warm open lets readers acclimate-introducing character, setting, voice-before complications arise. Neither is inherently better. The choice depends on what your story needs and what your reader expects. The Cold Open: Immediate Immersion Definition A cold open begins mid-crisis: ...

Western storytelling has a formula: introduce a hero, give them a problem, make it worse, then resolve it through struggle. Conflict is everything. Heroes need villains. Protagonists need obstacles. Stories need tension. But what if there’s another way? What if you could tell a compelling story with zero conflict, no antagonist, and no struggle-and still keep your audience completely engaged? Welcome to kishotenketsu (起承転結), the East Asian narrative structure that’s been creating beautiful stories for over a thousand years without relying on conflict at all. ...

The building is already on fire when your story starts. No explanation of who lit it. No backstory about the building’s construction. No context about why it matters. Just flames, smoke, and someone running toward the exit. This is in medias res-literally “in the middle of things”-and it’s one of the most powerful tools in storytelling. Why Starting in the Middle Works Traditional story structure suggests you introduce characters, establish setting, explain stakes, then deliver conflict. ...

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey has dominated storytelling advice for decades. Seventeen stages, archetypal characters, mythological resonance-it’s the blueprint for everything from Star Wars to The Matrix to Harry Potter. But there’s a problem: it’s complicated. Most writers don’t need a 17-step formula. They need something practical, intuitive, and flexible enough to apply to everything from sitcoms to space operas. Enter Dan Harmon’s Story Circle-an eight-step distillation of Campbell’s monomyth that’s simpler to use, easier to teach, and just as powerful. ...

The moment the protagonist thinks they’ve won-disaster strikes. The moment all hope seems lost-a path forward appears. This is the rhythm of false victories and false defeats: emotional reversals that keep readers off-balance and invested. When done right, they create the feeling that anything can happen. When done wrong, they feel like manipulation or cheap tricks. The difference is in the execution. Defining the Terms False Victory (The Rug Pull) The protagonist achieves their goal or thinks they’ve solved the problem. ...

The most powerful line in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is never spoken. Two people sit at a train station, discussing “it.” They never say what “it” is. But readers know: they’re talking about abortion. The entire story happens in what’s not said. That’s the power of silence in storytelling-the strategic omission that makes readers fill in gaps, lean forward, and participate in meaning-making. What Is Narrative Silence? Silence in storytelling isn’t the absence of words. It’s the deliberate withholding of information, explanation, or resolution. ...

The Princess Bride begins with a grandfather reading a book to his sick grandson. Inside that book is the story of Westley and Buttercup. But that story contains another story-the legend of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Three stories, nested inside each other like Russian dolls. This technique-nested loop narrative-is one of the most elegant ways to add depth, resonance, and meaning to your stories. But it’s also one of the easiest to mess up. ...