The Draft

Can we use character motivation to define a character arc?

Connecting the five Fs of character motivation to character transformation.

Apr 21 • Tarryn

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How to open scene fifteen

A few things improv class taught me about opening the *other* scenes in my novel.

Apr 9 • Tarryn

104

12

February 2026

A deep dive into the 3 Act novel structure

An overview of the 3 act story structure (and two templates in First Draft Pro that you can use to outline your novel).

Feb 3 • Tarryn

11

January 2026

Full dark mode in First Draft Pro

Announcing First Draft Pro v1.1.40 🖤

Jan 11 • Tarryn

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December 2025

Gift vouchers & an app update

Bug fixes in v1.0.80 and giving the gift of First Draft Pro!

Dec 2, 2025 • Tarryn

6

November 2025

Goals, streaks & your new project dashboard

New features and improvements in v1.0.78, plus a note on designing for neurodivergence.

Nov 7, 2025 • Tarryn

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August 2025

Joke formats for novel writers

Eight joke formats to punch-up your dialogue, character interactions, and prose

Aug 11, 2025 • Tarryn

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July 2025

Cultivating ideas (and managing them!)

Ideas, idea management, and how I set this up in FDP

Jul 25, 2025 • Tarryn

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Removing AI & other improvements

Announcing First Draft Pro v1.0.75 💜

Jul 11, 2025 • Tarryn

10

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May 2025

Using acting techniques as a novelist

How I'm using acting techniques to write characters with purpose, who inhabit physical space convincingly, and who drive the narrative forward 🎭

May 13, 2025 • Tarryn

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April 2025

5 tips for setting-up a novel

These are the tricks I use for setting up new writing projects in First Draft Pro!

Apr 18, 2025 • Tarryn

10

A Story Genius outlining guide

A short guide to outlining a novel with the Story Genius method 🧩

Apr 5, 2025 • Tarryn

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