The Chopping Blog

The charm of the amateur sleuth lies in contradiction: they don’t belong in the world of crime, yet somehow they thrive there.

Intentionality is how you earn readers’ trust.

If your novel wants to break the fourth wall, go ahead. Just make sure you have something to say when it does.

It’s a super common entry point into a fantasy novel: the protagonist steps through a portal or is somehow transported into another world.

This isn’t a hero with flaws.

In noir, the detective is hired to do a job—usually to find someone or uncover some buried truth—but the story unfolds more like a quest than a casefile.

At the heart of noir is a central tension: the world is corrupt, maybe even irredeemable—but the protagonist refuses to be.

A premise should create instant friction—between people, values, desires, timelines, or survival. This will be the lifeblood of your story.

The best subplots add layers, create obstacles, resolve internal conflicts, and enrich the main storyline. They create depth rather than merely taking up space.

Every reader is a detective, searching for answers. The craft lies in making the search irresistible.

There are tricks for making your villains scarier and more memorable—but, as with most things writing-related, there are also some pitfalls to avoid.

When you jump out of your focal character’s perspective to fill readers in on what you think we ought to know, you risk pausing the scene and sabotaging our immersion.