Blog
Find out how TypeTak is built, how to use it, and what helps you write.
Deborah Rogers Award 2027: £10,000 for an Unpublished Writer, Deadline November 24
The 2027 Deborah Rogers Award gives £10,000 to an unpublished writer to finish a first book. Send 15,000–20,000 words of a work in progress, a synopsis of up to 500 words and a short bio by midnight GMT on November 24, 2026. Who can enter, how to format the document, the AI rule and the judging dates.
Read more→Book Dedication and Acknowledgements: Examples, Templates, and Where They Go
How to write a book dedication and an acknowledgements page, with 30 dedication examples sorted by who they're for, acknowledgement templates for fiction and nonfiction, where each page goes in a book, and the mistakes that make authors wince later.
Read more→Character Flaws List: 120 Flaws and the Trouble Each One Causes
A list of 120 character flaws for writers, sorted into moral, emotional, social and judgment flaws, each with the kind of plot trouble it tends to cause. Covers the difference between a flaw, a weakness and a fatal flaw, how to pick a flaw that drives your story, and flaws that don't really count.
Read more→Character Traits List: 200 Positive, Neutral and Negative Traits for Writers
A character traits list for fiction writers: 80 positive, 60 neutral and 60 negative traits, grouped so you can find the right word fast. Covers how to build a character from three to five traits, how pairs of traits create tension, how to show traits in scenes, and how the Big Five can help.
Read more→Cultivation Realms in Order: From Qi Condensation to Ascension, and How to Design Your Own
The common cultivation realms of xianxia and cultivation novels in order, from Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, Nascent Soul and Tribulation, with what each realm can do, typical lifespans, minor stages and bottlenecks, the key terms readers expect, and how to design a realm system that doesn't spiral. Includes a copyable realm sheet.
Read more→Fantasy Classes List: 60 Character Classes by Role, Plus How to Invent Your Own
A list of 60 fantasy character classes sorted by role (fighters, mages, healers, rogues, support and crafters), with what each one does in a story. Covers advanced and hidden classes, how to design a class system for a novel or LitRPG, and a copyable class sheet.
Read more→Fantasy Races List: 45 Peoples and Creatures, and How to Create Your Own
A list of 45 fantasy races for writers, from elves, dwarves and orcs to beastfolk, fae, undead and creatures from world folklore, with what each brings to a story. Covers race vs. species vs. peoples, how to avoid flat stereotypes, how to design an original race, and a copyable race sheet.
Read more→Fantasy Tropes List: 30 Classic Tropes, Romantasy and Isekai Favorites, and How to Twist Them
A list of 30 fantasy tropes with what readers love about each and a way to twist it, plus the romantasy tropes readers search for (enemies to lovers, fae bargains, fated mates) and the isekai tropes behind most portal fantasy. Covers trope vs. cliché and how to use a trope without sounding like everyone else.
Read more→The First 5K Novel Prize 2026: Rules, Deadline, Fee and What to Send
Writing Magazine's First 5K Novel Prize closes December 31, 2026. Send the first 5,000 words of an unpublished novel and a one-page synopsis for a £5,000 prize and a consultation with a literary agent. Who can enter, how to format the entry, the AI rule and the judging dates.
Read more→What Is Foreshadowing? Definition, Examples, and Chekhov's Gun
What foreshadowing is, how it differs from a hint of mood, a red herring, a MacGuffin and Chekhov's gun, and what Chekhov actually said. Covers how to plant, echo and pay off a clue, foreshadowing examples from one long serial, and a foreshadowing tracker to copy so no setup is left hanging.
Read more→The Hero's Journey: 12 Stages With a Novel Template
What the hero's journey is, where it comes from (Joseph Campbell's monomyth and Christopher Vogler's 12 stages), and what happens in each stage, with word-count targets for a novel. Includes a hero's journey template to copy, the 12 stages mapped onto one novel, and when the structure doesn't fit.
Read more→How to Write a Romance Novel: Structure, Beats and Scenes from Meet-Cute to Happily Ever After
How to write a romance novel step by step: the happily-ever-after promise, the two arcs every romance runs on, a beat sheet from meet-cute to grand gesture with where each beat falls, how to handle the third act breakup, chemistry and kiss scenes, spice levels and how to label them, and romance word counts.
Read more→What Is an Inciting Incident? Definition, Examples, and Where to Put It in Your Novel
What an inciting incident is, how it differs from the catalyst, the call to adventure and the first plot point, and where it usually falls in a novel, with word counts. Includes examples by genre, a breakdown of one novel's opening chapters, and three ways an inciting incident goes wrong.
Read more→Types of Magic in Fantasy: 40 Kinds by Source and Effect, and How to Build a Magic System
A list of magic types for fantasy writers, sorted by where the power comes from and what it does, with elements, hard and soft magic, and the seven questions every magic system has to answer: source, cost, limits, learning, place in society, names and taboos. Includes a worked example and a copyable magic system sheet.
Read more→Character Mannerisms: 150 Examples Sorted by Emotion
What mannerisms are and how they differ from habits, quirks and body language, with 150 mannerism examples for writers sorted into ten emotions and states. Covers how to give each character two or three of their own, how to avoid repeating the same gestures, and how a mannerism can reveal a secret.
Read more→Noble Titles in Order: Every Rank from Duke to Baron, How to Address Them, and How to Use Them in Fantasy
The order of noble titles from duke to baron in one table, with female forms, how to address each rank, where princes, archdukes, margraves, baronets and knights fit, how titles pass down, and the mistakes fantasy writers make most. Includes a copyable title sheet for your own kingdom.
Read more→Novel November 2026: ProWritingAid's Free 50,000-Word Challenge, Explained
Novel November is ProWritingAid's free challenge to write 50,000 words in November. What you get, how to join, how it compares with NaNoWriMo, and the other events that use the name.
Read more→NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2027: Dates, Fees, Rounds and Rules
The NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2027 starts January 22, with an early entry fee of $65 until November 19, 2026. How the four timed rounds work, the 2027 round dates, word limits, what the assignments look like, the AI rule and what you get for the fee.
Read more→Other Words for Said: 200 Dialogue Tags by Emotion (and When to Just Use “Said”)
200 other words for said, sorted into 12 groups by what they do: volume, anger, fear, sadness, joy, questions, answers, interruptions and more. Shows how the same line changes with five different tags, when said is the better choice, how to use action beats instead, and how to punctuate dialogue tags.
Read more→Third Person Omniscient vs. Limited: Point of View in Fiction, With Examples
The points of view in fiction (first person, second person, third person limited, third person omniscient and objective) compared in one table, with the same scene rewritten four ways. Covers how to choose a POV, how to switch between characters without head-hopping, and the most common POV mistakes.
Read more→What Is Progression Fantasy? Meaning, Subgenres, and How to Write a Power Climb Readers Can't Put Down
What progression fantasy means, how it relates to LitRPG, cultivation and xianxia, the subgenres readers look for, how to design a power ladder, how to make training scenes worth reading, and the pacing that keeps a long serial going. Includes a copyable power ladder sheet.
Read more→How to Write a Morally Grey Character, Plus Golden Retrievers, Black Cats and Other Romance Types
Romance character types for writers: what morally grey, golden retriever, black cat, himbo, cinnamon roll, alpha hero and ice queen mean, what readers expect from each, how to write them and the mistakes that flatten them. With how morally grey differs from an antihero and which types pair well.
Read more→Romance Story Ideas: 100 Writing Prompts by Trope, Plus Meet-Cute Ideas
100 romance story ideas sorted by trope, from enemies to lovers and fake dating to second chance and forbidden love, plus romantasy, sports and small-town prompts, 30 meet-cute ideas, 20 first lines and a template that turns one prompt into a romance plot.
Read more→Save the Cat Beat Sheet for Novels: 15 Beats With Word Counts
The 15 beats of the Save the Cat beat sheet explained for novelists, with the percentage where each beat falls and word-count targets for 50,000, 80,000 and 100,000-word books. Includes a beat sheet template to copy, the beats mapped onto one novel, the ten Save the Cat genres, and common criticisms of the method.
Read more→Show, Don't Tell: 20 Examples and How to Fix “Telling” Sentences
What show, don't tell means in fiction, with 20 before-and-after examples sorted by emotion, character, setting and relationships. Covers when telling is the better choice, a three-step way to turn a telling sentence into a scene, and the mistakes writers make when they overcorrect.
Read more→Three-Act Structure: A Free Template for Novels, With Word Counts for Each Act
What three-act structure is, the seven turning points that hold it together, and where each act ends in a 50,000, 80,000 or 100,000-word novel. Includes a three-act structure template to copy, an example mapped onto a 30-chapter novel, and how it compares to four-act structure, kishotenketsu and Save the Cat.
Read more→What Is LitRPG? Meaning, Core Tropes, and How to Write System Screens Readers Love
What LitRPG means, how it differs from GameLit and progression fantasy, the tropes readers expect (system apocalypse, tutorials, classes, dungeons), how Royal Road writers format system screens, and how to keep stats from spiraling out of control. Includes a copyable system screen template.
Read more→Writers of the Future Contest: Rules, Deadlines and Who Can Enter
Writers of the Future is a free quarterly contest for new science fiction and fantasy writers. The current quarter closes December 31, 2026. Here are the word limits, who counts as a professional, how to format and submit, the AI rule, the prizes and the questions people ask about the contest's Scientology ties.
Read more→Novel and Short Story Contests 2026–2027: Deadlines, Fees and Word Counts
Fiction contests open now in the US, UK and Ireland, sorted by deadline, with entry fees and word counts in one table. Closed contests stay listed with the month their next round opens.
Read more→AI Writing Prompts for Fiction: Copy-and-Paste Prompts for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude
Step-by-step AI writing prompts for fiction, from brainstorming to chapter drafts, continuing a serial, and revision. Includes a story summary template that keeps the AI from forgetting your lore, plus one-line fixes for when the output goes off track.
Read more→How to Write a Book Blurb: Back Cover Copy and Amazon Description, With Template
What goes on the back of a novel, the five parts of a blurb, how long it should be, how the Amazon book description differs, a template to copy and a worked example.
Read more→How to Write a Book: A Step-by-Step Guide From Idea to Finished Novel
The whole path of writing a novel-length book: choosing the idea, setting a length and a deadline, planning, getting through the first draft, revising, and sending it to agents or self-publishing.
Read more→How to Start Writing a Story: Finish Your First Short Story in 6 Steps
You don't have to be a writer to start writing a story. Six steps for beginners, from picking one thing out of your own life to finishing a very short story.
Read more→Standard Manuscript Format for Novels: How to Format Your Manuscript for Agents
The settings agents and editors expect in a novel manuscript: font, spacing, margins, title page, page headers, chapters and scene breaks, with a checklist and a note on word count.
Read more→How to Get a Literary Agent: Query Letters, Submissions and Offers
How to find literary agents who represent books like yours, what goes in a query letter, how to send in rounds, and what to ask when an agent offers. With a query letter template.
Read more→NaNoWriMo 2026: What It Is, What Happened, and How to Do It This November
NaNoWriMo is the November challenge to write a 50,000-word novel. Its nonprofit closed in 2025, but the challenge goes on. The rules, the daily math and where to take part in 2026.
Read more→How to Get Honest AI Feedback on Your Novel: AI Beta Reader Prompts That Skip the Flattery
Why AI feedback on fiction opens with praise and generous scores, and what to tell it so you get notes you can revise from. Six copy-and-paste critique prompts, plus how to sort the notes you get back.
Read more→How Many Words Is a Novel? Word Count by Genre, Pages and Chapters
How long a novel, novella, short story or debut should be, with word counts by genre, how many pages a manuscript runs, how long a chapter should be, and how to turn a target into a daily goal.
Read more→What Is a Plot Hole? 5 Types and How to Find and Fix Them in Your Novel
What a plot hole is and how it differs from a continuity error and a contrivance, five types of plot holes with before-and-after examples, the order for finding them in your own manuscript, and four ways to fix them, including in chapters readers have already seen. With a plot hole checklist to copy and a note on plot holes vs. retcons.
Read more→First Person Present Tense: How to Choose POV and Tense for Your Story
First person or third, present tense or past: what each choice does to a story, the same scene written four ways, when dual POV works, the slips that break a point of view, and what to do if you want to switch halfway. With why first person present is so common in serialized romance.
Read more→Romance Tropes List: 30 Tropes, What They Mean and How to Write Them
A list of 30 romance tropes for writers, from enemies to lovers and slow burn to forced proximity and fake dating: what each one means, the scene readers are waiting for, and the mistake that breaks it. With how to write the six most-searched tropes, how to combine them, and how to tag them on Wattpad.
Read more→100 Story Ideas for Novels and Short Stories (and How to Come Up With Your Own)
100 story ideas sorted by genre, from horror and romantasy to LitRPG and fanfic, plus seven ways to come up with your own when nothing comes. Includes five questions for picking one idea and a template that grows a one-line idea into a protagonist, a goal, an obstacle and a first scene.
Read more→What Is a Subplot? Types, Examples, and How to Keep Subplots Alive in a Long Story
What a subplot is, how it differs from the main plot and the B-story, the three jobs a subplot does and five common types, with examples from one story. Includes the order for weaving subplots into the main plot and a subplot tracker to copy, so side threads don't vanish in a long serial.
Read more→Wattpad Tags: Tag Ideas by Genre and How to Choose Them
How Wattpad tags work in 2026: the 25-tag limit and formatting rules, how tags affect search and Hot List rankings, why a smaller tag can rank you faster than #romance, and how to build a set of 25. With tag ideas for romance, fantasy, mystery, horror, sci-fi, fanfiction and more.
Read more→How to Write a Story on Wattpad: Chapters, Description, Cover Size and Tags (2026)
How to start and post a story on Wattpad in 2026: what goes before chapter one, how long chapters should be and how often to update, writing a description within the 2,000-character limit, the 512 × 800 cover size, choosing tags and categories, dedications, scheduling parts, and how Wattpad Originals, the Creators Program and the Wattys work.
Read more→Best Book Writing Software (2026) — 6 Tools You Can Start Free on Phone and Computer
What to look for in the best book writing software, then TypeTak, Scrivener, Word, Google Docs, bibisco, and Novelist compared on writing, manuscript structure and lore, phone and computer use, backup and export, AI, and price.
Read more→Kishotenketsu: Meaning, Example, and a Template to Copy
What kishotenketsu means, where it comes from, and how it differs from three-act structure and Freytag's pyramid. Includes a worked example that splits a web serial into story, arc, and chapter, plus a template to copy.
Read more→Character Arc Template: How to Track the Way Your Character Changes
What a character arc is, its three basic shapes, and how to track the way your character changes chapter by chapter. Includes a character arc template to copy and a filled-in example.
Read more→How to Make a Character Relationship Chart for Your Novel (Template and Tools)
How to draw a character relationship chart for a novel: what to write on each line, how to show direction, and how to record relationships that change. With a copyable template and a guide to relationship chart makers.
Read more→Character Profile Template for Writers: A Character Sheet That Changes With Your Story
A free character profile template you can copy as is, with a short version for side characters. What each field is for, how to track the fields that change over the story, and one fully filled-in example.
Read more→How to Write x Reader and Self-Insert Fanfiction
Build an x Reader or self-insert character, pick a point of view, and keep the canon character in character. Plus tags, warnings, and common mistakes.
Read more→Can You Use AI for Fanfiction? AO3 AI Policy, Wattpad and pixiv Rules (2026)
AO3's AI policy, and how Wattpad and pixiv handle AI-written fanfiction, in one table. Plus rights holders' AI clauses and sample disclosure lines.
Read more→What Does OOC Mean in Fanfiction? How to Keep Characters in Character
What OOC means and where it shows up: voice, reactions, relationship pacing, and canon order. A character notes template and 10 questions to check every scene against.
Read more→Fanfiction Terms: What Y/N, L/N, OOC, AU and Canon Mean
What fanfiction is, plus what canon, fanon, headcanon, AU, OC, OTP, x Reader, Y/N and L/N, WIP, OOC, and kudos mean. A one-page glossary of fanfiction terms, with examples.
Read more→OC Template and 50 OC Questions to Build Your Original Character
How to make an OC, step by step: a free OC template you can copy as is, a checklist for spotting empty fields, and 50 OC questions for filling in the gaps or answering OC asks.
Read more→Scrivener Alternatives (2026) — Manuscript Structure, Lore, Revising, Phone Sync, and AI Compared
What writers love about Scrivener and where they get stuck, then a side-by-side look at five areas (structuring a manuscript, organizing lore and research, revising and exporting, syncing across devices, and AI) across TypeTak, Dabble, and Novelcrafter. For novelists looking for novel writing software that works on a phone, on Android, or for free.
Read more→What Is a Story Bible? How to Create One for Your Novel (Template)
What a story bible is, what to put in it and what to leave out, and how to start small and grow it as you write. Includes a story bible template to copy, a filled-in example, and a continuity checklist for serials.
Read more→Can you use AI to write a book? Platforms mostly allow it, contests mostly don't (2026)
The AI rules of Wattpad, Royal Road, AO3, Substack and Amazon KDP, plus Clarkesworld, Writer's Digest, the Nebulas and the Wattys, in one table, with a case-by-case look at brainstorming, grammar checkers and AI drafts.
Read more→Worldbuilding Template: Questions to Build the World of Your Novel
How much of your novel's world to decide, and in what order. A worldbuilding template to copy, a filled-in example, and 30 questions tied to scenes.
Read more→Best AI for Writing a Book (2026): 4 AI Novel Editors vs. ChatGPT and Claude
What to look for in the best AI for writing a book or novel, then TypeTak, Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, NovelAI, and ChatGPT and Claude compared on remembering your lore, drafting, revision, the writing screen, and pricing.
Read more→Obsidian Alternatives (2026) — Lore, Visual Views, Manuscripts, AI, and Files Compared
How writers use Obsidian and where they get stuck, then a side-by-side look at five areas (organizing lore, seeing your world at a glance, writing and compiling a manuscript, AI, and files and collaboration) across TypeTak, Scrivener, and Novelcrafter.
Read more→Novelcrafter Alternatives (2026) — Planning, Lore, Drafting, and AI Setup Compared
What Novelcrafter is and why writers use it, then a side-by-side look at five features — planning, lore management, drafting, AI models and prompts, and revision — across TypeTak, Sudowrite, and Squibler.
Read more→World Anvil Alternatives (2026) — Lore, Visual Views, Manuscripts, and Publishing Compared
What World Anvil is and why writers use it, then a side-by-side look at four features (organizing lore, seeing your world at a glance, writing alongside your world, and publishing) across TypeTak, Campfire, and LegendKeeper.
Read more→Sudowrite Alternatives (2026) — Drafting, Lore, Revision, and Interface Compared
What Sudowrite is and why writers use it, then a side-by-side look at four features — drafting, lore management, revision, and interface — across TypeTak, NovelAI, and Novelcrafter.
Read more→How to Write Fanfiction That Stays in Character
Build a character notes page, check every scene against it, and finish your first fic. A step-by-step fanfiction guide for new writers.
Read more→One Chapter After Work: An Office Worker Takes On Web Novels
From realistic methods to balance corporate life with web novel writing, to solving proofreading and feedback issues with AI writing tools. A vivid challenge story for office workers preparing for web novel side hustles
Read more→How to Write a Book with AI in 7 Steps
Seven steps for writing a book with AI, from a one-line idea to a chapter 1 ready to post. For each step, the record of a real story shows what you decide and what you hand to the AI.
Read more→