Resources

Make sure your submissions:

• are in Times New Roman font
• are double-spaced
• have 1 inch margins
• include a name, abbreviated title, and page # in upper right corner
• have a cover page

“Stakes”

We talk about stakes a lot. Like, a lot. The stakes are what’s at risk for a character if they don’t reach their goal. Some of the types of stakes that might be discussed include:

1. Personal Stakes – Direct consequences for the protagonist’s life, relationships, or well-being.
2. External Stakes – Consequences that affect the world outside the protagonist.
3. Emotional Stakes – Psychological or internal consequences, such as self-worth, guilt, or personal growth.
4. Philosophical or Moral Stakes – The story questions deeper ethical or existential issues.

Many craft books discuss the importance of stakes in a story, including Donald Maass in his 2016 book The Emotional Craft of Fiction. In this book, Maass really focuses in on the importance of deep emotional stakes and how these kinds of psychological risks can fuse character development with plot.

“Scene and Sequel”

This concept comes from Dwight V. Swain’s book 1965 craft book Techniques of a Selling Writer. The short explanation: in the “scene” section of a novel, stuff happens. Scenes are followed by “sequels”, during which the main character reacts to the stuff that happened and adjusts their goals.

For the long(er) story, you can check out this blog post.

“Truby”

Many NIP authors have found helpful structural revision strategies from the work of John Truby, especially his book Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master.

You can browse a truncated version of his principles on this pdf, or listen to his Masterclass:

• Austin Central Library
• Writers Guild of Texas
• Book People, Texas’ largest independent bookstore
• Texas Book Festival