Stuart Wakefield's Blog

If you’ve ever spent three blissful hours designing the tax system of a moon colony… only to realise you still haven’t written the scene where your protagonist decides whether to betray their friend, welcome. Worldbuilding is meant to support story, but it often becomes a procrastination palace with excellent plumbing. Today, I’m going to help you spot the sneaky ways worldbuilding can derail plot, character, pacing, and reader trust, and then I’ll give you simple fixes you can apply...

If you’ve ever hit January full of hope… and by February you’re negotiating with your own brain like it’s a hostile corporate merger, welcome. Let’s set up your 2026 writing year in a way that’s inspiring, yes, but also realistic. Motivation is lovely. A plan that survives real life is sexier. Grab a notebook (or Notes app, or the back of an envelope from your future self). By the end of this post you’ll have a simple map: your theme, your top priorities, a project plan you can actually...

This article provides worked examples of the same novel passage but with different point of view (POV) styles.

Let’s start with one of the most daunting moments for any writer - the blank page. There’s this idea out there that writers wait for...

Jaz Ampaw-Farr had a publisher. What did she didn't have was a book. That's where I came in as her book coach.

Here's how to be a great client for your book coach to... you know... coach.

Feeling stuck in your writing? An Author Accelerator book coach can help you clarify your vision, stay on track, and turn your draft into the book you meant to write. In this post, I break down what a book coach really does, who coaching is for (hint: not just beginners), and how to choose the right coach for your needs. If you’re spinning your wheels with your manuscript, this might be the support you’ve been looking for.

We all know a Spock. Maybe you are a Spock. The one with the perfectly structured outline, the colour-coded Scrivener files, the spreadsheet of inciting incidents. And let’s be honest: there’s a certain safety in logic. But if your brilliant, well-planned story still feels flat… it might be time to get dumb.

If you think writing romance is just about happily-ever-afters and smouldering glances, Noël Stark has news for you. With a career...

The Pixar Outline is a powerful tool for getting to the heart of your story.