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Find Your Novel Opening: Quickly, Efficiently–and with MORE Creativity
I’ve been fiddling with the opening of the second book of a trilogy, Blue Planets, for several weeks, trying to plot, trying to think of new and exciting ways to tell the story. I KNOW the story. It’s bringing it down to specifics that’s hard. Part of my problem is that Book 1 in this…
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Off-Stage Scenes Rarely Work – Unless You Are Scarlett
Here’s a common problem that I see in first drafts: the main action has happened off-stage. Think about Scarlett O’Hara and the other southern women sitting at home waiting; in an attempt to avenge his wife, Frank and the Ku Klux Klan raid the shanty town whereupon Frank is shot dead. But the raid takes…
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Best 9 Tips on Plotting a Novel in Verse: Advice from Caroline Starr Rose
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5 Plotting Mistakes
Do you make these 5 plotting mistakes? Are you too nice to your characters? Low tension. Give characters large, overwhelming obstacles to overcome. Of course, you love this dear fellow you created and like any good parent, you want only
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29 Plot Templates
Continuing the series on plot: Plot templates are helpful in telling an author the possible events for different sections of the story. I like to consult these when I’m first thinking of a idea for a novel and when I start a revision. I want to know what is typical for the type story I’m…
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When Characters Show Their Weakness
Character’s strengths and weaknesses influence plot, character relationships and how well we like a character. Before you decide on these, think about how these characteristics will ripple through the story. Character Strengths and Weaknesses Inherited or Acquired?Are your character’s strengths and weaknesses inherited or acquired? If inherited, they may be accepted easily by the character,…