The 90-Day Novel Challenge

As you move through your scene list, you may soon arrive at “The Old College Try.”

This key moment of your manuscript occurs in the middle of the second act. Your protagonist will make a half-hear…

Did you have a good week with your writing?

How are you supposed to even answer a question like that? Instead of a nebulous, unanswerable question, today’s episode presents two specific questions …

A poor workman may blame his tools, but there’s no denying that the right tools can make you better and faster at your work.

Programs like Microsoft Word and Google Docs are nice, but they really …

Writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint.

The Novel Matrix system helps a lot. It provides a useful strategy to capitalize on your natural inspiration, but also gives you a framework to move fo…

It’s time to show your reader that the protagonist is fundamentally likeable and worth rooting for. It’s time to “Save the Cat.”

As you work through your novel manuscript over the 90-Day Novel Cha…

In these early day of writing, it’s more important to build a healthy, sustainable writing routine than it is to achieve a particular word count.

Just like exercise, if you jump in too fast and do…

It’s time to start writing!

Let’s explore another big advantage of using a system like the Novel Matrix: you now have the power to write the scenes of your book in any order.

This will allow yo…

Are you being terrible enough to your main character?

If your protagonist is going to change and turn into a person that does impossible stuff, things are going to have to get really bad first.

Is your impossible thing actually an impossible thing?

And what about memoirs? Do they have to do all of this Novel Matrix stuff too?

As we finalize your Novel Matrix plans and get ready to wri…

Writers are always trying to get around this one.

You can get creative, but your characters must be “people.” If your story is missing a character function, audiences will notice.

They might no…

So you have a Novel Matrix plan, now what?

Your next step in the 90-Day Novel Challenge is to take your Novel Matrix plan and use it to develop a scene list. Using the Novel Matrix Scene Plan, dev…

How do you give your reader that satisfactory it is finished feeling at the end of the story, without making it hokey?

The answer lies in your Driving Conflict.

The “Driving Conflict” is the mo…

It’s time to move into the planning and development stages of your novel. This is where the fun begins!

Download complete Novel Matrix worksheets at NovelMatrix.com/worksheets

Writing a novel …

The Novel Matrix is all around us. You see it when you turn on the TV, when you read a book, and when you go to church.

Additional story examples will help to unveil the power of the Novel Matrix,…

We all know that a story needs a “setting,” but the universe of your story is one of the most overlooked power tools in the novelist’s toolbox.

As a novelist, defining the universe is both a respo…

Did you know you’ve been watching and reading the same seven character archetypes over and over again?

Sometimes these characters can be combined, but it’s critical that your story includes all se…

How many conflicts should your novel have? The answer is actually pretty simple: five.

Too few conflicts and the story will feel stretched and contrived. Too many conflicts and the story will be d…

First observed by Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago in Ancient Greece, the Three-Act Structure is one of the most powerful and pervasive tools for crafting a novel.

Today, we’ll take a look at t…

Welcome to Day 1 of the 90-Day Novel Challenge.

To build a foundation for a successful project, today we’re talking about the importance of structure in your work.

There’s a big difference betw…

Welcome to the 90-Day Novel Challenge.

Are you ready to write a novel in less than three months?

Watch a video version of this podcast on YouTube here, or use the 90-Day Novel Challenge course …