Andrea Nell Saving Savannah Contemporary Romance What if a rescuer falls in love with the widowed husband of the woman she failed to save? Layla yearns to belong but wounds from her past have scarred deep. Luke couldn’t ask for a better nanny or friend than Layla, but Savannah needs a new mother. Layla must embrace God’s healing grace so she can win Luke’s heart before someone else claims her place in his family. http://andrea-michelle-wood.blogspot.com Casey Herringshaw Releasing Yesterday Women’s Fiction All Jenna Hutch wants is a chance at normal newlywed bliss. But a haunting past and the secret of an unborn child threaten to unravel the fragile hope she has placed in tomorrow. Jenna Hutch wants what every bride desires—a chance at happiness: a normal, loving bond with her […]
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About Susan May Warren
Former Russian Missionary Susan May Warren is the best-selling author of more than 40 novels and novellas with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill, and Summerside. A Christy award and RITA winner, and multiple finalist for the RITA, Christy and winner of Inspirational Readers Choice contest, Susan currently has over a million books in print. A seasoned women’s events speaker and writing teacher, she is the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com an online community for writers, and runs a fiction editing service teaching writers how to tell a great story. Visit her online at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com.Author Archive | Susan May Warren
Act 3: The Glory
Over the past 3 months, we’ve been talking about the elements of a suspense, laying out the components of each Act. Just as a review: Act 1 is the set up of the GAME. It contains the Players, the Threat of the Big Event, the Inciting Incident and the rules (or the set up of the story). Act 2 is the GUTS of the story, where all the good stuff happens. It contains the Romance of the hero/heroine, the unexpected twists and turns, the droplets of truth and the uncovering of secrets. All of this leads to Act 3, which contains the Black moment, the epiphany, the Climax (or Final Battle) and finally..the Happily Ever After. I like to call this section the GLORY. These are all elements we’ve covered […]
Read the RestAct 2: Uncovering the Secrets
Don’t you love uncovering a secret? Unlocking the truth, and seeing the light? So does your reader! And that’s the final key to a powerful Act 2. A powerful ACT 2 includes the growing relationship between the Hero and Heroine, the Unexpected Twists and Turns, dropping of Truth Tidbits and finally the uncovering Secrets. The secrets of the suspense plot are uncovered through the Act 2 scenes. You want each decision, each action to reveal more of the plot and cause the villain or element to up the stakes, to make it harder, to increase the pressure, to add more tension. Here’s a trick: Often when I plot, I start with the Antagonist, and his goals. I ask: What does the villain want? What choices does he have? […]
Read the RestAct 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 […]
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