Monday Susie blogged on 7 Twists and Turns to add to your novel!
I thought I’d piggy back on her post and add some detail to one of her fantastic tips.
Let’s look at her 7th twist: Chose the Worst Case Scenario.
Susie writes: After every scene, Ask: What is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now? Then, follow up with – can I make that happen (or something similar to it?) When you sit down to consider all your options – and then choose one that is reasonable yet unexpected, you add in the element of unpredictability in your novel. And readers love it when they say, “Oh, I did NOT see that coming!”
Maybe I’m alone in this but whenever I think of raising the stakes or putting up obstacles (road blocks) or choosing the worst case scenario, I think of things like buildings blowing up, terrorist attacks, life threatening diseases, death, mayhem, destruction! (All State anyone?)
Well, I know I’m not alone. I can tell by some of the stories I read or contest entries. Random, bizarre, something-not-even-related-to-the-story happens.
Here’s the deal, if you’ve worked on your character journey/story arc and you know the probable epiphany of your hero, then all of the road blocks must fit within that story line.
Just shutting the door in someone’s face can be a sufficient and effective story block. Or as Susie calls it “worst case scenario.”
I’m working on rewrites for How To Catch A Prince.
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