Writing Stories People Can't Put Down
Like Duolingo, but for Writing Stories People Can't Put Down. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Writing Stories People Can't Put Down
- A premise needs a conflict or disruption of the status quo
- Personal obsession provides the 'fuel' to finish a draft
- Static observations must be paired with a 'What If' complication
- Writing a book takes months of emotional labor
- Unique stories come from combining a high-concept hook with specific personal interests
- Ideas start with observation but require a 'What If' to become stories
- Specific details from your own life make generic tropes feel fresh
- Personal interest acts as the filter for which ideas to actually pursue
- The process of developing a 'Big Idea' from a spark to a workable concept
- Market trends often change before a book is finished
- Lack of personal connection leads to 'hollow' or derivative writing
- Identifying the risks of writing purely for 'marketability'
- How to blend personal experience with fiction
- The process of developing a 'Big Idea'
- A 'want' is a conscious external goal
- A flaw must be rooted in a character's past or internal logic to be sympathetic
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Writing Stories People Can't Put Down the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
When you're deep in the writing process, what is the most reliable 'fuel' to help you finish a draft?
Get it right to open this lesson and 53 more in the app.
Where Writing Stories People Can't Put Down takes you
Stop staring at the blank page and start building worlds. Learn how to hook readers with unforgettable characters, sharp dialogue, and plots that keep them guessing until the very last page.
- 1
Get Your First Ideas Moving
- Finding Your Big Idea
- Creating Characters You Actually Care About
- Giving Your Hero a Problem to Solve
- Writing Your Very First Scene
- 2
Make Your Scenes Feel Real
- Showing Action Instead of Just Telling It
- Writing Dialogue That Sounds Natural
- Using the Five Senses to Build a World
- Choosing the Right Person to Tell the Story
- Setting the Mood with Your Words
- Keeping the Pace Fast and Exciting
- 3
Build a Plot That Works
- The Secret Structure of Great Stories
- Raising the Stakes to Keep Readers Hooked
- Planning a Twist They Won't See Coming
- 4
Polishing Your Work for the World
- How to Fix a Messy First Draft
- Cutting Out the Boring Parts
- Finding Your Unique Writing Voice
- Dealing with Writer's Block
- Preparing Your Story for Readers
4 sections · 18 units · 54 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Writing Stories People Can't Put Down is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Arts on Tomo
The Language of Buildings
Learn to read the hidden logic of the built world by identifying how form, function, and history shape the structures we live and work in.
iPhone Photography: The Assignment Series
Transform your phone into a professional tool through a series of rigorous shooting assignments. Learn to master light, composition, and the iPhone's unique hardware with specific rubrics for every shot you take.
iPhone Photography
Transform your everyday snapshots into professional-grade images using only the phone in your pocket. Learn to master light, composition, and the hidden power of the iOS camera app.
Design for the Eye: Visual Communication Basics
Learn how to arrange information, choose colors, and use typography to create clear, professional visuals that get your message across.
Crafting the Epic Fantasy Series
Master the architecture of high and low fantasy, from the gritty political webs of Westeros to the whimsical environmental storytelling of Albion. Learn to weave multi-book arcs, subvert ancient tropes, and build worlds that feel lived-in and legendary.
Writing Fantasy Series
Transform your imagination into an epic saga. Learn to build immersive worlds, design intricate magic systems, and craft characters that readers will follow through multiple volumes.
Start Writing Stories People Can't Put Down today.
Download Tomo, search Writing Stories People Can't Put Down, and play your first lesson in under a minute.