writing craft

Your Personal Weasel Word List (and Why You Should Actually Use It)

/ Non-Fiction, Reference, Tracy Cooper-Posey

Before you dump your draft on an editor—or on your future self—you should be doing a ruthless cleanup pass. That starts with your own personal Weasel Word List: those sneaky, repetitive words and phrases that dull your prose and clutter your scenes. You’ve got ‘em. Everyone does. The trick is to catch them before your editor does. Bonus: clean manuscripts make ebook compilers very, very happy (and don’t randomly explode on Kindle).

“What’s It About?” — The Question That Makes Everything Easier

/ Mark Posey

Writers love to add more scenes, more twists, more explosions… but half the time the real problem is simpler: we don’t actually know what the story is about.
Once you can answer three deceptively basic questions — What’s it about? What will the protagonist learn? How will they change? — the whole book snaps into focus. Plot becomes purposeful. Scenes stop wandering. And suddenly you’re not writing 300 pages of Stuff That Happens™ — you’re writing a story with meaning.

The Quietest Moments Are the Scariest

/ Mark Posey, Thrillers

Big explosions are fun, but they’re not what makes a thriller truly terrifying. The real fear hides in the silence—the still moments when nothing’s happening, yet you know something’s about to. From No Country for Old Men to Saving Grace, Mark Posey explores why quiet scenes hit harder than gunfire—and why the pause before the door opens is the scariest sound of all.

The Power of Knowing Your Character’s Arc (Before You Start Writing)

/ Mark Posey

Writing a story without understanding your main character’s arc is like driving cross-country blindfolded — you might arrive somewhere, but odds are it won’t be where you meant to go. Every protagonist travels an emotional and psychological path, changing (or refusing to change) because of the story’s events. When you understand that inner journey — and how it collides with the outer, plot-driven one — every scene gains purpose, every choice deepens meaning, and your rewrite count drops dramatically. Know your hero’s lie, the truth they need to learn, and what the story will throw at them to force that transformation. Everything else flows from there.

How to Disappear in Plain Sight (Without a Q Branch Budget)

/ Espionage, Mark Posey, Thrillers

Disappearing isn’t about vanishing—it’s about confidence. From Angelina Jolie’s cool-headed makeover in Salt to Natasha Romanoff’s mall-date sleight of hand, the best spies don’t run; they blend. In fiction, that kind of composure is thrilling to watch—and in Fall From Grace, Thomas Billings is about to need every trick in the book.

The Bigger They Are…

/ Mark Posey

A “reasonable” villain might seem believable—but it’s also the fastest way to kill tension in your story. The best antagonists aren’t fair opponents; they’re towering, terrifying forces that make the hero dig deep and evolve. From Goliath to the Borg, it’s the impossible odds that make victory unforgettable.

The Two Sides of Conflict: Why Your Story Needs Both

/ Uncategorized

Conflict is the heartbeat of fiction—but not all conflict is created equal. External conflict drives your plot forward, while internal conflict drives your character’s growth. When you make those two forces feed each other, your story hits harder and lingers longer.

Mastering the Scene: Why Your Novel Depends on It

/ Mark Posey

A novel isn’t a pile of words—it’s a chain of well-built scenes. This post breaks down the five parts of a powerful scene (from Inciting Incident to Resolution) and why scene craft is the difference between a draft and a publishable book.

The Best Bad Choice: Why Impossible Decisions Make Great Fiction

/ Mark Posey

Great fiction doesn’t come from easy wins—it comes from impossible choices. When your protagonist is forced to pick between two equally awful options, the story stops being about “victory” and starts being about what they’re willing to lose. That’s when stakes rise, true character is revealed, and readers stay glued to the page.

Confessions of a Sadistic Author

/ Mark Posey, Thrillers

Why do authors put their characters through hell? Because without conflict, there’s no story. In Confessions of a Sadistic Author, Mark explains why Jacobine, Billings, and the rest of his cast are constantly battered and bruised — and why their scars make them unforgettable.

Shopping Basket
Scroll to Top