We’re at the end of the month and you’ve come through three weeks of discovery and planning to give the world the best of YOU that you can offer. That’s quite an accomplishment. I have no doubt the world will be a better place for it. When this series ends and I’m not showing up in your email inbox every weekend, the tendency will be to “get back to normal”. No worries. The thought crosses nearly everyone’s mind. But what will you choose to do when that thought comes? After all, you’ve worked hard over these last few weeks in attempts to wax creative. You deserve a rest, right? Ummm, no. Here’s the thing. If the train isn’t moving, wouldn’t that be a dandy time to jump off and go […]
Read the RestTag Archives | Goals
Showers of Creativity, Part Three: Develop Your Creativity
Hopefully, over these last couple of weekends, you’ve discovered and embraced your area of creative genius. There’s no greater feeling than knowing you are operating in your areas of giftedness. The question now is do you want to make the greatest impact you possibly can in the world? If so, you need to use your time and resources pursuing those things. In other words, I’m not gifted in the area of voice. I can sometimes carry a tune… if that tune is in a book that I’m moving from one room to the other. My contribution to the world will not be in song. So, if I really, truly want to make a difference, it simply would be a waste of time for me to take voice lessons. I’m not […]
Read the RestQuick Skills: How to Build Scene Tension
I just finished book 2 of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. Excuse me while I go pick up book 3 and spend the day ignoring my to-do list. This series is a lesson in how to create fabulous tension. Not only is the story premise powerful, but every chapter has that “can’t put down” quality. Why? TENSION on every page (as the Master Donald Maas would say!) But what is tension. Recently, I read approximately 1,768,639 contest entries. Okay, not quite that many, but it felt like it. And very few really wove real tension into their story. Obstacles and Activity are not Tension. Tension is a combination of a Sympathetic Character + Stakes + Goals + Obstacles + Fear of Failure. If any of these are missing, we don’t […]
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Conversations: What is Scene Tension?
“Happy Mother’s Day, Sally,” I said, while holding a plate of basil mashed potatoes and beef medallions. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that broccoli salad – the house specialty – and eyed it as another patron of the Sunday Brunch dived in. Sally looked up as she spooned smoked salmon onto her plate. “Hello.” She glanced behind me, and I saw one of her children, the six year old, heading into the buffet line. “How’s the writing going?” “Good,” she said as she reached around me, handing him a plate. “Don’t spill.” She stepped out of line. “I don’t know if we can meet tomorrow. I have a school field trip.” “No problem, I said, we’re just going to talk about Scene Structure.” She made a face. […]
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