“NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month? Oh please, don’t ask me to write a novel in a month. I’m sorry, it’s just too overwhelming.” Sally took a sip of her mint dark chocolate cocoa, looking at me as if I’d asked her to run Grandma’s marathon. Tomorrow. “No. Forget it.” “You’re about half-way in, right? And overwhelmed? And you’ve learned so much. What about setting this book aside and simply jumping in with a new one with all you’ve learned. Or maybe, just committing to finishing this one. Technically, NaNoWriMo is about finishing a new story, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take the principles and apply it to a current story and finish it. I’ll even help you prepare for it.” “55 thousand words in a month…?” She took another, […]
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Idea Sparking: Brainstorming Conflict in your Novel!
At MBT we’re all about trying to give you the best tools to create powerful stories. That’s why I asked our MBT Brainstorming Coach Michelle Lim to write a book about brainstorming techniques that help a writer create conflict in their stories. I’ve discovered that many authors just get stuck while brainstorming, and their stories lack spark or twists. Michelle’s book is a powerful tool to help an author think outside the box and create powerful twists and turns in their story. I’ve asked her here to today to chat with us about her new book: Idea Sparking: Brainstorming Conflict into your Novel. What prompted the idea for this book? Since I was a teenager I loved plot. If the story kept me turning pages by flashlight after bedtime, […]
Read the RestBrainstorming Strategy #6: Highlighting Opposites
No writer wants to hear that their characters are “vanilla” or too much alike. We all want our characters to pop so our readers love them as much as we do. Trouble is, that it is easier said then done. How can brainstorming help you to deepen your story and make those characters fly off the page and into a reader’s heart? By highlighting opposites in your novel. I’m not talking about the hero or heroine always being opposites. Rather, the Hero and his sidekick or the heroine and her sidekick. When characters are too much alike, we run into the whole BORING problem. Create characters that are different in habits and personality. This causes natural tension and added interest to your characters. Let’s try this idea out to see […]
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Brainstorm Strategy #5: Brainstorming Settings to Create Mood
Setting up the mood in a scene requires the right words, but it also requires a setting that can boost your mood impact. Think of all of the scary movies where the heroine is walking down the dark basement stairs and someone is waiting there. We are all screaming, ‘No! Don’t go down there!” Of course she doesn’t listen. Then there is the moan of old stairs. The electricity goes out. The music or noises send shivers up your spine. Is this by accident? Absolutely not. How about the moment when the hero is going to propose? The candle light, roses, and soft music. Warmth and light fill the scene with a building sense of joy. All of these tricks are used by movies every day. We should use these […]
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