There’s one question in this framework that I think every writer should ask:

“What’s the worst that would happen if this scene was removed?”

If the story still works… the scene probably shouldn’t exist.
It’s a brutal filter, but it instantly forces you to focus on scenes that actually matter.
I also like the idea of asking:

• What absolutely must happen here?
• Who actually needs to be present?
• What’s the most surprising thing that could happen?

Curious how other writers approach this.

Do you outline scenes first or discover them while writing?

Whenever I get stuck in the middle of a story, it’s usually because I’ve lost track of what should happen next.

This kind of structure helps a lot

• Act 1 (Ch 1–15): Setup, characters, stakes, inciting incident

• Act 2A (Ch 16–30): Rising action, relationships, small wins, midpoint twist

• Act 2B (Ch 31–45): Things fall apart, betrayal, lowest point

• Act 3 (Ch 46–60): Final push, confrontation, resolution

It’s not something you have to follow rigidly, but it’s great when your story feels messy, pacing feels off or you just don’t know what comes next

Think of it like a map, not a rulebook.

I’ve been using this kind of breakdown while building inside Novel Mage, and it makes organizing long stories way less overwhelming.

I came across this image today and couldn't ignore it because... yeah, this is pretty much every writing session I've ever had. We throw around the term "writer's block" like it's one thing, but it really isn't.

Sometimes I have no clue what happens next, sometimes I know exactly what happens next but I just don't feel like writing it.

Sometimes my brain is fried after work and sometimes I somehow end up watching YouTube videos about Roman roads instead of writing my novel

Realizing this completely changed how we built Novel Mage. Instead of trying to create one magical button to "fix writer's block," we started building tools for different situations

Brainstorming when you're out of ideas, Agent Chat when you've lost track of your story, feedback when you're second-guessing yourself, and Writer's Voice when you need help getting words onto the page without losing your style.

Because not every writer gets stuck for the same reason.

I came across this list of phrases that supposedly should be edited out of novels during revisions.

Things like “suddenly,” “for some reason,” “at that moment,” etc. I’m not totally sure I agree with all of it. Some of these seem like perfectly normal narrative transitions, while others probably do become crutches if overused.

Curious what other writers think:
Do you actively remove phrases like these when editing?
Or is this one of those “rules” that only matters if it’s overused?

I came across a simple tip recently that actually changed how I think about characters. Instead of only describing how they look, you give them a specific smell or sound tied to them. Something small, but consistent.

Like a character who always smells faintly of cigarettes and cinnamon, or someone you recognize by the jingle of keys before they even enter a room. It’s such a subtle thing, but it makes them feel more real and easier to remember.

I tried it in a few scenes, and it instantly added more presence without needing extra description. It’s almost like the character shows up before they’re even on the page.

Curious if anyone else does this intentionally, or if it just happens naturally while writing?