The First Draft Pro Blog

We freaking love stories

You do too? Well, well, well. That smells like BFF potential.

A selection of gifts that would be appropriate for a writer, including First Draft Pro, and other products like stationery, tea, candles, and books about writing.
News
5 min read

10 Gift Ideas for Writers in 2024

The best gifts for writers are those that acknowledge and celebrate their passion for stories. Here's a curated list of 10 thoughtful gift ideas.
A man sitting in an ornate chair in a reading room, holding a book up. The book has light emanating from it. There's also a dog. The dog is the best part.
Writing Tips
3 min read

What is exposition and how to do it well

Effectively conveying background information without overwhelming the reader.
The cover of a book with an embossed title that reads "Books fatal to their authors".
Writing Tips
3 min read

The ultimate guide to surviving your first draft

Comprehensive strategies and considerations for crafting your initial manuscript.
An illustration of a Dante's Diving comedy.
Writing Tips
3 min read

How to use the Kubler-Ross stages of grief in your story

Implementing the stages of grief to depict character development and conflict.
A painting of a man reading books in a library.
Writing Tips
3 min read

6 approaches to finishing your first draft

Strategies for completing the initial version of your manuscript.
A funny scene showing a woman running after a runaway pram.
Writing Tips
3 min read

How to write humour (a brief overview)

Techniques for incorporating humor into your narrative effectively.
Two women lying in bed, having an intimate conversation.
Writing Tips
3 min read

How to write healthy relationships

Crafting authentic and positive interpersonal dynamics.
An illustration of writers working in a library.
Tropes
3 min read

A complete guide to book tropes – including a list of 20+ tropes you can use

Utilizing and subverting common narrative themes and devices effectively.
A cowbow holding a gun, pointed at the viewer.
Writing Tips
3 min read

Chekhov's gun

Understanding and implementing the principle of relevant narrative elements.
A man drops his pipe in a moment of surprise.
Writing Tips
3 min read

The 2 ways you can introduce your inciting incident

Strategies for presenting the initiating event of your narrative.
An excerpt of a piece of hand writing.
Writing Tips
3 min read

A foolproof formula for writing a inciting incidents

Crafting compelling events that set the narrative in motion.
An image showing a stage play.
Writing Tips
3 min read

How to know what you can leave out/not dramatize

Identifying non-essential elements that can be omitted from the narrative.