The 90-Day Novel Challenge

It’s time to crush your protagonist again.

Who’s going to do the crushing? Usually your Mega-Antagonist.

If you’re stuck in this downward arc of the second act, a great question to ask is, “How…

You must trap your protagonist between two incompatible worldviews. Which one will he choose?

The Novel Matrix’s “philosophical conflict” forces you to make this conflict specific.

Every charac…

Whether you have a finished novel manuscript 50 days from now all hinges on one critical question: will you place your butt in the seat and put words on the page today?

Writers with finished manus…

If you’re on the faster or shorter side, you may be approaching the Icarus Moment.

This critical point in your plot structure will keep your reader engaged, and propel your protagonist toward real…

This simple tip will revolutionize your productivity.

Don’t allow yourself to read what you’ve written at the beginning of each writing session. It’s a recipe for wasted time…or worse.

Commit t…

This is where good stories die. Don’t be a casualty.

It’s really natural. Your initial excitement for the project has worn off, but the end still seems like it’s a long way away.

Don’t give up!…

A thousand might seem like a big number, but 1,000 words per hour is not as much as it sounds.

Try talking at 1,000 words per hour. That’s one word every 3.6 seconds! You’ll be miserable.

If yo…

How do you write a story in which the events happen over a long period of time?

The advice is the same whether the events happen over a day or a hundred years: skip to the next important part of t…

Is rest a punishment or a reward? It’s neither.

When we live our lives with God, rest is our base of operations.

We don’t earn our rest with good work. Instead, we earn good work with rest.

As you move through the manuscript, you’ll hit the Montage after the Rock Bottom moment. We call it a montage, because oftentimes in movies there is a montage in this part of the story in which the p…

This tip to get your writing speed up to 1,000 words per hour is scandalously simple. It’s so simple it’s offensive.

When you try this, it’s likely that you’re going to surprise yourself. Chances …

The Novel Matrix book officially hit store shelves today! What makes this writing system so unique?

The Novel Matrix isn’t just another repackaging of the same dusty academic ideas about story str…

Writing is a business. You’re already investing in this business to the tune of 90 hours over three months. If there are small expenses that will improve the outcome on that time, why not make them?

The “Rock Bottom” moment in your story is a huge opportunity to reinforce themes and values.

As you move through the manuscript, you’ll soon reach Rock Bottom. This is your chance to show the read…

Discouragement can rear its ugly head in lots of different ways as you write your novel. It may seem like there’s an endless string of reasons why you’d be better off just to give up.

What if you …

Writers are built, not born.

It takes time and practice to become a good writer. Anyone who is a master at anything had to push through those feelings at one time.

Whether those feelings are tr…

Writing a novel is a big undertaking. Just like your protagonist needs a cast of supporting characters, you might need a little support too.

Here are four resources that are going to change your g…

Remember what we said about conflict. A “conflict” is two things in tension, such that both may not be satisfied.

Challenges and obstacles aren’t enough, we need to see real conflict on that page.…

This tip will dramatically increase your writing speed.

You have tons of time in your day during which your brain is underemployed. If you’re like most Americans, you’re filling every idle moment …

Do I have to write every day? What if miss a day? Can I make it up?

Building healthy, sustainable routines is always more important than your specific productivity. Writing is a long-term mission,…