Wright's Writing Corner: the Most Important Tip Of All--The Payload Moment, part one

The lovely and talented Mrs. Wright reveals the paramount secret of writing. If you can get this one trick right, then you can be a professional writer, even if your mastery of the other aspects of writing is weak.

The last couple of weeks we talked about romantic zing—that moment of heightened awareness of the relationship that gives the reader a jolt, such as a first kiss. In many ways, Payload is plot-related zing—that moment when the storyline intensifies and is raised to a higher level...