Plot Consultant

The Art of Collaboration: Joys and Pitfalls of Co-Authorship

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The Art of Collaboration: Joys and Pitfalls of Co-Authorship Now that Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story through Action, Emotion & Theme is shipping (though the formal release date is not until October), I have a deep appreciation for the art of collaboration and co-authorship and am incredibly grateful to my co-author, Jordan Rosenfeld, author of several novels and books for writers. Joys, there were many. Pitfalls, miraculously there were none.  Jordan and I met a couple of years …

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Plot and Emotion

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Plot and emotion converge in the character in 2 major ways. At the Overall Plot Level A character's show of emotion demonstrates how she develops or evolves emotionally from who she shows herself to be in the beginning of the story to who she changes or transforms into at the end. The character emotional development plot line carries the heart of the story. The character development plot line is cumulative -- spanning from the beginning to the end and lasts beyond the character's fleeting …

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Foreshadowing in Stories

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8 Plot Tips how to use foreshadowing in the middle of stories to best benefit the action at the climax at the end of your story The middle challenges the protagonist in an unfamiliar territory. Throughout all the setbacks and obstacles, the middle also provides the protagonist with opportunities to learn, discover, rediscover a gift, clue, belief, ability, skill that serves her in her final confrontation at the end. The act of discovery is often used as an act of foreshadowing in stories. 8 …

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3 Common Plot Problems

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3 Common Plot Problems Back to plot consultations after a month hiatus, I once again marvel at the universality of our writer's journeys and common plot problems. Common Plot Problems 1) One writer takes to heart some general advice she hears at a writers conference and rewrites her entire novel based on that advice only to come to understand that her original approach worked. The second approach didn't. Though I can hear how deflated, the writer resists wallowing in grief over all the hours …

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Frightened Writers

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Watching my new neighbors (baby seagull stock image -- "my" 3 are bigger - adolescents?) peer over the ledge and back away… not ready yet, got me to thinking about resistant and frightened writers who go to the edge, look over and back away. If the birds jump now they'll likely get hurt or die. Still, after they turn from the promise, they eat and sleep and flap their little wings, doing all they need to for the strength and skills needed when they are ready.  If you find yourself resisting …

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