Sally asked me for a Scene Starter Graphic to help her as she builds her scenes for NaNoWriMo. If you haven’t joined the MBT WriMo Celebration yet, sign up for the fun, support and prizes at: http://www.mybooktherapy.com/mbt-wrimo-2012/! Hope the Infographic helps! (Right click on link below to download the graphic) Infographic Page 1 Page 2 Page 3
Read the RestTag Archives | How to write a Scene
Conversations: Build the foundation of a great scene
Sally was waiting for me as I walked into the coffee shop. The fallen leaves chased me inside and Kathy handed me a spicy pumpkin latte, with whip and a layer of caramel. I sat down at the table and couldn’t help note the frown on Sally’s face. “What?” “It’s just boring.” Her hand rested on a stack of printed manuscript papers. “I mean, the story is good…in my head. But it seems to lack…well, let’s put it this way; my husband fell asleep somewhere between page 87 and 103.” “Oh my,” I said, sipping the latte. Just the right balance of whipped crème sweetness and pumpkin pie spice. “So, what do you think is the problem?” “He says I have a great story, with great storyworld and fun dialogue and even […]
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Conversations: Building Storyworld Basics
Dear Sally, I’m thinking of you sitting in our coffee shop, the hush of the waves of Lake Superior combing the shore, the sky so blue you could dive in, the smell of evergreen fresh in the air from last night’s rain. But I’m writing to you from the beaches of Hawaii, my toes dug into the creamy sand, the salt of the ocean drying into crystals on my skin. As you’re diving into your novel and writing scenes, I thought it might help if we touched upon Storyworld this week. Storyworld is so key, from the first scene to every scene beyond to anchor your character – and especially your reader – into the story. Think of Storyworld as more than just the setting, but as the world you […]
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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