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Plot points, turning points, complications—these terms describe writers’ tasks for upping tension, squeezing the character and keeping readers turning pages. Writing Tip for Today: Let’s look at some basics of writing turning points in fiction or memoir. Point: Everything Changes In every story, an event or scene must show the reader a place in which […]
Novel writers hear a lot about “high stakes” and a well-defined goal for their stories. While these items are crucial, the novel may fall short if worthy complications are not also part of the unfolding story. Writing Tip for Today: How can you figure out which complications should arise in your novel-in-progress? Swing Dem Bones […]
Novel writers hear it constantly: you must have tension on every page! Conflict! High stakes! Feet to the flame!Writing Tip for Today: What are some ways to add tension to your novel? Be scenic! If you are TELLING the reader what happens instead of SHOWING the reader, chances are you’ve summarized (narrative) what would be […]
A reader asks what a plot point really is. Writing Tip for Today: Plot points in a story describe the event(s) where your main character’s goal, attitude, adversary or situation changes enough to affect the outcome. Turn, Turn Turn. You can think of these plot points (or “pinch” points ala Larry Brooks) in terms of […]
Ever read a novel review where the reviewer praises the writer for creating setting as a character? As you draft your novel, you’re busy with story and character development. But what about that setting?Writing Tip for Today: Developing your novel’s setting so that it functions as a character unto itself takes a bit more than just the most obvious […]
Let’s talk about storyboarding. Another technique borrowed from the film industry, mapping out your story in a linear way can help identify plot redundancies, holes or scenes which are either in the wrong spot or need to be axed because they don’t move the story. Writing Tip for Today: A good storyboard contains only the […]
When I first envision a novel, I usually see a character doing something in a particular place. That sets me to asking questions that eventually end up as story “kernels,” plot points or scenes which I then must string together to make a story.Writing Tip for Today: Although many writers first get down a lot […]
We’ve talked about creating obstacles for your character, and about bringing complications to those obstacles as a way to keep tension rising. But what constitutes a good complication?Writing Tip for Today: The most important thing about these complications is that they must arise out of the main story arc. This means something can only blow […]