Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld
Tension is what keeps a scene from falling flat, and it's necessary in every scene. To create it, you must:
• Thwart your protagonist's goals—delay satisfaction.
• Include unexpected changes without immediate explanation.
• Shift power back and forth.
• Pull the rug out—throw in a piece of plot information that changes or alters your protagonist in some way.
• Create a tense atmosphere through setting and senses.
Award-winning and bestselling novelist Clare Mackintosh shares why it took three novels to write her most recent (After the End), what she learned about writing thrillers, and more!
YA author Hanna C. Howard shares why she feels fiction is a bit like Brussels sprouts, especially when sautéed with olive oil, salt, and pepper: good for your health and soul.
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the Italian octave, also known as the first eight lines of Petrarchan sonnet.
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Author, screenwriter, and lyricist Leticia Sala shares her best advice for fellow writers, what happened on the night of her engagement in Rome (besides getting engaged), her feelings on healthy love, and more!
This WD article from 1993 offers an in-depth look at how a writer's voice makes or breaks their work and provides some tips that will help writers of all genres.
Novelist and screenwriter Karol Hoeffner shares what inspired her latest novel (Knee Deep), what surprised her the most in writing it, her best piece of advice for other writers who may be feeling writer's block during the pandemic, and more!
Each year, Writer's Digest compiles the 101 Best Websites for Writers. See the complete 2020 list here.
Every Wednesday, Robert Lee Brewer shares a prompt and an example poem to get things started on the Poetic Asides blog. This week, write an autumn poem.
