Revise: Remember the 4 Sources of Conflict

Conflict, the type that motivates and moves a plot, comes from four sources.
Yesterday, an editor asked for revisions on a very short piece which was meant for a kindergarten or first grade audience. The editor didn’t like the competitiveness between siblings. But when she contemplated taking out that conflict, she correctly understood that the story [...]

The Lonely Brainstormer

Searching for the Right Ideas
Brainstorming, created by advertising genius Alex Osborn, is meant to be a group activity, a way to encourage everyone to participate. It’s usually set up with rules that encourage ideas, even if they are wild, while discouraging any negative comments which might stem the flow of ideas. What it encourages is [...]

Novel Pacing=Constant Change

This entry is part 7 of 8 in the series Build a Stronger PlotFinishing up the series on plot: We’ve talked about the outline level of plot, plotting with scenes and now we’re at a finer granular level as we talk about pacing of a novel.
Pacing Helps Plot Succeed
Nick Lowe, in his article, The Well-Tempered [...]

Keeping Current: Read Newly Released Books

Take a Reading Day
Standard advice: read what you want to write.
If you want to write a novel, then read mysteries or thrillers or teen or easy readers or whatever genre you want to write.
Last week, I took a reading day and had great fun. I often advise people to read

Combine 2 Plots?

What to Write Next?
I’ve just wrapped up a few novel project, or else they are cooling down. It’s time to swim around and hope that I find some interesting bait and get hooked on the next novel. In fact, I’m eyeing two bits of bait right now and trying to decide if either will do. [...]

Character Checklist

Character Checklist

EXTERNALS
Name or Nickname: Does the character’s name evoke something about him or her? Does it resonate in the story?
Character Roles and Jobs. Have you fully explored the possibilities of family and community roles? Are they working at cliche jobs or fascinating jobs?

The Dog, the Chicken and the Boxer Shorts: Real Events Inspire Novel Events

Stealing from Life: You Can’t Make this Up
I was talking to my friend, LFP, and he told me about a funny thing that happened on the way to work.
It started with a retriever. LFP reads electric meters in a rural area, driving a company truck from house to deer camp to trailer to house. Yesterday, [...]

Shrunken Manuscript Reveals Novel’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Shrunken Manuscript Technique Helps Visualize Problems
Following my directions for shrinking, marking and evaluating a novel, here are some recent examples:

Scene Quiz: Harvard Bar Scene

This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Build a Stronger PlotScene Quiz: From a Harvard Bar to Your Scenes
Yesterday, we talked about what you’d find if you dissected a good scene. Today, we’ll apply this information by studying a scene from the classic movie, Good Will Hunting. (Warning: Adult language) Then, you [...]

Dissect a Scene

This entry is part 6 of 8 in the series Build a Stronger PlotAnatomy of a Scene
If you dissect a scene, what do you find? Sandra Scofield, in The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer lays out a simple, yet insightful discussion of this concept and it’s usefulness to a novelist.
Here are the [...]