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Martha Alderson

Plot Consultant

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Creating Plot

July 5, 2007 By Martha Alderson

Plot is as much about timing as it is the dramatic action and the transformation the character undergoes.

To satisfy your readers, placement and timing of each scene becomes critical.

Spend too many words, pages, time in the beginning of the piece increases your chances of losing your reader right off the bat. Readers want to be grounded, understand who is who, and what is what, and then the reader demands something big happen ~~ the End of the Beginnning.

The balance between back story and front story, between internal dialog and overt action, between character development and action is delicate and must always be kept in mind.

Just because the story comes out onto the page in a certain order, does not mean that’s where the scene or summary or narration will stay.

How the act of creation happens is mysterious and magical.

Placement and timing is under the author’s control and is part of the craft of writing.

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Martha lives at the beach along the central coast of California and draws inspiration from the surrounding nature. When not at the beach, she writes women’s fiction and is exploring what it means to leave a lasting legacy. [Read More] about About Martha

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