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When Do You Know You’re onto a Solid Idea?
When the words flow without effort. Typically, if I am struggling to write, there’s a good reason. Most likely, the story either lacks potential or I’m not in the right time or place to write it. When the words flow, I know I’m on the right track with a good idea. In these situations, the characters take over and I serve only as a conduit to put their thoughts and actions into print. This phenomenon happened when I was writing The Drift. As if they were living, breathing entities, my characters led me through their stories, step by step. If I were to stop writing at a point that left…
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Effective Plot Development
One of the biggest challenges an author faces is balancing the fact that they already know how the book is going to end with keeping their readers on the edge of their seats. Too much too soon and you could lose their interest; too little too late and you get the same result. Embedding red herrings is a good technique, but too many can generate frustration. It really is a balancing act. You should strive to reveal just enough to make the reader turn the page. So, how do you do this effectively? In this post, I’ll do my best to explain my personal approach. First of all, you should…
