tension

This week I thought I’d give you a few links to older content regarding plot that still may be helpful for whatever you’re struggling with. Next week, I’ll link to the tons of content on building characters. Plot One of my most popular craft links is to this plot paradigm. It’s available for you to… Read more »

These small tips are my Season’s Greetings to you all!! And maybe I’m making a small statement about 2020? I hope you enjoy! Conflict and Tension Every story benefits by having high tension and strong conflict. First drafts are generally not high tension drafts – it isn’t until revision that I add as much tension… Read more »

Continuing the posts from a month or so back, when the world was a different place. But I still want to write, and share craft, so here you go. Finally, a great story – and a great character – need stakes. Stakes are raised through adding tension at both a macro and a micro level…. Read more »

A year plus ago I had the good fortune to attend a conference featuring three greats: Christopher Vogler, James Scott Bell, and Donald Maass. I already had books by each one of them, and I carried my copies along for their signatures. One of these is my well-used copy of Maass’s WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL… Read more »

Last week I posted about tension and “death stakes”. This week I’ll broaden the conversation to discuss conflict, in the most general terms. Once again, I’ll also invoke one of my favorite writers, James Scott Bell, and his craft book CONFLICT AND SUSPENSE. He states that a successful novel is “the emotionally satisfying account of… Read more »

Tension is essential in stories that will resonate with readers. As a reader, you know the feeling – staying up way past your bedtime because you can’t put that book down. This post is a short introduction to crafting tension that will have your readers hanging on every word. Rule number 1: story is conflict…. Read more »