By Stewart Ferris

Companion studios

The Poet's Craft teaches the poem. These studios sit beside it: time, word count, the first sentence, character, names, and plot. Each one opens in its own window.

• Found TimeFind the hours, keep a daily habit, and draft a novel in a year. The companion to How to Find Time to Be a Writer.
• QuillmarkA daily word-count tracker: targets, manuscript length by genre, and the long arithmetic of finishing.
• The First LineWhy the opening sentence matters, famous first lines, and an editorial reading of your own.
• DossierA character questionnaire: class, education, accent, temperament, and the life that makes a person round.
• NominaCharacter names matched to origin, temperament, and meaning — or rolled at random when you are stuck.
• ThresholdA plot atlas of the hero’s journey: Campbell, Vogler, Harmon, and the beats of your own story.

More books and projects: stewartferris.com.