by Zoe M. McCarthy | Sep 22, 2016 | Writing
We want our scenes to be dramatic. We want our readers to live through events with our characters and experience our characters’ emotions. However, if we slide into melodrama, we rob our readers of emotional involvement. Definition: Melodrama is: “a dramatic form that...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Sep 15, 2016 | Writing
Definition Inciting Incident. Incite: “to urged to action; instigate; stir up.” (Webster Illustrated Contemporary Dictionary) The inciting incident is an event in which something happens to the protagonist that changes his everyday life. It creates an opportunity for...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Sep 8, 2016 | Writing
I stopped reading “The Chain of Awesomeness” by Jeff Somers (Writer’s Digest July/August 2016). I brought up my first chapter to see if my opening line held the mystery Somers said was more important than shock or coolness (even though they’re good too).My opening...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Sep 1, 2016 | Writing
A common first-chapter problem is introducing too many characters in the first scene. This can also be a problem for later scenes.The ProblemReaders feel as if they’ve entered a gala with names thrown at them.People can keep track of around three characters at a...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 25, 2016 | Writing
Writers hear much about the need for conflict and disasters in every scene and a black moment near the story’s two-thirds point. We don’t throw these essentials into the mix, but intentionally construct them.Conflicts and disasters work to enhance the plot or develop...