It’s Tension, Conflict, Suspense week, and today we’re looking at how Harlan Coben milks the tension, conflict, and suspense in No Second Chance. I guarantee that I did not pick up on all of his uses and manipulations, but here’s what I did spot: Continue reading
Category Archives: Story Master Wednesday
Setting: How the masters use it
We’re looking at Setting this week. Here are some setting passages from some of the books I’ve read lately. Let’s see how the masters multi-task. Continue reading
Filed under Setting, Story Master Wednesday
Antagonists: How the masters do it.
Here are my takes on the antagonist breakdowns of the stories we looked at last week (for main character want, need, flaw, symptoms). Continue reading
Filed under Character, Story Master Wednesday
Want, Need, Flaw, Symptoms: How the masters do it
We’re looking at how the masters give their characters emotional wants and needs and character flaws. Here’s what I’ve seen in the stories I’ve read lately: Continue reading
Filed under Character, Story Master Wednesday
Backstory: How the Masters Use It
Usually when backstory is effectively used, you don’t notice it. It’s often “marbled” in with the front story, as James Scott Bell says. Still, here are some examples of backstory that I have noticed (or remembered): Continue reading
Filed under Character, Story Master Wednesday
Walking Contradictions: How the Masters Do It
We’re looking at how to make our characters more interesting by giving them lots of irreconcilable conflict. Here are some examples I’ve noticed in the stories I’ve read or watched recently. As usual, I will add more examples as I come across them in my readings. For now… Continue reading
Filed under Character, Story Master Wednesday
Clones: How the Masters Use Them
Some stories seem to lend themselves to lots of clones, others not so much. These are the clones examples I’ve noticed in the books I’ve read lately. Continue reading
Filed under Character, Story Master Wednesday, Theme
Premise: How the masters do it
So, we’re filling out the Master Premise Tool we developed on Monday: Continue reading
Filed under Story Master Wednesday, Theme
Theme: What the masters write about
So, what themes, what one-word topics do the masters write about? Continue reading
Filed under Story Master Wednesday, Theme
