The drama at the Crisis of her coming-of-age historical novel is exciting, life-or-death and edge-of-your-seat external action.Check.The action fits thematically with the character emotional development.Check.The character suffers at the Crisis.Check.In the simultaneous release of energy at the Crisis, the character sees herself and the world around her in a new and transformed way.Check.Trouble with the plot begins seconds after the Crisis. Immediately the character acts …
Difference between Crisis and Every Other Scene in the Middle of Your Story
Difference between Crisis and Every Other Scene in the Middle of Your Story The middle of your story is made up of half of the scenes in your entire story. Your challenge in writing the middle of the story is differentiating between the highest point of intensity in the middle -- the crisis -- and every other scene in the middle. So what is the difference between the crisis and every other scene in the middle of your story? To Review The middle of a novel, memoir, screenplay is the territory …
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Plot Planner Examples
Magic happens yet again.A writer with a very successful first book needs help with her second. Her problem? Not uncommon ~ years and years of working on the first book, layer upon layer, input, changes, rewrites, drafts and drafts, enough to make a writer wonder:"How did I do it? And how will I ever be able to do it again? Only faster this time?"With a Plot Planner in front of me, I start asking questions and encourage the ideas rolling around in her head to tumble out.Characters emerge, flaws …
Historical Fiction and Research
Authentic historical facts and details serve to ground the reader in another place and time. To find those just-right details, one must research. In researching, we writers uncover lots and lots of fascinating tidbits. One nugget leads to another which leads to the next. The more we find, the more we want to weave into the story. A plot consultation reveals a historical novel with an exciting external dramatic action plot bogged down by historical facts and details.Rule of thumb: If historical …
A Coming of Age Story or Rediscovering a Lost Skill?
She's confused about how best to begin her middle-grade historical novel.After many drafts, she's perfected the plot and structure of her story and seamlessly incorporated a fascinating historical character and event into a contemporary story. Now, as we consider only the first quarter of her story, it becomes clear that the writer has not yet completely determined the depth of who her protagonist truly is.She tells me the young male protagonist use to be brave and then lost his courage …
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