First off, if you’re a fanatical pantser you should probably skip this article and go stare at a blank page for a couple hours regretting your life choices. However, if you have even a little urge to learn the miracles of writing with direction, stick around and try the clam dip. It’s an old family…
Tag: Conflict
Whoa! Never Saw That Coming!
Great twists need plausibility. Don’t try to fool readers.
From Clash to Catharsis: The Role of Conflict in Novel-Writing
One of the first tenets of successful novel writing is that without conflict, you’ve got no story. Conflict is what keeps the reader turning pages. Without it, your story comes to a halt while you clear your throat, meander around aimlessly, and stare at the wall. In his craft book Conflict and Suspense, author James…
A Slice of Tension and a Dash of Danger
Q: What contributes conflict to your story and characters? A #1: TENSION with a slice of underlying tension The Breakout Novelist by Donald #Maass is full of hints and writing exercises that can strip down a conversation to its basics in order to produce great tension. Maass teaches, “…it is not information itself that nails…
Keep the Pages Turning with Mini Cliffhangers
What do you think of when you hear the word cliffhanger? Bombs dropping? Car chases? A character literally dangling from a cliff while hungry sharks circle the water below? Not all cliffhangers are so dramatic. They can be big or small, external or internal, over-the-top or subtle. They can apply to thrillers, literary fiction, and…