Kristina Stanley

Mystery Author

[kristinastanley]

Don't write your fantasy novel without the help of this book.

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

The Secret Engine of Romance: Why Your Story Needs an External Goal

We all know the heart of a great romance lies in the emotional journey. It’s about the protagonist overcoming a deep-seated wound, shattering a lifelong misconception, or fixing a flaw that keeps them from accepting love. But if two characters just sit in a room analyzing their emotional baggage for three hundred pages, the story loses its momentum. To give those raw emotions a place to clash…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Crafting the Perfect Crime

Why Victims and Culprits are the Heart of Your Mystery Are you struggling to capture your story in your skeleton blurb? In Secrets to Writing a Mystery, we dive deep into the mechanics of suspense to help you find your mystery.  One of the most vital lessons for any aspiring detective novelist is understanding that a crime is only as compelling as the people involved. To create a page-turner,…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Your best story deserves to be told.

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Romance Novels and the Protagonist's Wound

Why the Protagonist’s Wound Is the Beating Heart of Every Romance Every romance novel begins with a promise: two people will find their way to love. But beneath the banter, chemistry, and swoony moments lies the true engine of the story—the protagonist’s wound, misconception, or flaw. This internal struggle is what gives a romance its emotional weight, its stakes, and ultimately, its…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Secrets to Writing a Novel: The Fictionary Method is now live!

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Writing a fantasy novel demands an external and supernatural story arc. Learn how to find yours.

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Secrets to Writing a Sci-Fi Novel

I’m super excited to announce Alexandria Yandt has accepted my offer to co-author Secrets to Writing A Sci-Fi, the 9th book in the Write Novels That Sell series. Alexandria is a Fictionary Certified StoryCoach editor and instructor. She brings with her a strong knowledge of story structure and the science fiction genres. She writes both historical romance and science fiction with, you guessed…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Secrets to Writing Subplots

We have some exciting news to share that will definitely help you level up your storytelling game. Kristina Stanley and Lisa Taylor are officially back in the lab! They are currently co-authoring the 8th novel in the Write Novels That Sell series. As they are well under way with their research, they have started writing, and you can expect the same high-level craft advice and actionable…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

The Heart of the Start: The Romance Meet-Cute

In the world of commercial fiction, structure is your best friend. It provides the guideposts that keep a story moving and ensures readers stay buckled in for the ride. But when you are writing romance, there is one specific “guidepost” that carries more weight than almost any other: the inciting incident, better known in our genre as the Meet-Cute. In our book, Secrets to Writing a Romance,…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

From Shake-Up to Finale: The 5 Essential Scenes Every Story Needs

I’m thrilled to be a guest on the Rakuten Kobo Inc. Writing Life blog to share the 5 Essential Scenes Every Story Needs. Every novelist wants to write a book that keeps readers turning pages until 2 AM. But without these five structural pillars—the Inciting Incident, Plot Point 1, the Midpoint, Plot Point 2, and the Climax—even the best prose can lose its momentum. In this post, I break down…

[kristinastanley]

There is one promise every romance writer makes to their reader. Romance writer Linda O'Donnell shares that promise.

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Get started on writing your mystery. Clear tips on how to structure your novel to keep readers engaged.

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Finish Your Draft in 8 Weeks

Are you ready to stop thinking about your novel and finally get it written? You can accomplish this by May 2026 if you really want to. At Fictionary, we know that the biggest hurdle for serious writers isn’t a lack of story ideas—it’s the lack of a clear writing roadmap and helpful support. That’s why we’ve designed our Write Your Novel Course specifically for writers who are ready to commit to…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Secrets to Writing a Romance

When people hear I’m a writer, they often respond with something like, “Oh, I’ve been thinking about writing a book,” as if a novel can be conjured up over a long weekend. And when I mention that I write romance, the respect level usually drops, even though it shouldn’t. Romance is the top-selling genre in fiction, accounting for nearly a quarter of all sales, about $1.5 billion in annual…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

Learn How To Self-Edit #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Thank you, Raimey Gallant for organizing the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop. Today is day one of this new series, and I’m very excited to be part of it. This is a monthly blog hop on the theme of resources/learning for authors: posts related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find…

View On WordPress

[kristinastanley]

The Secret to Bestselling Fantasy: Why Your Story Needs Two Arcs

The Power of Two Arcs Did you know that every commercially successful fantasy novel actually contains two complete story arcs?. Discover how to weave a high-stakes external adventure together with a gripping supernatural journey to create a narrative that satisfies every reader’s expectation. Most fantasy writers start with a spark of magic—a unique dragon bond, a complex spell system, or a…

View On WordPress