by Melissa Tagg, @Melissa_Tagg This is a post for the romance writers—or anyone with a romantic thread in your book. Ever watch a movie or TV show where the romance …
Sweat the Small Stuff
by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay We know conflict drives our stories. Conflict keeps the reader glued to the page. After all, who wants to read about two characters who agree all the time, …
Build powerful TURNING POINTS in a novel (An Equation!)
For most authors, setting up the right Act 1 feels natural – you introduce a character, give him a problem, invite him on a journey and then. . . All …
Putting Up Road Blocks — Story Road Blocks That Is!
Monday Susie blogged on 7 Twists and Turns to add to your novel!
I thought I’d piggy back on her post and add some detail to one of her fantastic tips.
Let’s look at her 7th twist: Chose the Worst Case Scenario.
Susie writes: After every scene, Ask: What is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now? Then, follow up with – can I make that happen (or something similar to it?) When you sit down to consider all your options – and then choose one that is reasonable yet unexpected, you add in the element of unpredictability in your novel. And readers love it when they say, “Oh, I did NOT see that coming!”
Maybe I’m alone in this but whenever I think of raising the stakes or putting up obstacles (road blocks) or choosing the worst case scenario, I think of things like buildings blowing up, terrorist attacks, life threatening diseases, death, mayhem, destruction! (All State anyone?)
Well, I know I’m not alone. I can tell by some of the stories I read or contest entries. Random, bizarre, something-not-even-related-to-the-story happens.
Here’s the deal, if you’ve worked on your character journey/story arc and you know the probable epiphany of your hero, then all of the road blocks must fit within that story line.
Just shutting the door in someone’s face can be a sufficient and effective story block. Or as Susie calls it “worst case scenario.”
I’m working on rewrites for How To Catch A Prince.
Quick Skills: Finding you Romance Story Arc
If you are writing a romance, it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly how to build all the pieces so that you have the right amount of tension in …
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