Writing Fiction

Has anyone ever called your story ‘episodic?’ Were you left wondering what that term even meant? Perhaps you heard the word ‘episodic’ used negatively by an agent or editor at a conference, or by a critique partner, a Beta reader, or…in a rejection letter. In our post, 3 Ways to Avoid Writing ‘Episodic’ Scenes in Fiction, we help you overcome this common writing pitfall so you can strengthen your story and keep readers turning pages.

A good story is about a character who ACTS. His actions and decisions drive the story forward. However, many aspiring writers string together scenes that an editor might call ‘episodic.’ What is ‘episodic?’ This is when your character seems to enter a scene without a clear scene goal or intention of pursuing a scene goal, and a random event occurs causing the character to react. Then another disaster happens to this character in the next scene or the character gets more bad news.

Scene & Sequel: The Secret to Plotting an Epic Novel
(Part I)
Ever feel ‘stuck’ while writing or had your story called ‘episodic’ or ‘unmotivated?’ Do you have a hard time moving your story forward in a way that grips the reader?
Learn the individual components of Scene & Sequel to structure your scenes, advance the plot, and increase the stakes with each character decision.