Category Archives: Theory

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The first-page idiot test

Click image to view. Jefferson dives into the psychology of reading page one, and why understanding that is so crucial to your writing career. Plus he introduces a fun new…

Kicking Immersion Up To Eleven

You’ve provably heard me say that immersion happens naturally, all you have to do is get out of the way. And sure, immersion can only survive for as long as…

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New IOD-TV Episode: What is immersion anyway?

A working definition of immersion, and how it can help you write more engaging fiction.

The paradox of walking while you write: be creative or solve problems? Choose one.

There has been a lot of attention in the media over the last year or two about a particular research study that seems to show that our creativity goes up when we are walking. But that result completely contradicts my own own experience, so I thought I’d dig into the science. It turns out that we have to be careful with our definitions.

63% of your readers don’t finish your book. Here’s why.

This is the second in my current series of articles that examines reader immersion and the importance it plays in the success of a book. In the first article, I explored…