Character Archetypes – The Threshold Guardian
If your hero/ine needs to be tested, consider using a threshold guardian archetype character to add tension and conflict.
Scene Writing
Anatomy of a Scene
What should the last scene in your novel look like? Learn how to write that final scene well to satisfy your readers.
It’s Time for the Climax
The climax scene, that is. We’ve been thinking about scenes, and writing our novels in scenes, for some time as a way to improve all aspects of our books, and this week we will focus on the highest point of action and drama. First off, the climactic scene is the final turning point of action … Read more
Flashback Scenes
Admittedly, I am not a fan of the flashback scene, generally, because these tend to be written poorly and (mostly because I am in a snarky mood), end up being a huge information dump of weighed down cumbersome luggage. They wallow in or lean toward boring, and usually, the information contained in a flashback scene … Read more
Scene Writing
The Writer’s Bag of Tricks Scene Writing It’s been a while. We last discussed writing in scenes in April, which seems a very long time ago. So let’s refresh. Writing in scenes is the idea that if you plot out your novel in scenes, and you focus on writing the best possible scene, one scene … Read more
Anatomy of a Scene
Use drama to create interest for your reader, and force your character to change direction.
Anatomy of a Scene
Writing Suspenseful Scenes As we continue our exploration of using scenes to write our novels, let’s keep in mind that our scenes should be entertaining, dynamic, and purposeful. Your story will benefit from well-written scenes that keep the reader’s interest. Note that not each and every scene should be a suspense scene because the amount … Read more
Anatomy of a Scene
Setting Intentions We are continuing our exploration of writing scenes, which includes all the elements that should be in a scene for it to be a successful piece of writing. The ultimate goal of outlining and writing your novel using scenes is that you will complete it with a minimum of wasted time and effort. … Read more
Anatomy of a Scene
Tension Happy New Year! For the last few months, I’ve been talking about writing your novel using scenes. Writing your novel one scene at a time will make you a more productive writer and a better writer. So let’s jump into it. We want our stories to have enough conflict and tension to keep the … Read more