Yesterday we talked about the importance of tension in our stories. Here are a couple of definitions: a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements, or the act or action of stretching or the condition or degree of being stretched to stiffness. Tension holds the story taunt. It is the element that makes a story compelling. Once we introduce the story question and problem, it is the tension that keep the reader turning pages. Most of the time, writing books use suspense or thrillers to show wanna be authors how to create tension. I say, “Not fair.” Come on, “Silence of the Lambs,” are you kidding me? Of course there’s tension. But I write romance, or romantic suspense, or women’s fiction. Think about your own life. […]
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The Tension Was So Thick, I Could Puff It Away
Ever read a book where the tension just did not deliver? Conflict was set up, devastation delivered then all resolved on the next page, or worse, the next paragraph? Yeah, me too. Tension is that part of the story telling that keeps the reader on edge. Conflict ebbs and flows, devastation is resolved, or handled, perhaps escalated, but tension is the one element we must maintain. In our physical world, we use tension to keep a cable or rope taunt. No trapeze artist wants to walk on a lose high wire, right? It’s the tauntness of our stories that hold it together. But most of us don’t like tension. We don’t want to walk into a room and get the cold shoulder or get ignored. The stiff remarks between family […]
Read the RestNo Dilemma here!
You guys are great writers – there’s not doubt about it! I got this piece from Barbara and wanted to walk through it to point out its strengths. Great job! I want to read this book! Set up: Mountain guide Jackson Barrett plans to start his own mountain climbing business someday when he can get the money. He has just received news from a private investigator that his grandmother–whom he didn’t even know he had–has died and he has inherited her farm–on the condition that he live there six months first. Jackson stared after him. This man just shook his whole world—then walked away? He had a whole slew of questions all right, beginning with How did you find me? (Susie: Love the internal monologue here – great set up). […]
Read the RestDialogue Dilemma #3
Warning – this is a long post, but I wanted to walk you through all the phases. It’s a YA novel by Wendy – she didn’t tell me what her dilemma was, and it was a solid piece to start with – but I found a few things to highlight. Let’s start with the original: Paige joined me as I was walking back toward my drum. “Good morning, starshine–” she said as she bumped one of her hips into mine. “What were you doing over there?” She said it like she would have said, “What were you doing over in that place that is quarantined for deadly diseases such as small pox or the bubonic plague?” I flashed her a pained smile that I hoped said, “It was no big […]
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