Ice crusted the parking lot as I slipped my way to the coffee shop. The warm spell we’d experienced over the weekend had turned frosty with the blizzard sweeping across middle America, turning the pavement to a black skating rink. I should have expected the cold, but the sudden spell of warmth caught me off guard and ignited my hope of spring. Worse, I now nursed a cold because winter hadn’t followed the rules. Which was exactly what I was going to talk to Sally about today – following genre rules as she writes her first novel. She waited at our table, beside a crackling fire, reading her Nook. “Hey,” she said as I slid into the seat. Blessed Kathy walked over with my mug of vanilla latte. “What are […]
Read the RestTag Archives | plotting
Act 2: The Road to Truth
Last week, we covered the first two main elements of the GUTS section. The GUTS, or Act 2 of the book is the section where more stories get flabby and boring…or, it can be the part where the story really takes and starts rockin’. We touched on the first two elements – 1. The Growing relationship of the hero and heroine. 2. The Unexpected twists and turns. Both of these elements, however, are tools of the next element… 3. The Truth. Or, the Spiritual, Romantic & Plot truths that lead to the eventual epiphany. In Act 2, as the hero and heroine progress through challenges, triumphs and failure, they will learn tiny life lessons, or truths that contribute to the epiphany they will encounter after the black […]
Read the RestAct 2: Adding in Unexpected Twists, Turns and Tests
Last week, we talked about the GUTS, or Act 2 of your novel, the first element being the Growing romance of the hero and heroine. However, this romance only happens through the next element: U- Unexpected Twists, Turns and Tests: During the GUTS portion of the story, the hero and heroine’s mettle will be tested – especially as it relates to their competence, that thing they do well. The point of the middle to cause them to grow as human beings through lessons, revelations, challenges and epiphanies. However, the middle is often where the tension sags – and that’s usually because we run out of the unexpected, and our motivation to keep going sags. The key to a powerful middle is using the peripheral plotting, and stakes […]
Read the RestThe Big Event…examples.
Yesterday, I said I would use some Big Events from popular books and movies… I changed my mind. I think it might be easier to explain if I applied the Big Event to my own work. That way we can see if I did it correctly. So, just to summarize…the Big Event must be: Believable, Compelling, Immediate, Terrifying. I’m going to use examples from my current suspense series…The Missions Of Mercy Series … Point of No Return An American boy and a warlord’s engaged daughter have disappeared-together-in an Eastern European border country. Only one man can find them in time to prevent an international meltdown-Chet Stryker. But Chet is taken aback when he realizes the boy is the nephew of Mae Lund, Chet’s former […]
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