You've mastered the foundations.
However, the work is not yet complete.
This is Part 2: The Tactics.
This is where you learn to apply everything you have at your disposal.
You've mastered the foundations.
However, the work is not yet complete.
This is Part 2: The Tactics.
This is where you learn to apply everything you have at your disposal.
What follows is the definitive list of tactics and techniques.
Each one is assigned to its proper category, and its purpose is revealed.
These are the core tactics for seizing and holding the reader's attention.
They're a player's secret to controlling the readers.
Technique: This is a fundamental technique for building reader addiction.
An open loop is a mystery, question, or unresolved tension you introduce early on.
The closed loop is the satisfying resolution you provide much later.
The gap between them is what compels the reader to continue.
The Method: Open a loop with a cryptic statement ("He never spoke of what was hidden in the basement.").
Delay the resolution by strategically placing unrelated scenes and details.
Close the loop only at a moment of maximum impact, like a climax or a key turning point, rewarding the reader for their patience.
Technique: The manipulation of your narrative's speed.
Fast pacing creates urgency, while slow pacing builds tension, atmosphere, and character depth.
The Method: To accelerate the pace, use short, declarative sentences, action verbs, and sharp dialogue. For a chase scene or a heated argument, this is what you lean on.
To slow down, use longer sentences, detailed descriptions, and lean into a character's internal monologue. This is your tool for moments of introspection or building a sense of dread.
Tactic: A key tactic from copywriting and post-writing, adapted for stories.
The hook is the opening that immediately grabs the reader.
The re-hook is a tool you use to artfully regain their attention.
The Method: Your opening line is the hook. It's a promise to the reader that the story is worth their time.
It should be so compelling that it forces them to ask a question they need answered.
For a story, it's an opening line like, "I saw the face of God on the side of a bus," or "The last thing I remember is the fire."
As the narrative progresses, you will feel the reader's attention begin to slip.
This is where the re-hook comes in.
It's a new plot point or a shift in pace that gives the reader a jolt and pulls them back into the story.
It's a secret revealed, a betrayal exposed, or a sudden, unexplained event.
These are strategically placed to ensure the reader never has a reason to put your work down.
Tactic: A classic screenwriting tactic used to ensure an audience's return. It belongs to stories when you want to make turning the page an inevitability.
The Method: You build a scene to its absolute peak of tension—a character in mortal danger, a shocking revelation, or a crucial choice.
As soon as the tension is unbearable, you cut the scene.
The reader's mind is left in a state of unresolved suspense, forcing them to find out what happens next.
Tactic: A cognitive hack that uses patterns to create rhythm, satisfaction, and emphasis. The human brain is wired to appreciate the rule of three.
The Method: Use it to escalate a character's challenges.
The first two are difficult, but the third is the true test.
In dialogue, use it to create emphasis: "He came. He saw. He conquered."
The third phrase feels final and powerful.
These are the techniques for building a solid, well-defined story.
They're the gears and levers of your plot, ensuring every element serves a purpose.
Tactic: A fundamental screenwriting tool that breaks down a story into a series of key emotional beats. It’s a tactical roadmap for pacing and plotting.
The Method: Create a list of 15-20 pivotal moments in your story, from the inciting incident to the final image.
This ensures your narrative has a clear emotional rhythm and a purpose-driven structure.
Tactic: The event that kicks the story into motion. It’s the first problem your protagonist has to solve.
In a post, it’s the provocative statement that hooks the reader.
In a story, it's the event that forces the protagonist out of their normal world.
The Method: Make it personal and high-stakes.
It's the moment their life changes forever.
A stranger’s message, a sudden job loss, the discovery of a family secret; this is the true beginning.
Tactic: The inner, psychological journey of your character. It’s the transformation that parallels the external plot.
The Method: Map out how your protagonist feels at the beginning, middle, and end.
Do they go from insecure to confident, from naive to cynical, from lonely to loved?
This gives your story its heart.
Technique: A pivotal moment of self-reflection. The protagonist literally or figuratively looks in a "mirror" and recognizes their biggest flaw or how far they've fallen.
The Method: Place this at the lowest point of your character's journey.
It’s where they face the truth about themselves and find the motivation to change.
It's the moment before they find the strength to fight back.
Tactic: A tactical move that makes the reader believe the story is over, only for a new, larger threat to emerge. It’s a powerful re-hooking device used in films and series.
The Method: Write your final battle and resolution, but instead of ending the narrative, introduce a new villain or a final mystery.
The "happy ending" becomes a reprieve.
Tactic: A clever lie you tell the reader to keep them guessing; a false clue or a misleading character designed to distract from the truth.
The Method: Introduce a plausible suspect with a suspicious motive.
Plant a clue that points directly to them.
When the time is right, pull the rug out from under the reader, revealing the true culprit.
Technique: The intentional use of detail. If you introduce an element, it must serve a purpose later. Nothing is wasted.
The Method: Plant a seemingly insignificant detail early on: a watch in a left pocket, a strange scar, a passing comment.
Later, that detail must become crucial to the plot.
This rewards the reader and shows your rigorous planning.
Technique: The art of hinting at future events without revealing the secret. It’s how you build suspense and a sense of inevitability.
The Method: Use subtle clues, like a storm on the horizon before an argument, a recurring nightmare, or an unsettling statement.
This builds a sense of anticipation that pulls the reader forward.
Tactic: A narrative jump ahead in time to show a future event, teasing the reader with a glimpse of what is to come.
The Method: At the beginning of a novel, show a scene from the climax or end.
This is a powerful open loop that makes the reader wonder how the characters will get to that point.
Technique: Telling two or more separate stories that run at the same time, linked by a common theme or event.
The Method: Alternate chapters between two characters who don’t know each other but are on a collision course.
The tension comes from the reader knowing what's coming, but the characters not knowing.
Technique: A later plot point that references an earlier moment. It rewards attentive readers.
The Method: If a character mentioned a favorite childhood toy in chapter one, have that same toy be the key to solving a puzzle in the final act.
Technique: A recurring element—an image, object, or phrase—that holds symbolic significance.
The Method: Use a shattered mirror whenever a character faces a difficult truth.
A single black feather could symbolize a villain’s presence.
The motif adds a layer of subconscious meaning.
Technique: The planned release of a crucial piece of a character's history that re-contextualizes their present actions.
The Method: Don’t dump backstory in the beginning.
Release fragments throughout the narrative.
The climax is not just a battle, but the moment your protagonist learns a secret about their past that gives them the power to win.
Technique: Giving your hero a specific weakness that they must overcome.
The Method: Identify a core flaw, like arrogance or fear.
Make this flaw the reason for their failures in the middle of the story.
The eventual victory is not just winning, but winning by overcoming that flaw.
Technique: A question that kicks off the story and the narrative exists to answer. This is a fundamental mystery-writing tactic.
The Method: Start with a question like, "Who killed the man with the single red rose?"
The entire narrative exists to answer it.
Technique: The true climax is the single choice the protagonist must make that defines their character.
The Method: Build your narrative around a moment where the hero has two equally terrible or equally enticing choices.
Their decision is the climax of the story.
Technique: The central idea of your story isn't just a concept; it’s a living part of the narrative.
The Method: Make your theme (e.g., trust, revenge) a tangible force in the story, represented by an object, a character, or a recurring event.
These are the stylistic devices and rhetorical tools that give your writing power.
They're for manipulating emotions at the sentence level.
Technique: This is the golden rule. Instead of telling the reader something, you show them.
Instead of saying a character is angry, you show their knuckles turning white as they clench their fists.
The Method: Engage the senses.
Use specific verbs ("he strode" instead of "he walked").
Let your characters' actions and what they say (or don't say) reveal their inner world.
Tactic: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses to create rhythm and emphasis.
The Method: Use it to build an emotional crescendo or make an undeniable point.
"We will not quit. We will not surrender. We will not back down."
Tactic: The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses, often for a dramatic conclusion.
The Method: Use it to emphasize a final point.
"And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
Tactic: A question asked for effect, not for an answer.
In a post, it engages the reader.
In a story, it makes them think.
The Method: Use it to make a character's internal dilemma a universal one.
"How could he ever go back to the life he had before?"
Tactic: Placing two contrasting elements side-by-side to highlight their differences.
The Method: Place a scene of peaceful childhood memories immediately after a scene of intense conflict.
This makes the darkness of the present feel even deeper.
Tactic: A narrator whose credibility is compromised, forcing the reader to question everything they read.
The Method: Tell the story from the perspective of a character who is clearly biased or mentally unstable.
This adds layers of suspense.
Tactic: A critical scriptwriting tactic. The meaning of a scene is conveyed through what's left unsaid.
The Method: Two characters talk about a dog, but their dialogue is really about a child they've lost.
The tension comes from the unspoken emotions.
Tactic: A comparison between two things to explain a complex idea. Used in posts to simplify difficult topics.
The Method: Use an analogy to explain a character's predicament.
"Her life was a house of cards, and she was watching it all begin to sway."
Tactic: Using a character with no name to represent a universal type or concept. Used in screenplays for brevity.
The Method: Instead of a name, the character is "The Wanderer" or "The Stranger."
This makes them less of an individual and more of a symbol.
Tactic: A screenwriting tactic to manipulate an audience's emotions by making them feel for a character, even a villain.
The Method: Show a villain's tragic past or a brief moment of vulnerability.
Don't excuse their actions, but show a human side to complicate the narrative.
Technique: A brief section after the main story ends that shows the long-term consequences of the events.
The Method: After the final battle, write a short chapter that takes place a year or five years later.
This shows the permanent change in the world and the characters.
Tactic: A move in posts and essays to establish expertise early and gain the reader’s trust.
The Method: For a post or an essay, you establish your authority with a bold, declarative statement of your expertise.
You tell the reader exactly why they should listen to you.
Example: "I spent a decade in the world of venture capital, and here's what I learned about true innovation."
For a story, the authority belongs to the character.
Their first line should immediately establish their dominance, experience, or unique POV on the world.
Their voice is the hook.
Example: A detective's opening line: "In my line of work, there are no accidents, only failures of observation."
Tactic: A move to establish a deeper connection with your audience by grounding a universal lesson in a personal truth.
The Method: For a post or an essay, you use a brief, personal story to create an immediate bridge to the reader.
It's a way of saying, "I have lived this. I have proof of what I'm about to tell you."
Example: "For two years, I ate nothing but canned soup and slept on a friend's couch. This is where I learned the difference between ambition and obsession."
For a story, the anecdote is a way for a character to reveal a part of themselves.
It's a moment of vulnerability or insight that establishes a bond with another character or illustrates the lesson they're about to deliver.
Example: A character, after a long silence, says, "My father used to tell me that the ocean holds no grudges. That's a lie. The ocean remembers everything you throw into it."
Technique: You use "you" to address the reader directly, putting them into the shoes of the protagonist.
The Method: "You wake up. The room is dark. You don’t remember where you are."
This breaks the fourth wall, making the experience intimate.
Technique: Every line of dialogue must do more than just provide information. It should reveal character, advance the plot, or create conflict.
The Method: Instead of having a character say, "I’m worried about my wife’s health," have them say, "She's been tired lately. I just wish she had told me what the doctor said."
Technique: Your distinct personality on the page. It’s the unique way you choose words and convey emotion.
The Method: You don't "go about" it; you find it.
It’s in the honest language.
The voice is an undeniable one that gets straight to the point, and it’s built on a conversational, direct style that tells the reader what's really happening.
This is not a guidebook.
It's a series of strategies to give you the confidence to trust yourself.
Now you know the rules, but you're not meant to follow them all.
The real freedom is to take only what you need, leave the rest, and start creating on your own terms.
If you want to uncomplicate the process and have a single reference for every strategy I've covered, you can find the only guide you'll ever need to stop overthinking and start writing.
The next move is yours, and it begins here.