Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 9
February 2, 2018
How to create tension in your story
A story, any story, needs tension. Without it, a story will stagnate and die, become like a wilting exotic flower in need of some water to survive. It will fail to move forward, to progress. Creating tension drives the story along, enabling your characters to reach their goals and desires, leaving your readers pleased to have read it.
I’m just at 30,000 words into my book, a contemporary crime mystery (not quite a ‘thriller’ yet, but I’m getting there), set in southern England. I have a strong female character and an equally weak male character, plus a sprinkling of characters on the sidelines that have yet to be fully developed.
Thriller – classed as a broad genre of literature, a story-line that has many twists and turns, keeping the reader on the ‘edge of their seats.’ A thriller usually has several sub-genres; suspense, action, anxiety, resolution, that allows the reader to feel thrilled and satisfied until the very end of the story.
[image error]Conflict
In order for my story to progress, it needs a level of tension, or CONFLICT. Otherwise, the reader will think – what’s the point of that? when they read your story – and may even throw all your hard work in the trash. Heavens forbid!
So, I have a few tips for creating conflict in a story:
Give your characters a purpose. They have to have some goals/desires that will drive the story forward. Maybe its a quarrel with a neighbour? A land dispute? A love conflict? Make this your story – arguments create plot lines!
The conflict of Man against Man. In a time old way, creating tension between strong male characters is a well used formula that works. The classic Love Triangle scenario has been used time and time again, and still makes for an interesting story, working equally well in different genres such a Romance, Crime, and YA fiction, which has become so popular today.
Remember ! Too much conflict can be exhausting for the reader. Feed them a little conflict at the start between two or more characters, so that they know where the story is going – then drip feed conflict, mix it up with some humour or romance – and you can’t fail!
Keep the characters ‘on edge’ in your story – but not all the time! By the same token, don’t make their lives too safe, too complacent – otherwise, where’s your story?
Give your characters opinions. In real life, people have disagreements all the time- family and friends simply can’t fall into each others wishes- its human nature to agree/disagree! This is the same for storytelling and makes your characters human.
Have a bad character that does bad things in the story but a good character that does good! This creates conflict – but remember to give the baddie some good traits (ie loves and cares for his mother) and the good character bad traits (ie hates animals) – and you can’t go wrong.
[image error]Character V Character
Lastly, and bear this in mind – enjoy writing your story!
Have a great weekend.
January 31, 2018
Is your monster really scary enough for nightmares?
So many good ideas here – thanks to jeanswriting.com
Monsters lurk about in many forms.
Doesn’t have to be Big Foot or a dragon. A hateful neighbor or classmate, a work colleague, even a stranger on the street can be monsters in your story.
One man’s monster is another man’s pet. 
A monster can live in the protagonists past, their imagination or in a secret held close. It can take the form of an illogical or logical phobia, or a real flesh and blood monster. 
The trick to writing about monsters as well as fantasy creatures is in the description and then escalating that fear. Bringing that fear to life is the goal of writers.
Readers love to feel the fear of a character. The right description determines whether a character is a paper doll cutout or a 3D believable personality.
Now Y’all know how much I love my cheat sheets, so guess what? Seems there is a list for just about everything. After…
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January 30, 2018
200 Years Later: John Keats Writes Two Poems
Poetry Corner
Hi, friends. 200 years ago today on January 30, 1818, John Keats wrote the poem “When I Have Fears.” About a week earlier, he wrote “Lines on Seeing a Lock of Milton’s Hair.”
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January 29, 2018
Most Common Writing Mistakes: Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling?
Great tips that will enhance your writing – show and tell verbs
January 28, 2018
How To Promote Your Books With Great Content Writing…
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
by Lisa Brown
on Just Publishing Advice:
The online world has opened up numerous opportunities for different fields.
The same applies to writers and authors. Whether you are looking for an agency to publish your work, or have taken the self-publishing route.
Content writing has been one of the strategies used in marketing.
If done correctly, it can boost your brand beyond your wildest imagination. However, incorrect use can damage your reputation.
I bet you can remember this familiar phrase, “The internet never forgets.”
So, you have written your book, used the ideal proofreading services online, and are looking to get people to read your work.
How do you achieve this?
Continue Reading at:
Content Marketing Tips for your Books
January 27, 2018
Top 10 Jobs For Writing Lovers
So many good tips here…:)
This is a guest post by Warren, a marketing enthusiast, and blogger at EduGeeksClub, who loves music. If he doesn’t have a guitar in his hands, he’s probably embracing new technologies and marketing techniques online. You can connect with Warren on Twitter and Facebook.
Top 10 Jobs For Writing Lovers
Writing has always been my thing. From poems to creative writing projects to research papers, I could do everything well at school. My teachers kept advising me: “You’re doing well in this… You should become a writer.” That’s exactly what I aimed for: become a writer. So that’s what I did.
There’s one main thing I realized on this journey: writing is not just about novels and stories. I did that, too. I wrote a few short novels and stories. However, I’ve also used my skill to earn money in other ways. I also connected with other writers…
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January 24, 2018
Should You Set a Daily Word Count Goal?
Writing goals …mine is 1,000 words per day
Wedding ring
Just a short blog post to share my experiences this week, that is loosely linked to my writing.
Lately, when I’ve sat at my computer to write, my wedding ring finger has been tingling, until it had become quite painful. Its gradually gotten worse and my finger around the gold ring has become swollen and red. Bearing in mind that I havn’t been able to remove the ring for at least 20 years, I thought I should have it removed.
I had in mind going to the doctors or the jewellers but my husband had other ideas. He searched the internet for a quick solution to my discomfort. There’s a way to remove a ring without having to cut into it apparently, that involved tying an elastic band tightly around the finger and then winding the elastic, thus taking the ring off at the same time.
Well, this method did not work for me. It left my finger almost black and sore, and me running to the jewelers! As you can see by the image, my finger had blistered under the ring, which is now totally split (and safely in my jewelry box!).
The cost to refit it involves soldering a piece onto the ring, and parting with 100 AUS dollars.
Well worth the cost though, and to keep my finger!
If anyone thinks of trying this method, think again….take the ring (and finger) to someone who knows what they’re doing.
Anyone have any similar experiences?
Please share!
Have a great writing week. 
January 21, 2018
Writer’s Block; Fight or Flee? – with Yarii
Such good advice for the writer’s out there!
Gold Coast flora
Just a few images taken this afternoon at Nerang National park. We take the dog up there every now and then, and it was cooler today than its been. Temperatures have hit 52 degrees these last few weeks, so there’s a real danger of bush fires at the minute.
The local wildlife find this weather intense as well, and reports of snakes attacking people and animals has intensified. We keep our fox terrier Billy on a lease at all times, which he’s not totally happy with, but I’d rather be safe than sorry, especially as Brown snakes love basking in the sun and can be really aggressive!
I took my mobile with me today, so here are a couple of pictures of the local fauna. It still amazes me how the flowers thrive in such heat, but they are certainly sun loving…
