plot

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Point Of View: Hitting The Beats (It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint)

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drummer - deposit photos

One of the hardest tricks to learn when writing novels is pacing. It’s a little easier with a short story—at 5-15,000 words, it’s harder for readers to become bored with your characters’ exploits. But with a novella or novel, pacing becomes more important. The classic example of a pacing template comes from the historical Romance market. Once upon a time, there were very specific plot expectations laid out for romance books by the major Romance publishers: • The characters meet • They’re in denial about their connection • They decide to give it a chance • They date • There’s … Read more

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Point of View: Plantsing

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plant growing out of a book - deposit photos

It’s an age-old debate. Plotter or pantser? Is one better than the other? Which one are you? A plotter is someone who plans out their entire story in advance. Plotters are known for making extensive outlines, doing deep dives into internet searches to pull together all the materials they will need, and making sure all their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed before writing a word of the actual story. They are perfectionists, lovers of story arcs marked with specific “beats” that they plan to hit at exact points of the narrative to ensure their characters and plots reach … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Pivot Points

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fork in the road - deposit photos

In most fictional tales, the character(s) face a pivotal choice that will change everything. It can be as simple as deciding to declare your love in public for a secret crush. Or as big and bold as stealing the US Constitution (so-so movie, cool premise). Whatever the choice, it changes the course of the plot and impacts everything that comes after. Life is like that too. I was born to two loving parents. Well, they loved me but not each other. They divorced when I was little, and my mother got custody. My dad saw me on weekends, and things … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Put a Wolf Under the Table

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wolf snarl - deposit photo

Your characters are on a quest for the fabled Sword of Bighands. They’re sitting around a thick iron-banded wooden table at the Borderlands Pub, a dark, seedy local hangout where you can buy anything from drugs to human slaves. Or a really good guide to get you out of Bordertown and across the great Scorched Desert, to the fabled Treasure Lands across that hot, dry, shimmering expanse of red sand. Your characters are talking about the long trek ahead, sharing war stories, and sipping on curiously ice-cold mead. And they’re absolutely bored out of their gourds. So what can you … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Taking My Time

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stopwatches - pixabay

I’m writing again, and it feels really good. 🙂 But I’m doing it a little differently this time. I’m working over my first three chapters multiple times before moving ahead, making sure that I have three things settled in my head: The thrust of the plot The interdynamics of the characters The major and minor details of the world I always do this to some extent, but have never done so in such a thoughtful and deliberate way. From Pantsing to Plotting When I first started out as a writer, I was a total pantser. My overflowing “drawer” of what … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Romancing the Stone

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Romancing the Stone

Hey all, Over the last weekend, I attended the Dreamspinner Retreat in Orlando, an amazing opportunity to meet the staff and to learn more about how to write better. (On a side note, I was in the heart of the Disney World Resort and didn’t see anything other than the hotel *cries *). It was a great retreat – I learned a lot as an author about my craft, and got some fantastic news I will share with you all when I am able. One of the hilights of the retreat was a showing of the 1984 Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Plotting My Revenge

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Scott - Muwahahaha

* maniacal laughter in background * Hey all, Okay, so my next novel, “The Rising Tide,” is now out the door to the publisher. Which brings me to my strange new year, in which I will be writing the third and final books for not one but two trilogies – “Liminal Sky” and “The Oberon Cycle.” Final books are where everything gets accounted for… all the little loose threads must be identified and wrapped up, the good guys get their win (usually), and the bad guys get what’s coming to them. I am diving into Ithani this week (the final … Read more