Another writing tool that should be mentioned here is Gustav Freytag's pyramid.

This pyramid accurately describes the structure of a story for any genre and is an excellent guide to help a writer in writing his/her story.



Professor Eileen Joy has an excellent online tool to help in both the creation and critique of literary writing.

http://www.siue.edu/~ejoy/eng200lite...rminology6.htm

Pay particular attention to her write up on Persona because this is a very important part of the author's ability to write.
You MUST project yourself into whatever stories you write or you simply will not be successful.
That doesn't mean you should put yourself into the story literally, but it means that you must try and identify with the characters you have created in order to create round rather than flat characters.
Don't let other people deter you (especially if they're using TV Tropes to describe your work, that's telling of what their alterior motives may be).

PERSONA: generally, the speaker (the "I") in any first-person poem or narrative. The term derives from the Latin word for "mask" and literally refers to that though which sound passes. Although the persona often serves as the "voice" of the author, it nonetheless should not be confused with the author, for the persona may not accurately reflect the author's personal opinions, feelings, or perspective on a subject. J. Alfred Prufrock is a notable example of a poetic persona, as is Pip, who narrates Great Expectations. Neither of these two personas can be confused with their creators, T.S. Eliot and Charles Dickens, respectively.