Plot Consultant

How to Create More Dramatic Action in Your Novel, Memoir, Screenplay

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Prompt 11 in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing prompts you to introduce and develop a major antagonist for your novel, memoir, screenplay.In many character-driven stories, the antagonist that most interferes with the protagonist reaching her goal is herself -- an internal antagonist. However, by always or whenever possible, creating a secondary character or even a major viewpoint character who acts as an external antagonist allows for external action …

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Resistance to Maximizing Crisis

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Not just sweet SCBWI writers experience resistance to putting their protagonists in true peril. At last Sunday's CWC Blockbuster Plots Intensive, writers of adult fiction and memoirs balked in an effort to prevent loss and trauma, disappointment and rejection, hurt and betrayal from befalling their beloved protagonists. Then today, I heard from a writer of a very successful memoir, wail about the same feelings about her character, too.Nearly every single one of the 21 writers who opted …

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SCBWI Plot Retreat Notes

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Today is my mother's 93rd birthday and, as family and friends assemble, I steal this moment, desperate to imprint a lasting record of the love and learning that took place at last weekend's Perfect Your Plot Retreat hosted by SCBWI-Central Coastal California at the Mission in Santa Barbara. Already, the book launch for The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing has blurred the edges.Lasting impressions:The event was unique for a multitude of reasons, …

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Character Flaw: Fatal?

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You decide or rather the protagonist decides whether her flaw is fatal. Perhaps her flaw has already killed off something important to her. She doesn't yet admit that to herself and isn't conscious of her part in her own demise. That's coming much later. For now, simply identifying her flaw itself can be difficult to pin down.Prompt #8 provides an opportunity to revisit what you may have already started --a Character Emotional Development Profile. On pages 33 and 34 in the PWWorkbook I've …

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Conflict, Tension, Suspense and / or Curiosity

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You introduced a broad view of the setting of your story in Prompt #2. In response to the first six prompts you created conflict, tension, suspense and / or curiosity in action scene(s) that involve an antagonist and a romance character, no backstory, and shows what the protagonist does when blocked from her short term goal. A bit of mystery draws the reader to want to know what's up. Without revealing answers and keeping the action moving forward now you can ground the story on a deeper …

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