Unbelievably, we’re nearly a quarter of the way through the year! I find January and February go so quickly – January is full of Winter Writing Cheer, then February is spent doing everything I should have done in January, and then it’s March!

I’m now firmly in pre-series-release mode as The Unchosen One, my new middle grade series, is now out in less than 2 months! Meanwhile, I’m desperately trying to keep at heel the other exciting ideas that are springing up. Please do sign up to my newsletter for readers to keep up to date with what’s going on with my projects, and I hope that all is going well with yours!

RESOURCES

5 Ways to Confuse Your Reader

It is very frustrating as a reader when you get confused. As soon as you have to pause to work something out, or flick back through the pages to double-check something, the magical storytelling web is broken. The reader is hurtled back into reality, and it can take a long while for a writer to repair the damage and regain the reader’s trust.

Here are some common ways that readers can become confused, and tips for avoiding them:

Too much back story early on

Problem: Many stories contain a mixture of back story and ‘here-and-now’ story in the first few pages. At this point, the reader is already trying to understand the voice of the book, the protagonist, the genre and what the story is about. The last thing they want is to have to work out what belongs in the past, and what belongs in the present.

Solution: Keep back story to the bare minimum in the opening chapter, and drip-feed where absolutely necessary. You don’t have to lose it all, especially the important parts, but it’s important to be aware of how much back story your opening three chapters contain.

Go through these chapters and highlight EVERY TIME back story is mentioned in any way – any time your character is looking backwards instead of forwards. Look at the number of times and how close the instances are together. See if any of the occurrences could come later on in the story, can be split further apart, or can be deleted without spoiling the character’s goals for the chapter. If it’s that crucial, consider showing it in ‘real time’ instead.

Indistinct characters

Problem: Having characters that can be confused with each other can be very disorientating for the reader. This can be particularly problematic when characters have similar-sounding names, when they are introduced near the beginning of a story, or when they are introduced in quick succession.

Solution: Make sure your characters have very different sounding names and avoid starting with similar letters (unless this is deliberate). Focus on different areas of physical description, if or when appearance is mentioned, so your reader doesn’t, for example, have to remember the hair colour of every character to tell them apart. Ensure characters have very different personalities and distinct voices.

Try spacing out characters’ arrival into the story to allow the reader chance to understand them. For some characters, you might want to have something memorable attached to them, such as a habit, catchphrase, or particular item that helps jog your reader’s memory.

Multiple or conflicting narrative drives

Problem: There is more than one main narrative drive. The character seems to have more than one main goal, and there is more than one main storyline or ‘point’ of the story. The reader isn’t sure what exactly the story is any more or what the anticipated outcome might be.

Picture books are particularly prone to having two or more different storylines competing for attention – often the result of merging stories to create a more layered book, or by trying to include many different pieces of feedback.

Solution: During the writing process, or afterwards when you’re reading through your work, check that there is ONE clear narrative drive. Is there a clear goal that your character wants to achieve? Is this the focus of the story? Check that it’s the same main goal shortly after the beginning, throughout the middle (in chapters or spreads) and at the end of your story. If you’re still not sure, write a very short pitch for your story (try aiming for 30 words): what main information do you include? Is that reflected clearly in the story?

Unclear genre

Problem: If the voice of the book isn’t strong enough, there aren’t many familiar tropes or genres clues, or the genre seems to swing around a bit, the reader may feel confused about what kind of book they are actually reading. This can detract from enjoyment and engagement with the book.

Solution: Be consistent. Make sure the genre you set up at the beginning is the same throughout the story all the way to the end. Read plenty of books in the same genre as your story, and study how other authors communicate genre. Look at sentence structure, language, mood and tone and consider what reader expectations of certain genres might be.

Logical leaps

Problem: The story has moved from point A to point B, but the reader doesn’t understand how this has happened. This can occur in various circumstances. For example, Character A may tell Character B something and Character B may instantly jump to the conclusion you (as the author) want them to reach to push the story on. However, if it isn’t a logical conclusion, the reader will not follow what has happened and why. They can worry they have missed a piece of a puzzle.

Another example is when one plot beat seemingly causes another, but it doesn’t feel like the natural consequence. Instead of one domino falling on the next, it somehow knocks down a domino further down the line.

Solution:  Ask, “why?” at every beat of the plot, at every decision a character makes and every conclusion they reach. If it makes sense, and you can easily explain why this has happened, it’s probably fine. But be honest with yourself – if you’re clutching at straws or hoping you can get away with something, it’s likely the reader will notice. It just won’t quite ring true. Make sure the story moves smoothly through the plot points with each moment of action clearly leading to the next. Ensure every character understanding and motivation is clear so the reader is aware of why characters make the decisions they do.

CHARACTER CORNER

We all get stressed, and we all handle it in slightly different ways. How do your different characters respond? Do they speak more? Do they speak less? Do they get aggressive? Do they withdraw? Do they panic? Are they calm?

How does this relate to their personalities and characteristics? How does this reaction feel authentic to character, considering their background and experience? Do your characters respond to stress in different ways, or do they all respond quite similarly?

Examine the way that you react to stress. Can you understand how this links in with your personality, experience and background?

WRITING COURSES & EVENTS

As requested, there are a multitude of exciting courses coming out this year. All sessions will be recorded if you’re unable to attend live. This is what’s planned for March:

You can also follow me on Eventbrite to be notified automatically as soon as a new course is listed.

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

Thursday 19th & 26th March at 7-8:30pm GMT - 2 weeks - £30 (+ admin)

Emotional Connection is one of the most important aspects of writing. We often hear about plot, character, theme, structure – but a story also needs to connect with the reader on an emotional level. Learn how to effectively communicate emotion from your heart to the page (Week 1), and from the page to your reader's heart (week 2):

We’ll be looking at:

• Why emotional connection is crucial to success in writing

• Personal investment

• Emotional honesty

• Emotional tracking

• Characters' emotional growth

• Ways of expressing emotion

• Mood and pacing

• Thinking and feeling

This is one of my absolute favourite courses to run, and I usually run it every year (although I missed 2025) so please join me if you fancy a deep dive into the subject.

Emotional Connection, Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

EXPLORING BACK STORY

Thursday 24th & 31st March, 7-8pm GMT - £25 (+ admin)

I also had some requests for how to deal with back story. This is an absolutely fascinating subject and I’ll be exploring a brand new two-week course on exploring and writing back story, starting Tuesday 24^th March.

We often think of Back Story as ‘things that happened to the protagonist in the past’ which we have to somehow wrestle into our narrative to help readers make sense of everything. Yes, this is true, but back story is so much more than that, and it doesn’t need to be a headache. Used effectively, back story can offer readers a valuable insight into characters and story, resulting in a deeper, more satisfying and more engaging read.

Over the two weeks we’ll be looking at:

• Exploring different types of back story

• Understanding how to use different types effectively

• Exploring your protagonist’s history

• Common problems with back story

• Using different techniques to write back story effectively

The importance of secrets, lies and memories 

Exploring Back Story, Tue, Mar 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

I’m also hoping to run a free Story Godmother session on writing books using diary entry format in April. Details will be shared nearer the time.

COMPETITIONS

WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE

A reminder that the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize is up and running again this year, with the submission window open from 1^st September - 31^st October. For more information, see Writers Online - Helping you become a better writer. There are categories for picture books and chapter books.

WINTER WRITING CHEER

Thank you so much to everyone who supported Winter Writing Cheer this year. We raised an amazing £1107 together for Alzheimer’s Research UK, exceeding the £1000 target yet again. This enables the charity to keep conducting valuable research to help prevent and treat this devastating illness. #WWC will be running again in January 2027!

You can read more about the Winter Writing Cheer initiative here: #WinterWritingCheer – The Story Godmother

And more about the charity here:  Alzheimer's Research UK

COACHING COMPETITION

Another FREE 30-minute coaching competition is available this month as a thank you for subscribing to the newsletter and to help coaching become accessible to all regardless of means. The session (absolutely no strings attached) is distributed via a lucky draw every newsletter, for anyone who would like to enter.

If you would like to enter, please email comps@storygodmother.co.uk with COACHING 15.3.26 in the title and you will be entered into the draw. All entries must be received by Wednesday 18^th March 23:59GMT. I will contact the lucky winner directly, so if you haven’t heard anything, please assume you’ve not won on this occasion, but please do try again next time!

The session is guided by you, and we can talk about anything that you feel will help you move forward in your writing. It’s free and friendly, so give it a go!

STORY GODMOTHER WRITING COMMUNITY

Do you use Facebook? Great – join the Story Godmother Writing Community on Facebook. It’s a free, private and friendly group, where writers can share encouragement, thoughts or interesting finds. I also share weekly writing tips, and I’m there to answer any questions you have. Come and join us! Story Godmother Writing Community

It’s a private group and a friendly bunch – a safe space for you to grow as a writer. And it’s absolutely free.

If you request to join, please do make sure you answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules otherwise you cannot be admitted.

END NOTES

Thanks for reading! Have a lovely rest of March and speak to you in April!

With writerly love,

Story Godmother
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