How to Write Cliffhanger Chapter Endings. You probably know what a cliffhanger is–a surprise or story twist that leaves the reader hanging at the chapter’s end, so they are compelled to turn to the next page.
Sort of like every episode of Lost ended with one character or another in dire straits… Compelling you to queue up the next episode IMMEDIATELY. Photo from Adam Kubalica, Flickr Creative Commons But how seriously should we take this whole cliffhanger concept? I mean, how many surprises and plot twists can an author pull out of her hat without going overboard? The answer: More than you think. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, Great, but how do you DO IT? Writing The Perfect Scene: Advanced Fiction Writing Tips. Having trouble making the scenes in your novel work their magic?
In this article, I’ll show you how to write the “perfect” scene. Maybe you think it’s impossible to write the perfect scene. After all, who can choose every word perfectly, every thought, every sentence, every paragraph? Pub Hub: 10 Thoughts: Writing About Sex in YA Fiction & Otherwise, Part I. I think writing about sex shouldn't have rules.
Or maybe just "rules" in the way we have "rules" in fiction-writing. Those fiction rules tend to be quite bendy. Heh. BENDY. Anyway. 1) Have characters use terms for their body parts in a generally consistent manner. 2) Acknowledging during a romantic/sex scene that there are feelings below the belt will come as a huge relief to some readers. 3) No one cares about abs. 4) How people smell is very important. 5) There are details about first sex or first physical acts that aren't physical or erotic but are just as important to engaging the reader. 6) There are lots of cliches in YA sex scenes. 7) The word "forever.
" 8) I know we want young people to use birth control but they don't always do that. 9) Ye Old Poetry and sex scenes. 10) More first sex scenes from the point of view of male adolescents would be highly illuminating and important for younger readers of either gender. Making A Scene: Using Conflicts And Setbacks To Create Narrative Drive. Yesterday I promised to write an article about the last tool Mary Robinette Kowal introduced in her (terrific!)
Workshop at SiWC last weekend, The Mysteries of Outlining. Namely: "Yes, BUT ... / No, AND ... " Another name for this might be "How to write a scene: conflicts and setbacks". Making A Scene: Using Conflicts And Setbacks To Create Narrative Drive. See How Easily You Can Track Your Character's Emotional Arc in a Scene. Most authors try to understand what a character is feeling at a particular moment: He’s angry here.
He’s happy there. Many authors also consider how the character’s emotional arc changes over the course of the entire story: He begins insecure. He ends confident. But few think about how the character’s emotional arc develops over the course of a single scene. In my research last spring, I came across a fascinating guide called Book on Acting. A character whose emotions don’t develop or change in a scene is static and not terribly interesting. 1. The simplest type of a character’s emotional arc is a change in intensity.
For example, a character may feel happy in a scene, but the intensity of his happiness may change, starting at its lowest intensity as calmness and then building through contentment, pleasure, amusement, gladness, happiness, cheerfulness, giddiness, jubilation, elation, joy. Generally, it’s more powerful to show the emotional intensity increasing rather than decreasing. Writing Questions Answered. Wordstruck - 10 ways to sharpen your scenes - Claire Scobie: Writer and Journalist. Scenes are what make writing visual.
They create a moment-by-moment experience for the reader. Here are 10 ways to make yours work harder. Follow the screenwriter’s mantra: arrive late and leave early. This means you start the scene with the action not the lead up and you end crisply. © nikkytokLink scenes together with a narrative bridge. More on how I wrote The Pagoda Tree over the next few weeks… I’m doing a talk about The Pagoda Tree at the White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, on Sunday July 13, 2pm – 3 pm. Anyone in Byron Bay? 25 Turns, Pivots, And Twists To Complicate Your Story. 1.
The Heinous Fuckery Is Revealed This is the “first turn” of the story: something happens that disrupts the status quo and this event pushes the protagonist (and perhaps the world around him) into the tale. The king dies! Terrorists attack! And...End Scene: When to Add a Scene Break. Your Scene Needs a Problem. By Ken Hughes, @TheKenHughes Part of the How They Do It Series Conflict is a must in every scene, but problems come in a myriad of shapes and sizes.
The tricky part is knowing what the right problem for your scene is. To help with that, Ken Hughes visits the lecture hall today to share some thoughts on adding problems to your scenes. Ken Hughes is a Global Ebook Award-nominated urban fantasy novelist, creator of the Whisperers and the upcoming Spellkeeper Chronicles series, and the Power Plays and Unified Writing Theory blogs. He's also been a technical writer for missions to Mars, and a longtime mentor for local authors. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound. 30 Days to Stronger Scenes Series: TOC. Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Novel Revision Permalink 0 Tweet26 Share11 Share1 Pin111 Shares 149 What has the most potential for improving your writing?
