You can pick any scene for this prompt, written already or not, but it might be easiest to pick a scene that you know results in a clear twist. But all scenes should be somewhat surprising, so any scene will do. We’re going to make that twist as twisty as it can be. How? Through … Continue reading Scene Prompt #47: So Frustrated
This is more of a revision prompt, and I’m taking it wholesale from Jack Bickham. You want to make sure, at the beginning of every new scene, that the readers are oriented. How do you do this? By making sure you let the reader know the scene’s 5Ws. The reader of your novel has to … Continue reading Scene Prompt #46: Show Me First
For this prompt, pick a scene you may be resisting because you’re not sure how to write it. I’ve got one right now that I should be writing that I haven’t written (yet!) because it’s “big.” Let’s tackle that scene. How? By asking ourselves: What is the core of this scene? There are several ways … Continue reading Scene Prompt #45: Storyboard
How does your story end? I was reminded of how JK Rowling said, somewhere, that she wrote the epilogue of the Harry Potter series first, before writing book 1. She knew she wanted Ginny and Harry to end up together, that kind of thing. So how does your story end? How do your characters continue … Continue reading Scene Prompt #44: Resolution
For these last couple months’ worth of scene prompts, I’m going to throw in some prompts that might actually work better as scene revision passes rather than prompts for new scenes. But you do whatever you want. So, if you’re ready to write a new scene, have it in mind. Otherwise, pick a scene you’ve … Continue reading Scene Prompt #43: In the mood
Sometimes, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes we get so caught up in creating a perfect story, a perfectly salable product, that we aren’t willing to allow ourselves to fail and discover happy accidents of genius (that would probably make for a more salable product). So today, we’re going to step back from … Continue reading Scene Prompt #42: No Pressure
For this prompt, pick a scene where your characters have to move about for a few paragraphs. It could be a fight scene. Could be an extraction scene. Could be a scene where your character slips and falls into a pond. Whatever’s going on, pick a scene where you have to describe some kind of … Continue reading Scene Prompt #41 : Bust a Move
Tone is described as the writer’s attitude toward the material. In fiction it might be more helpful to think of it as the narrator’s or point-of-view character’s (POVC) attitude toward the story they’re telling. For example, the narrator’s view of the events might be cynical, satisfied, resigned, resentful, optimistic, wry, sincere, reverent . . . … Continue reading Scene Prompt #40: Hey, watch your tone
What’s you’re genre? If you were here last week, you probably already know. You might even have a list of your genre’s characteristics and conventions, what the reader expects to see, experience, and feel, plus a list of how your story–its concept, plot, and characters–fulfills those requirements. Last week we looked at the opening scene. … Continue reading Scene Prompt #39: Gimme the Goods Redux
What’s your Genre? Genre helps people who like the kind of stuff you write find your book. So . . . What’s your story’s genre? (If you’re not sure, give it a google or check out one of the books below.)
Writes With Tools 