A.R. Rivera's Blog
December 19, 2024
In Case You Like Baking …
Because it’s so close to Christmas, I’m (re)sharing one of my favorite recipes! “Mom’s Coffee Cake” is what I call it, but it’s essentially a cinnamon crumb/coffee cake. Well, I drink coffee when I eat it, so that makes it coffee cake, right? I actually got the recipe from this very old cookbook that my …
December 5, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 8: Midpoint
In previous lessons we talked about the opening image of your story, stating the theme, setting-up your main character’s journey, the catalyst and debate. Then, we broke into Act 2, covered the B-story and characters, plus had lots of fun and games along they way. We traversed all of that just to get to the …
November 12, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 7: Fun and Games
Welcome to lesson 7 in our Save The Cat beat sheet series on story structure: beat 8! Beat 8 is called fun and games and it involves multiple scenes. It also runs through 1/3 of your novel. Yeah, it is big and important. It takes place throughout the 20-to-50% mark in your story. And just …
November 7, 2024
Words Are Life
Words are my jam. My favorite thing on the planet. You know, after God, oxygen, sunlight, food and shelter. I came across this word that I wanted to share because I think it’s relevant (and sounds funny): Fudgel (v) Definition: “Pretending to work when you’re not actually doing anything at all.” Example: Sometimes fudgeling can …
November 1, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 6: B Story
the A-story is the external story line, what happens to the protagonist on the surface, in the outside world. B-story is what's happening inside. As your hero moves along in their journey, what small, internal changes are happening? Are they softening to an idea they...
October 29, 2024
In a Baking Mood: Cheesecake
Since the weather here in the Central Valley has finally cooled down, I am ramping up my oven. Since baking is one of my favorite past times, I thought I should share another recipe I fall back on when I’m the mood for something sweet: cheesecake. I love cheesecake, but over the years I have …
October 25, 2024
How-To Build Characters Worth Reading About
This a post that has been on my mind for some time. Though my recent posts have focused solely on the Save The Cat Beat Sheet formula for building a narrative, the most vital part of any writers narrative is character. Let’s dive in! The Why’s and Types Why use archetypes? you might be wondering. …
Continue reading How-To Build Characters Worth Reading About
October 18, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 5: Break Into 2
Welcome back to my writing series on the Save The Cat storytelling structure! So far in this series, we have covered Narrative Structures, Opening Image, Theme and Set-Up, the finally, the Catalyst and Debate. In last week’s post, we ended on Debate, the final beat (a scene or several scenes that move the narrative forward) …
October 11, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 4: Catalyst and Debate
Sorry about the delay in posting. Sometimes life happens and we just have to go with the flow. Speaking of flow… This week’s section of Save the Cat’s structure for storytelling covers the Catalyst and debate. They are two separate points of story which go hand-in-hand. Before we get into it, here are a few …
September 25, 2024
How-To Write Lesson 3: Theme and Set-Up
We’ve been talking story structure in this how-to series, using the Save The Cat beats because this particular structure works well for the disorganized mind. My disorganized mind. In case you missed it, the previous beat can be found here. And in case you forgot, “a story beat is a shift in the narrative. Story …
