Last one! I made it! Woohoo!

(If you’re wondering why this is #51 instead of #52, it’s because somewhere back around scene prompt #8, I did an #8.5. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I’m not going to take the time to fix it, so . . . Anyhoo . . .)

This is another revision prompt, great for all of your scenes. I’m just going to take it wholesale from Jules Horne:

Look at the scenes in your work in progress, and identify each character’s overall dramatic ation. what’s the essence of the scene? Do they want to persuade, placate, overcome, or distract the other character? Brainstorm active verbs that express one character’s action on the other.

Are the characters in conflict, or are they on the same side? If they’re on the same side, where’s the tension?

Actions can often be paired into opposites – for example, persuade/dissuade, focus/distract, and so on. Looking at the verbs in your list, what are their [“they” being the main opposing characters of the scene] opposite actions? If you escalate their intensity, or tone them down, what verbs do you get?

Try using your discoveries to amplify the differences between your characters.

Jules Horne

Have fun!

Book that inspired this post

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And that’s it!

Fifty-two scene prompts. Big thanks to those of you who checked them every week. I would have crapped out long ago if it weren’t for you.

There may be something else coming for next year. We’ll see. I haven’t done anything on it yet, but . . . we’ll see. Plus finishing scenes. Gotta finish the scenes series. Scenes, man . . . I’ll get them done eventually.

Until next time!

What about you?

Anything to add about juicing up your conflict? Tell us in the comments!

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