Tip #187: Seriously stuck

when I get seriously stuck, I... map out exactly what the villains are doing, that alone is often enough to snap the plot back into place.

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-i-plot-novel-in-5-steps.html

Tip #186: Enjoy this time

The very best time to write is right now, before you’ve had anything published, before anyone knows who you are and what your voice sounds like. You can write without any publisher (or reader) expectations. You can do whatever you want. ENJOY THIS TIME! As soon as you publish a book, that changes.

http://www.sarahselecky.com/2011/the-best-unsolicited-advice-ive-ever-received/

Tip #185: Crazy twists

it’s not the crazy twists in your story that I find unrealistic, it’s your characters’ reactions

@FakeEditor

Tip #184: Repetition

go through your manuscript and write down the first sentence of each chapter. Are you repetitive?

@sjaejones

The same method could be used to check last lines, hooks, mood, stakes and anything else you're concerned about.

Tip #183: Mystery

Mystery plots -- where our heroine needed to uncover a piece of information... as forces or people worked to keep that information from her.

http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2011/12/behind-book-three-things-writers-can.html

Tip #182: The connecting scenes

while I was writing out my little description of what I was going to write... I would play the scene through in my mind and try to get excited about it. I'd look for all the cool little hooks, the parts that interested me most, and focus on those since they were obviously what made the scene cool. If I couldn't find anything to get excited over, then I would change the scene, or get rid of it entirely.

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html

Thank you



The Golden Haystack celebrates it's first birthday today, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for following and reading.  I can say without reservation that the 181st tip would not be being posted today if it hadn't been for the readers.  You've had me scrolling through twitter looking for links late at night, when my mind has been hazy with tireness, and so many of those nights I've bumped into something that's - if not swept the tiredness from my mind - at least swept it under the carpet and given me a precious couple of hours of writing when otherwise I would... have gone to bed.  Hang on. . . ;)

Thank you.  I hope you find the blog as useful a resource as I do.  And if you haven't looked already or recently, I highly recommend the articles listed on the Great Articles page.

Ivory

(Click on the cake for the recipe)

Tip #181: Craft is a means to an end

I want to remind writers to not only learn craft and polish skills and to plot and plan their stories.

I want to remind them to bring passion to those stories. I want to encourage them to write with abandon and pleasure and giddiness. To write without restraint.

To write with fire.

http://theeditorsblog.net/2011/11/20/write-with-fire/

Tip #180: Everyone has regrets

What regrets are your main characters harboring? How do those things influence their actions?

http://fantasy-faction.com/2011/disney-parents-dead-mothers-and-absent-fathers#utm_source=feedandutm_medium=feedandutm_campaign=feed

Tip #179: Found knowledge > given knowledge

For me, writing is reverse engineering... a problem-solving session of finding out what, exactly, I have to do to make that mood happen. It's like those writing exercises where you have to describe someone as tall without ever saying the word "tall." Found knowledge is always more valuable than given knowledge; the reader needs to draw their own conclusions.

http://maggiestiefvater.blogspot.com/2011/11/dissecting-pages-for-mood.html

Tip #178: Make the ordinary interesting

If you're going to set a scene in a house, write the character of the owner(s)/occupier(s) all over it.  Show the obsessive cleanliness or piles of odd socks lying in the front hall.

H.R.Filmore's Reminders to Self, November 2011.

Tip #177: The three views

Writers sometimes forget that there're three distinct levels of attention~long-range view, where you show if there are {mountains} or dust-clouds {or echoing footsteps} in the distance, mid-range view, where you show the size of rooms and the proximity of your characters from each other and things that matter in the scene, and close view, which is inside the character's personal space and includes anything they touch, taste, and often smell. I've noticed... that people leave out at least one of those too much in a scene, and without them all, the story doesn't feel real

comment by Cmefreeze:
http://critiquecircle.com/forums.asp?action=viewforum&thread=908880&offset=0

Tip #176: Conciously write

when... you suddenly have all of these new tools... they're tools you have to think about conciously because you've just learned them.... {W}riting becomes difficult - because it is suddenly a concious process. And it takes a while to internalise these tools to the point that they become unconcious.  What frequently happens to people is that they mistake the "this is difficult because I'm thinking about it" for "I can't write".

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/10/30/writing-excuses-6-22-continuing-education-for-writers/

Tip #175: The first words of a story

There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know were they'll take you.

Beatrix Potter

Tip #174: A sizeable chunk of talent

I have a theory that a sizeable amount of talent is being able to recognise your mistakes and correct them.

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/10/30/writing-excuses-6-22-continuing-education-for-writers/

Podcast quote, so wording may not be 100% correct.

Tip #173: Random events

Even if the character does encounter a random event, on a deeper level it should have personal relevance.

http://letsschmooze.blogspot.com/2011/08/lessons-on-pitching-hook-and-character.html

As with life, a random encounter may subtly alter the character's mood and trigger a decision later that might not have happened otherwise.

Tip #172: Making an entrance

do your characters make good entrances in your novels...?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/10/guest-author-maryrose-wood-but.html

think about your character's body posture and manner of walking and what they're likely to look like at this moment in the narrative. Think about what your character's current objective is when he's walking and how this will affect pace and gesture.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6803957_make-entrance-acting-class.html

Tip #171: Fireworks

You know how in a typical fireworks display there will be some rockets that burst into colorful circles, others that will send a sparkly streak skyward, and others that will make a loud BANG? And then at the end of the show there will be a big finale where every kind of firework is thrown into the sky all at once?

That’s the idea behind the Fireworks Ending in film. It means you throw all the elements of your movie on screen at the big climax. You’re hitting the peak of the action, emotion, and visuals all at once.

http://letsschmooze.blogspot.com/2011/08/fireworks-endings.html


Or try thinking of the story as fuses leading up to an explosive climax:

You know what we call fuses that aren’t followed up on? Loose threads... spend some lengthy, intense, brain-breaking hours figuring out exactly how all those wild ideas can come together in the most thrilling, wonderful CLIMAX ever

http://victoriamixon.com/2010/09/13/5-ways-to-make-your-novel-unforgettable/

Tip #170: What does your character's ending mean to them?

You say your Romance novel isn’t about life or death?

Phooey!

It is. The stakes can be just as high as life or death because your character’s spirit will die if she doesn’t have her happy ending. Right?

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/don%e2%80%99t-let-thrillers-hog-the-freezer/

Tip #169: What would your story look like if it was a painting?

The approach that I take is to visualize the shape of the story, and establish the patterns in it. I apply a visualized shape/pattern to both the narrative structure (length of story and scenes, for instance) and the thematic structure (what the story is about).

http://anthonycardno.com/?p=403

Tip #168: Set pieces +

don't just go for the standard car chase or love scene. Build your set pieces on what's original to your story. 

http://letsschmooze.blogspot.com/2008/11/set-pieces-sell-scripts.html


Douglas J. Eboch's definition of a “set piece” is:

“the big, audience pleasing scenes that deliver on the genre elements of the movie.” In a successful comedy they’re the scenes that have you clutching your sides with laughter. In a good action movie they’re the scenes that put you on the edge of your seat holding your breath. In a horror movie they’re the scenes that make you cover your eyes in terror. In a romance they’re the scenes that have you reaching for your loved one’s hand.

He recommends 5-10 set pieces per movie.

Tip #167: A question of logic

Ask yourself “logic questions”... they’re one of the first things pitchees and potential buyers ask. Logic questions are about internal consistency and world cohesion, e.g. “Why is the monster attacking this specific town?”, or “Why does she agree to marry him when she’s shown to be terrified of commitment?”, etc.

http://screenwritingtips.blcklst.com/ #731

Tip #166: Showing a character

A character can say one thing, but do another, and that sheds new light on what we (the reader) know about her... the way the character approaches everyday events say a lot about them

http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/02/guest-post-building-character-by-jon-sprunk/

Tip #165: Exposition

It is not necessary to break POV and give characters artificial thoughts in order to fill the reader in. In fact, good use of POV will create a deeper and fuller sense of the setting. Details like whether or not the character regards items and events as unusual or commonplace, happy or sad, fair or unfair, will be picked up by your readers

Given example:

referring to a village as a "comfortable mudwalled place" tells the reader not only about the setting (primitive), but also that the point of view (POV) character feels comfortable in rustic surroundings.

http://blog.liviablackburne.com/2009/06/three-useful-pointers-from-how-to-write.html

Tip #164: Coming full circle

There is power in standing your character briefly again where they stood before their adventure after it has concluded... reuniting them with old problems, old foes and allies. Because no-where else is their change, their new maturity so obvious.

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, May 2011.

Tip #163: What is a plot?

The MC has an overarching goal or problem that takes a whole novel to resolve...
the order of events (and the events themselves) are carefully titrated to achieve maximum emotional impact and intellectual satisfaction.

http://internspills.blogspot.com/2011/05/thoughts-on-plots.html

Tip #162: Re-vision

Revision... is actually re-vision...you have to re-see the work, see it as an outsider sees it, see it the way you wanted it to be, and then do what's necessary so that the reader, the outsider, sees what you wanted them to see in the first place.

http://www.elizabethmoon.com/writing-revision.html

Tip #161: Too many twists?

There needs to be an element of safety and normality to any good story—you can only truly catch your readers off-guard by making them feel safe, by letting them think they know exactly which way the story is heading, and THEN throwing something unnerving at them that will really make them gasp

http://www.darrenshan.com/writing-tips/article/twenty-three-limiting-the-shocks/

Tip #160: Addictive ideas from gaming

Humans... have basic cravings. If you can speak to these cravings, you’ll win a reader for 300 pages... what are some game-like qualities writers can apply to their manuscripts to make them more addictive?
Clear goals. Characters are always in pursuit of something...
Cause and effect. Characters’ actions have consequences. Always.
Obstacles and rewards. Obstacles speak for themselves. But rewards are just as important. Finding a tool, weapon, magical object, or guide adds excitement and gives readers an emotional boost... even a contemporary novel can use them, although they’ll come in a different form.
The right level of difficulty... keep the challenges coming at the very edge of your character’s ability to deal with them.
A conflict-rich environment... think of games: if you land on the black square, you get bounced back six spaces. If you jump on the yellow crate, you accidentally release a monster. The setting dispenses dangers and rewards at every turn.

http://internspills.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-books-work-hunger-games-part-2.html

Tip #159: What precisely are beginning, middle & end?

the beginning is... the emotionally engaging originating event. The middle is the natural and causally related consequence, and the end is the inevitable conclusive event.

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/the-5-essential-story-ingredients

Tip #158: Love and death

When a{n important} character dies, it should... profoundly affect... the other characters in the story. Cities have been razed and nations overthrown to avenge the loss of a loved one

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/epic_interview2/

Tip #157: Backstory

where each book is meant to stand on its own as a self-contained adventure... focus on the essentials - they {readers} don’t need to know everything that happened in the last book, only what actually impacts... this book

http://caseylmccormick.blogspot.com/2011/08/marvelous-middle-grade-monday-interview.html

Tip #156: One thing at a time

As a writer I can show the audience one thing at a time... so the order in which I show them becomes very important.

By choosing the items {I show} I am telling my audience what the character is thinking about.

http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/an-interview-with-me-on-buzzy-multimedia/

The things characters notice also can say a lot about who they are.

Tip #155: Building tension

Building up to a big bad something?
Try using foreboding: build tension by dropping hints that not all is well (what are the symptoms of your big bad?) and allow your characters to worry just a little tiny bit.
Consider heightening the emotional build-up by combining the big bad suspense arc with that of something your character is anticipating.

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, July 2011.

Tip #154: The best first line

is... your first line... A distinctive, specific first line that can only be the first line to your book and no other?

http://kidlit.com/2011/07/25/first-lines-part-1/

Tip #153: Fleshing out your setting

Describe the setting using a few specific details from the POV of each of your major characters. How does each character feel about (or within) the setting?
What stands out in the setting or what feelings does it invoke in you{?}

http://www.the-writers-craft.com/support-files/setting.pdf

Tip #152: Don't waste the reader's time

Each character, scene, and bit of backstory should matter
I don't know exactly how and why all these details are important, but I know they are. This author does not waste the reader's time.

http://juliemusil.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-readers-trust-author.html

Tip #151: Turning points

Make sure your audience can feel it when the story has reached a turning point.

http://www.gointothestory.com/2011/07/writing-question-what-is-single-best.html?spref=tw
Comment by yyyyyyyyy.

Tip #150: What do you do in the morning?

be{ing} creative first thing in the morning, before doing anything for the outside world, really sets the day up for me. It makes it feel that CREATING is my job, not answering emails.

 http://www.sfwa.org/2011/06/guest-post-the-no-1-habit-of-highly-creative-people/

Tip #149: Be surprising

Brainstorm what everyone else would do, then do the opposite.

http://jennyhansenauthor.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/exercise-your-what-if-muscle/

Tip #148: Not hooked?

Peak curiosity. Raise questions... Will your readers wonder why? If not, then rewrite it so they will...
Add a secret...
Always end at a place where the reader will wonder what will happen next... Does the last line of chapter one hook you? If not, why not? Rewrite it so the reader will want to know more....

withhold... valuable information... If you{r readers} already know, then there is no suspense.

http://martzbookz.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-to-hook-em.html


You don't need to end with big cliffhangers; small nagging questions and rising tension towards new/different problems are great.

Tip #147: Ten ways to begin sentences

1. Article - The girl sat on the bus.
2. Noun - Rain soaked through his jacket.
3. Interjection - Oh, he knew what he was doing.
4. Participial phrase - Running after her, he stumbled and fell.
5. Conjunction - Either she wanted to be with him or she didn't.
6. Adverb - Stubbornly, he crossed his arms.
7. Adjective - Upset over what had happened, he refused to speak to anyone.
8. Prepositional Phrase - At the top of the stairs, he turned around.
9. Infinitive Phrase - To pour out his soul to the woman he loved was his goal.
10. Gerund - Shouting was the only thing that worked.

http://thatgirltyson.blogspot.com/2011/07/lazy-writing.html

Tip #146: The synopsis

A chapter summary is not a synopsis, btw. A synopsis has its own narrative flow. It is meant to engage, inform and basically sell your work.

http://donnamareehanson.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/blog-post-4-query-letter-and-synopsis/

Tip #145: Details

In the first level of imagining a story, I say, “It was a beautiful sunny day.” In the second level, I take it from the abstract to something more concrete. I try to make it not just “a” day, but “a real” day. Maybe I’ll describe the wildfires, or the afternoon thunderstorm that you smell coming even at dawn. In the third level, I go even farther. I begin to come up with details that don’t just make it a “real day of a kind” but that make it a “unique” day—a day when ladybugs land on your arm at the mailbox...
I also tell you something about my character. She doesn’t try to kill the insect or brush it off; she admires it

David Farland's Daily Kick -- Devil In The Detail, 29th June 2011

Tip #144: When it's done

Once you think you’ve finished proofreading, read it again (preferably aloud)... Chances are, you’ll catch one or two more mistakes, or you might find areas that you want to clean up or spots where you want to change the wording. Keep reviewing the piece in this manner until you get through it a couple of times without needing to make any changes.

That’s when you’ll know it’s done.

http://www.writingforward.com/polished-writing/proofreading-and-editing/proofreading-and-editing-steps-and-techniques

Tip #143: Play with your tools

experiment, write by hand, write on different types of paper, write using crayons or whatever medium you want and see what happens...

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/07/video-hannu-rajaniemi-talks-about-mathematics-and-writing-fiction/

Tip #142: Peer Pressure & expectations

Are you the same person when you are home lounging around on your own as when you're out on a date or at a company party? Are you the same person around your friends on a Saturday night as with your kids?


different characters bring out different sides of your protag

Quote 1: http://paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-your-character-doesnt-act-like.html
Quote 2: http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2011/07/characters-who-push.html?spref=tw (comment by Lisa Gail Green)

Tip #141: A writer's voice

Voice goes much deeper than the style of how words are strung together on paper or screen. Voice reflects what you believe, what you know, what you understand, what you have experienced in life... when it comes to spending several months of your life writing one, it’s going to reflect who YOU are deep inside. Your cares and concerns, your beliefs, and your passions... that’s why Voice cannot be duplicated. No two souls are alike.

http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/giving-voice-to-boy-who-lived.html
If you're having trouble finding your voice, try baring your soul.

Tip #140: The "love interest"

there’s a profound difference between a love interest whose only investment in the plot is their attachment to the hero, and a fully functioning character who develops into a love interest.

http://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/bechdel-matters/

Tip #139: Happiness

if you're not living a happy life prior to being published, being published is not going to be the thing that suddenly makes you happy.

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-voice-nathan-bransford-on-jacob.html

Tip #138: What is your plot?

Maybe you have the most original basic premise evar — but that's not your plot. Your plot is how your new widget changes the people in your story, and how it affects their lives. Or what decisions your people make as a result

http://io9.com/366707/8-unstoppable-rules-for-writing-killer-short-stories

Tip #137: Even bestsellers have 1-star reviews

write your own 1-star view... This will help you anticipate the 1-star reviews you'll get, as well as a chance to fix it.

http://critiquecircle.com/forums.asp?action=viewforum&thread=853477&offset=60 (post by Tiaclare)

Tip #136: Buck the trends

the books I enjoy reading most are books I would never in a million years have thought of myself.

http://madwomanintheforest.com/wfmad-day-28-question-day-one/ (Philip Pullman)

Tip #135: Opening chapter difficulty?

trouble with opening chapters usually means they can be cut.

http://madwomanintheforest.com/wfmad-day-28-question-day-one/

Tip #134: Establishing setting

one of the things most new writers fail to do is establish setting. They never describe the place the characters are in, and {Elizabeth Wolheim at DAW) likened it to sending actors out on stage without any props.

http://critiquecircle.com/forums.asp?action=viewforum&thread=874873&offset=0 2nd reply by Jongoff.

Tip #133: The best short stories

 The best short stories I've read are ones which start in the thick of things, but still keep you guessing and let you get to know the characters before you fully comprehend the trouble they're in.

http://io9.com/366707/8-unstoppable-rules-for-writing-killer-short-stories
I think this is something which can be used in novels too.
NB the writer is speaking from an SF perspective.

TIp #132: Filling in the blanks

If your readers don't get the full details, they'll just full in the blanks with what's relevant to them. And if those details aren't what you had in mind, you can run into trouble with how a reader sees and understands your story.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/07/in-proper-context.html?spref=tw

This is, of course, the dark side of being able to conjure up an image by saying "a terraced house" when you want to describe something relatively unimportant and common.

Tip #131: Give your subconcious a task

{Give} the brain a problem to work on—a question or other unknown. Don’t think about it actively. Just put it out there, write it down, leave it around where the eyes can fall on it occasionally… and see what happens.

http://www.tobyneal.net/2010/07/15/idea-mining/

Tip #130: About your audience

1. Who will read this?

2. What do they already know about my topic?

3. What do I want them to know?

4. What part of my topic would interest them most?

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/planning.pdf

Tip #129: Story structure

The problem in choosing a structure is that you have understand the story you’re telling because structure has meaning... Generally speaking, chronological, linear plotting is the writer’s friend because viewers and readers are used to it. But if your story wants to be something other than the unfolding of events, you need to listen to it.

http://www.arghink.com/2011/06/02/linear-vs-patterned-a-brief-discussion-of-structure/

Tip #128: Possibilities & limitations

detective novels... are novels of potentiality. Quantum narratives. Their power isn’t in their final acts, but in the profusion of superpositions before them, the could-bes, what-ifs and never-knows. Until that final chapter, each of those is as real and true as all the others, jostling realities all dreamed up by the crime... When all those suspects become one certainty, it’s a collapse, and a let-down. How can it not be? We’ve been banished from an Eden of oscillation.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/05/26/china-mieville-on-crime-novels/

Tip #127: A way into a story

I often find my way into a story by trying first to create its unique atmosphere, which takes into account the setting, the character and what has already been: that is, what forces have come together to place this character at this place in time.

http://blogs.crikey.com.au/literaryminded/2011/05/16/mystery-strangeness-and-coming-of-age-an-interview-with-christopher-currie-author-of-the-ottoman-motel/

Tip #126: A story is worth writing when...

A story is worth writing when it’s {going to be} worth reading.

http://jamigold.com/2011/01/when-is-a-story-worth-writing-part-three/

Tip #125: Change

Change. Most of us fear it in life, but we crave it in fiction.

http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/02/guest-post-building-character-by-jon-sprunk/

Tip #124: Quirks & details

When you know someone really well, you think about them in a deeper way, in terms of the “kaleidoscope of tiny details” that make them uniquely themselves... “detail” doesn’t have to be “quirks"... A detail might simply be somebody’s habit of coloring on the heel of her shoe when she is bored, or of making a weird slurping sound while drinking, or of unconsciously biting the back of a pen.

http://inkpop.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/how-to-create-realistic-characters/

Tip #123: What great authors have in common

there’s no formulaic method to writing well. Every great author has a unique style, but they all have one thing common—powerful stories.

http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2011/05/18/5ThingsTheGreatBooksTaughtMeAboutWriting.aspx

Tip #122: Write the best book you can

Once your book comes out, it must stand on its own merits.  Take my word for it, you’ll be glad you spent that extra time revising.

http://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-blogger-donna-gephart-6-12.html

Tip #121: Greatness

But you don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, and then by doing it so hard that you become great in the process.

http://xkcd.com/896/

Tip #120: Wounds and misinterpretation

What is your hero’s wound?The hero has a wound or source of pain from his past that he has suppressed but has never really dealt with.

What is your hero’s belief?Out of the hero’s wound comes a (usually mistaken) belief such as: I’m worthless (Will in Goodwill Hunting), I won’t survive without a rich man to take care of me (Rose in Titanic), if I show people my true self, I will be rejected (Shrek in Shrek) or, if I live as my true self, I will die (Ennis in Brokeback Mountain).

What is your hero’s identity?The hero’s identity is the false self that they present to the world in order to protect themselves from re-experiencing the wound.

What is your hero’s essence?The hero’s essence is what’s left if the identity is dropped, the hero’s true self.

http://lenacoakley.com/2011/05/michael-hauge—a-different-way-of-thinking-about-character-development/

The "wound" doesn't have to be a big thing, it's the character's interpretation that is interesting and very very human.

Tip #119: What not to describe

people know more or less what a street, a shop, a beach, a sky, an oak tree look like. Tell them what makes this one different.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2003/04/holly-points-out-that-in-entry-about.asp

Tip #118: Consistency

Why are we so anxious when writers contradict their canon statements?

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/05/mind-meld-make-up-with-china-miville-on-world-building/

And we are anxious, so to make a new meaning by deliberately contradicting yourself could be very powerful.  Or it could wreck a story.

Tip #117: Glimpses of other stories

One of the things that made {Tolkein's} world seem so real is that you catch glimpses of other stories that aren't explained in the book. I learned that lesson from him.

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/05/mind-meld-lessons-learned-from-master-world-builders/

Tip #116: Three kinds of actions

a literary characterization proceeds by means of three kinds of actions: gratuitous, purposeful, and habitual

http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/jc12-13folder/BoyDogRuss.html

Tip #115: What the writer sees

phrases like Her eyes flashed with scorn did not, in fact, shoot into the reader’s mind the image of my heroine’s wary tilt to her head, the tightly crossed arms, her bitten thumbnail, her threadbare summer gown and the wisps of hair straggling onto her forehead, the smooth black glinting blue in the morning sun. I saw that. The reader just got a common phrase signaling sexual tension.

http://blog.bookviewcafe.com/2011/03/13/learning-to-rewrite/

Tip #114: Behind the flaw

Perhaps...

your character has a major flaw that came about as a defense mechanism to protect himself from his deepest fear, but he is also driven by a need that causes him to make plans (plot!) to achieve his goal

http://www.routinesforwriters.com/2011/04/20/character-builds-plot-builds-character/

i.e. That fear you're going to make your character face? How does it affect his/her behaviour?  The conflict between need and fear is compelling: we've all been there.

Tip #113: Desperation

I explore characters who are at the end of their rope, because that’s where interesting things begin to happen.

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-with-blake-crouch-interviewed.html

Tip #112: A new phenomenon: overwriting

I think we actually have a new phenomenon where people are overwriting. If this is you (and you’ll know if it is), my suggestion is to just stop. Save your work and go on vacation, or go to the library and check out a stack of movies (not books). Take a break and give yourself a break. I’ll go for weeks without writing. You’ll know when it’s time to sit back down again.

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/7+Things+Ive+Learned+So+Far+By+Darien+Gee.aspx

Tip #111: Don't give the reader that cookie

the last read-through... you’re looking for any passage, sentence or word that causes you to stumble, even in your head voice. It could be an awkward sentence or an unfamiliar word or one that paints a dissonant word picture. Be dispassionate. Be ruthless. If something causes your reader to stop and consider, they may decide to put the book down and make tea. And making tea, they may realize they are hungry and get out a box of macaroni and cheese. And when they look for milk, they realize the carton has passed its expiration date and decide to make a grocery list... If you give a mouse a cookie… Don’t give the reader that cookie, or, er, whatever.

http://novelmatters.blogspot.com/2011/04/5-things-to-consider-before-you-spend.html

Tip #110: Fantastic religions

Every religion we make up in any fantasyland is, by definition, going to be based on some kind of belief we currently have or know about, whether it’s an existing one or one we cobbled together from other sources. I think where most stuff goes wrong is when it tries to fully mirror modern-day religions in some other time and place. It feels hackneyed, tacked-on. And that makes it feel like you’re being talking down to, or preached at.
We interpret {religious} books based on who we are, not who the people who wrote them were.
When slavery was no longer seen as a moral and humane thing to do, people stopped quoting the Bible passages that supported slavery.

http://feministallies.blogspot.com/2011/04/nyx-sold-her-womb-somewhere-between.html

Tip #109: Why antagonists need to be strong

One quarter of the story is about watching the protagonist win. Three quarters of the story is about watching the protagonist trying not to lose.

Tip #108: Reader assumptions

a good writer will use an audience’s innate desire to fill gaps in knowledge to trick them with their own assumptions.

http://writeanything.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/subtext-the-most-critical-tool-in-the-story-teller%E2%80%99s-box/

Tip #107: Knowlege & suspense

suspense comes, not from knowing almost nothing, but from knowing almost everything and caring very much about the small part still unknown.

Orson Scott Card's The Lost Gate, Afterword.

Tip #106: The advantage of restrictions

One unanticipated result of having restrictions in some areas (such as the elements involved in the story) is that it opens your mind in other areas. You’re forced to become more creative in some ways because certain avenues have been closed to you.

 http://johndbrown.com/2011/04/interview-with-author-bradley-beaulieu/

Tip #105: By the ending...

when it comes to the ending... {you should} have been brought to understand what's at risk, who's at risk, why the characters are risking it

http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php/News/fantasyreview/StevenErikson

Tip #104: What's in a middle?

The protag can’t immediately know what to do to resolve the problems and bring about the ending... they need to figure things out piece by piece. Each clue or discovery or action brings them closer to the major event at the end of act two that sends them hurtling toward the climax.
Odds are you’ll have three to five big plot things that happen in the middle.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/03/stuck-in-middle-what-makes-good-middle.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+janicehardy%2FPUtE+%28The+Other+Side+of+the+Story%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Tip #103: Why today?

Why this day out of your character’s life rather than all the other days? And the answer, it’s always Because this is the day that’s breaking the rhythm, the day that’s an aberrance, the day everything can change, if the character can just walk that tightrope to the last page.

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/7+Things+Ive+Learned+So+Far+By+Stephen+Graham+Jones.aspx

Tip #102: Parts of the narrative arc

In a successful narrative arc, the hero or heroine is confronted with dangerous threats, seductive choices, major decisions, necessary feats of physical bravery, or emotionally powerful assaults from family or social pressure... brainstorm specific scenes to insert that target the character’s weakness or dramatize the symbolic threats from rivals, challenges from mentors, dangerous social stressors within the political or cultural context of the situation, opportunities to succeed or fail.

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2008/07/07/ask-the-editor-constructing-the-narrative-arc/

Tip #101: Logical Progression

Everything in a story must be caused by {an} action or event that precedes it.

This applies to prose too. If you write:

With trembling fingers she locked the door. She knew the killer was on the other side.

revers{e} the order so that you render rather than explain the action.

The killer was on the other side of the door. She reached out with a trembling hand to lock it.

Cause: The killer is on the other side of the door.
Effect: She locks it.

http://writersdigest.com/article/3-secrets-to-great-storytelling

Tip #100: Flaws and heroes

Character flaws are often used to create an Unlikely Hero; someone who has little or no chance of succeeding in their mission. And that creates suspense. 

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, March 2011.

Tip #99: Gold

Gold comes out of the ground dirty and ugly. It is by going through the fire that it is purified and made beautiful.

http://www.epic-fantasy.com/

The metaphor can be applied to characters and story.

Tip #98: Beginning words

Anything you introduce in the Beginning (1/4), the savvy reader knows on some level is important to the overall story.
Therefore, be careful about every word you use. If you use dark and ominous words in the Beginning, the reader expects the story overall will be dark and ominous. If you introduce a gun, the reader knows violence is coming, likely even death by gunshot. If you introduce sweetness and light, the reader expects the story to reflect the same.

http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/2010/03/opposite-of-foreshadowing.html

Tip #97: Memorable villains

want to make a villain memorable, even likable? Give him traits traditionally viewed as good. Love, compassion, forgiveness, humor, kindness, self-sacrifice: the boring villains wouldn’t know what these even are.

http://dun-scaith.blogspot.com/2010/10/guest-post-david-dalglish-likable.html

Tip #96: Resolving conflicts

I tended to resolve... conflicts too early and too easily. Because my characters lived in the imaginary world inside my head, the conflict they experienced made me uncomfortable, and I wanted to relieve them of this discomfort. Tension and {character} frustration, however, keeps readers turning pages.

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/03/14/tough-lessons-from-a-debut-novelist-part-1/

Tip #95: Quiet themes

write your theme quietly... so that it's not rising up at the end of the novel and overpowering the story (stiletto in the ribs vrs a mallet)

http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2010/12/aisfp-106-guy-gavriel-kay/


Note: This quote was taken from a podcast and isn't word perfect, although it's close  : )

Tip #94: Show, don't tell

When I find myself writing things like "The city was cluttered and cosmopolitan." I know I'm doing it wrong. When I write "A pair of grey dogs dodged between the crushing wagon wheels and the hooves of uneasy horses, navigating the close-packed, dust-aired street with the ease of fish in a river. When the priestess's wailing call to prayer cut through the clatter of cobblestones and the shouting of carters, the men in the street nodded to the north and touched paired fingers to their throats without apparent thought or even awareness." then I feel better.

http://orullian.com/writing/danielabraham_interview.html

Tip #93: Actions & intentions

I’ve noticed two schools of thought in how people see a character. One goes by their actions. The other decides by the intentions. If both are in sync, it’s fairly easy to make snap judgments. It’s when things don’t match up that it gets interesting.

http://dun-scaith.blogspot.com/2010/10/guest-post-david-dalglish-likable.html

Tip #92: Work ethic

the really successful people seem to be the ones who mix a good measure of work ethic with a good measure of talent or skill or craft or whatever you want to call it.

http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com/2011/02/aisfp-113-writing-excuses/

The podcast mentioned David Farland's method of keeping himself going:
Think of the people slaving away in third world countries and ask yourself "can I write another page right now?"
Brandon Sanderson imagines a "phantom cubicle" chasing him - if it catches up, he'll have to get a "real" job.

Tip #91: Living with the story

story ideas... lose their punch over time in your own mind. It’s not until you get them in front of fresh eyes, or pitch them to new ears, that you realize, remember, or understand for the first time in a lightning-strike epiphany that, yes, you’ve really got something.

http://davidanaxagoras.com/2011/03/14/the-joke-is-still-funny/

Tip #90: Practicalities of irresistibility

in your query letter, you want to make the reader believe that all hell is about to break loose--and then leave them dangling, with no idea of how it ends. This should effectively make them frantic to read the book itself. (Note that when I say "all hell is about to break loose", that can also mean a quiet, internalized hell. Introspective novels also focus on escalating conflicts, but the conflict can take place inside the protagonist's head or heart.)

http://querygoblin.blogspot.com/2011/02/query-writing-craft-part-1.html

TIp #89: Deepest secrets

What won't your character do?  What would they die before doing?  And what do they say they would die before doing? 

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, March 2011

Tip #88: Food for thought

The idea of closure is this: when you've got one {comic} panel where Superman is winding up to hit Lex Luther, and in the next Luther is flying across the room, your mind supplies the middle panel where Luther's getting punched. You may almost see that punch and not even be aware that you, the reader, are providing the closure.

http://www.adamgidwitz.com/warning-boring/my-ideas/one-crucial-criterion-for-a-good-book

Tip #87: Subtext

write an entire scene that appears to be about one thing but is really about something else entirely.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ Tip #552

Tip #86: Character strengths

we create characters who have a weakness, an incompetence; there is a power imbalance somewhere. And often what ends up solving these stories for the protagonists is that they're able to go back to something that is a strength for them.

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2011/03/06/writing-excuses-5-27-perseverance/

Tip #85: Excitement

I have a theory that if the author is excited by the scene they are writing, excited by what is coming next... that excitement and anticipation can carry over to the reader.

H.R.Filmore's Reminders To Self, March 2011.

Tip #84: The loss of potential

Writing is the act of collapsing the... potential of the blank paper sheet down to a single narrative... That’s why some people never get the courage to write their story: they can’t deal with that loss of potential.

http://www.garethlpowell.com/collapsing-the-wave-function/

This is one of the things that most frequently blocks me.

Tip #83: Linking storylines

the A, B and C storylines in a TV episode are usually thematically linked... Even if readers don’t consciously notice it, they’ll feel it.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ Tip #548

Tip #82: Getting the job done

if you can provide your characters with enough motivation, you can get them to do whatever job you need them to do. You just need to work it in as you go along.

http://vimeo.com/15696007

Tip #81: That niggling feeling...

Writing a letter to yourself is especially helpful if you're beginning to have anxieties about the story... If you can actually write down what bothers you about your heroine, or your plot, or whatever, the answer to the problem often suggests itself.

http://www.darkwaves.com/sfch/writing/ckilian/

Tip #80: Description in horror

what we’re trying to do in modern horror, is not describe the creatures or the events, but the emotional events that follow those, whether it’s their immediate insanity or fleeing in terror.  The best writers, I think, are the ones who can best match the reactions of their characters to the reactions of their readers.

http://storytellingdream-thief.blogspot.com/2010/09/worldcon-2010-unthinkable-indescribable.html

Tip #79: Driven protagonists

Readers... want a clear understanding of what makes your protagonist tick. What drives her? What motivates her? If her motivations change, there needs to be a clear reason why.

http://jscottsavage.blogspot.com/2011/01/your-protagonist-compass.html

Tip #78: List & Twist

All you do is list up all the things you normally associate with {your starting ideas/genre, etc}... and then you start saying "Well, how could I twist it?... What could be different? What could be something that's not there?... Something that's {the} opposite or just doesn't fit.

http://johndbrown.com/2011/02/how-to-get-and-develop-killer-story-ideas-recording/

Tip #77: Tension

Tension comes from uncertainty.

http://samsykes.com/2010/10/how-to-be-a-boring-wizard/

Tip #76: Extraordinary characters

If you want to write extraordinary women or men, don’t think about them, go out and talk to them.

http://www.blakecharlton.com/2011/02/character/
(You can meet a couple of them in his post)

Tip #75: Thinking

Don’t think and then write it down. Think on paper.

Harry Kemelman
http://writerunboxed.com/2011/02/18/favorite-advice/ (Comment by Therese Walsh)

Tip #74: On the dangers of worldbuilding

Once upon a time, I was really diligent about my worldbuilding. I painstakingly wrote everything out. I catalogued every character’s height, weight, age, looks, religion, interest, blah, blah, blah. I had whole file folders full of crap. But all that happened was that instead of writing, I’d spend years creating character cards and fake botany notebooks. I suppose that was great for Tolkien, but I’ve always wanted to write more than a couple books, and create more than one world.

http://www.rantingdragon.com/interview-with-gods-war-author-kameron-hurley/

She goes on to say that she now writes a setting-light first draft and layers the worldbuilding in during revision.

Tip #73: Even with the best advice in the world...

It’s all about finding your own thing and what works for you.

http://samsykes.com/2010/12/building-societies-taking-names/

Tip #72: Characters memorable through setting

the more depth you give your world, the more unique the character becomes to that world... That’s something I think is key to building memorable characters.

http://www.rantingdragon.com/interview-with-gods-war-author-kameron-hurley/

Tip #71: Write what you know +

Mark Twain said, “Write what you know.”... You can also write about what you want to know.

http://www.genreality.net/the-one-sentence-idea

Tip #70: Character wants

At it’s core, {The Princess Bride is} about nothing more than a man and a woman who fall in love and want to be together.

http://magicalwords.net/edmund-r.-schubert/the-importance-of-wanting-in-fiction/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MagicalWords+Magical+Words

What do your characters want?

Tip #69: Men actually like romance...

Men actually like romance...To be specific, men like the dynamic.  Men like seeing how it matures and how it evolves and how they eventually get together...  It’s a story, same as seeing how the hero overcomes the forces of evil.

http://samsykes.com/2011/01/sam-sykes-touches-men-and-women/
{Paraphrased:} and a story where one or both of the characters are passive isn't terribly interesting.

Tip #68: Filling the middle

1.       Who is trying to hinder/stop your protagonist(s)?  Do any of them team up/hire help? 
2.       Who is trying to help your protagonist(s)?  How?  Why?  How can it backfire?
3.       Are there any items/skills/strengths (emotional or physical) that they need to gain (or things they need to do/see/learn/events to set in motion) in order to complete their quest?
4.       Any “natural” obstacles? (setting-related problems, although these can be aggravated by things/people related to the plot)
5.       Any “higher powers” testing them? (Gods, politicians, bankers, mad magicians?)

H. R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, June 2009.

Tip #67: Fear

I’m convinced fear is at the root of most bad writing.

Stephen King

Tip #66: Character-driven story

Most of my stories start with an idea, which usually consists of a person in a situation:  a woman who’s the daughter of superheroes, a werewolf who’s a talk radio host.  The process of writing the story is figuring out how that person got into that situation, and what comes out of it.  The situation... defin{es} the character... What had to happen, what did that person have to do and be like to be in that position?  And how does that situation change that character?  Where is she likely to go next, based on the decisions she’s making in response to that situation?  It’s like an oil painting — you keep adding colors and layers until the picture shines through.

http://www.genreality.net/trying-to-explain-characterization

Tip #65: Remember...

creativity needs stamina and energy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00d5vqc (Interview with Ursula LeGuin)

Tip #64: Pacing

it’s a question of how much do you reveal about each character and the world and in what order?

http://samsykes.com/2011/02/unsounded-characters-pacing-and-building-with-ashley-cope/

Tip #63: Ending the day with a beginning

Before I go to bed at night I try to jot down in my notebook at least one sentence to start the next day. I guess I’m hoping it’ll poke my subconscious into thinking up something good while I sleep.

http://writersofthewest.blogspot.com/2011/01/visit-with-carol-crigger.html

Tip #62: Crucial lines

Often I will reluctantly cut a line I think crucial only to discover on rereading the revised version works better without it.

@KateElliottSFF

Tip# 61: In a world built of words...

Dialogue is the number one thing that marks a character out... Not description or action or physical quirks. Dialogue.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ Tip #526

Which is one of the reasons why first person novels so often have such strong protagonists; the author has invested significant time in finding/perfecting the character's voice.

Tip #60: Character flaws

It’s not the flaw itself that makes the hero interesting, it’s how he deals {and has dealt} with the flaw, how he overcomes (or fails to overcome) the flaw that gives him depth and thus makes us appreciate him more.

http://samsykes.com/2010/12/lament-for-a-meathead/

Tip #59: Realism

"Realism" is often not very realistic. The grimmest of realities often kick up moments of acute wonder and beauty. Any one-note depiction is not realistic and it's bad art.

http://thesilverkey.blogspot.com/2011/02/realism-does-not-equal-adult-followup.html
"Annonymous" comment by Jim Cornelius.

Tip #58: Teachers & critiquers

a good teacher... does not say, 'Imitate me' but, 'This is what I think you are trying to say'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/11/lost-art-editing-books-publishing
(Comment by Blake Morrison quoting Frank O'Connor)

Tip #57: Something to bear in mind...

The Chosen One (in its most common iteration) removes a crucial part of a conflict: the hero.  If he’s been Chosen by Whatever, he can safely assume that he is right and everyone else is wrong, that he does deserve to rule and get the girl and exterminate the orcs and whatever.

http://samsykes.com/2011/01/the-chosen-jerk-jam-session-with-n-k-jemisin/

Sykes adds that something often lost is "the conflict of {the protagonist's} own morality", something which has some interesting possibilities in tense situations.

Tip #56: The Beginning

The hero is going about their business when suddenly, something happens and they have a problem. This is the inciting event that causes the rest of the story to happen.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2009/04/plot-thickens.html

In some cases the problem may already be present, but something happens which forces the protagonist to face it and then deal with it (inciting incident).

Tip #55: Knowledge is power

Keep careful track of what your characters know and don’t know. There’s huge dramatic mileage in having your characters obfuscate, tell little lies and keep information from each other.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ Tip #520

Tip #54: The magic of revisions

That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.

http://johndbrown.com/2011/02/interview-with-author-kelly-barnhill/

Tip #53: Lackluster endings

Low points, defeats and the dark point can be used to develop a surprising or twist climax by threatening and taking away (one by one) the things that the protagonist (their mentor/allies, their antagonist, and the reader) think of as "essential" to victory.  Each permanent loss raises the stakes for every scene - not just the final showdown - and makes the climax and result harder to guess.  The Dark Point comes when the protagonist thinks they have lost everything and haven't a chance in hell. Then give them a glimpse of hope; a glimpse of insight into the strengths they have been forced to develop as a consequence of the losses, or have alway had and never taken seriously/thought about; into the antagonist's weakness... and let them off the leash.

H.R.Filmore's Reminders To Self, February 2011

Tip #52: Timelessness

timelessness comes from the themes and characters and experiences more than from references or other small details. Regardless of dated elements, we still read the classics because they’re good stories and great voices…those will always be the key to staying relevant.

http://kidlit.com/2010/11/19/references-and-dating-your-manuscript/

Tip #51: The setting

when I think back on the books that grabbed me as a young reader and made me want to become a writer—from Jane Eyre, to the stories of J.D. Salinger, to My Antonia—I now recognize the extent to which the characters in these books were shaped by setting. And the settings were as vividly detailed and idiosyncratic as the characters who peopled them.

http://www.glimmertrain.com/b41watrous.html

Tip #50: Stakes: Don't Go Too High Too Fast

{If t}ensions can't rise because the stakes can never increase... there's nowhere to for the story to go... escalating stakes is a sure way to suck a reader in.

Mixing up the types of stakes is good, as it gives you the ability to pace your story so things keep getting worse and worse... save your biggest risk for the climax, and... build up to that. Waves of low to high stakes, peaks and valleys like a roller coaster.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/12/up-up-and-away-raising-stakes.html


Also see: Low Stakes, Medium Stakes and High Stakes.

Tip #49: Characters in denial

Readers want to follow a character who is smart and perceptive... putting a character in obvious denial so that you can layer in Something That We All Know Will Be Important Later is not the way you’ll earn sympathy and respect for your fictional people. Readers see right through that.
here’s an idea: don’t call the character’s attention to it in such an obvious way.

The art of fiction is the act of making the implausible seem plausible and relatable to readers.

http://kidlit.com/2011/01/24/characters-in-denial/

Tip #48: Should they be yawning?

Do an emotional pass… not for the protagonist, but for the audience. Go through each scene in your script and ask, “What do I want the audience to feel?”. If you can’t answer, the scene’s probably either muddled or unnecessary.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/ #507

Tip #47: Confound expectation

readers... know how this stuff is supposed to go, so use that against them.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/04/tah-dah-big-reveal.html

Tip #46: Showing setting from the start

There are three things worth bearing in mind when a character enters a new location/setting:
1. The contrast between the new location and the character's previous physical location.
2. How the new location fits in with the character's previous experience, and their expectations of the location before they entered it.
3. The character's personality and focus (priorities, how they will react).

H R Filmore's Reminders To Self, January 2011

Tip #45: Everyone's different

Most writing teachers advise you write first drafts quickly with very little self-editing along the way. And yet… some people function better if they do a little editing even in the first draft.

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/11/comparison-doesnt-work.html

Tip #44: Finding the antagonist

Some questions to ask...
-Who or what has the ability to stop the protag?
-Why are they trying to stop them?
-Who or what has the ability to make the big [bad] thing happen?
-Why do they want to?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/05/i-have-idea-now-what.html

Tip #43: Surviving a writing career

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got about surviving a writing career was: celebrate everything!

http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/celebrations-and-competitions.php

Tip #42: Learning from other authors

Some authors excel in creating labyrinthine mysteries, or plots that astonish, or, like Rowling, are geniuses in audience analysis... one key to deepening your art as a writer is to learn to see the strengths in others’ works. Sometimes, the beauty in another artist’s work isn’t apparent, or maybe it’s something that just doesn’t interest you. No matter. Study it and try to learn from it anyway.

David Farland’s Daily Kick in the Pants—Deepening Your Art - 20th January 2011

NB He does add that " not every novel is worthy of deep study".

Tip #41: Writing the middle

keep asking, "what happens next?" and "what goes wrong?" They'll never lead you astray.
Even if they will lead your protag astray.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2009/04/plot-thickens.html

Tip #40: Character Voice

[Character v]oice is...a consistent way of expressing him or herself through actions, dialogue, internal thoughts, etc...  attitude. Without one, your character is going to read like a newspaper article

http://www.mywritingblog.com/2011/01/does-your-character-have-character.html

Tip #39: Step away from the screen...sometimes.

I think it's a real misconception that writers are only working when they're writing. In fact, I'd argue that most of my best and difficult work is done AWAY from the computer. What really helps me is to go for a run or walk the dog and just let my brain go free.

http://www.allisonwinn.com/ask-allison/2011/1/11/combating-writing-blahs.html

Tip #38: The Outline

A novel outline is a story plan...  the easiest way to think of it is as a story to-do list.

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-101.html

Tip #37: Three types of plot

there are basically three kinds of plots:
A conflict: Two people or forces in opposition to each other. This can be an internal conflict as well as an external conflict
A mystery: Where some piece of information needs to be found out: the name of the murderer, the location of an object on a quest
And a lack: Where something is missing from the protagonist's life at the beginning, and it is earned or fulfilled by the end.

http://www.cherylklein.com/id38.html

She goes on to say that one of the reasons she believes the Harry Potter series works so well is that it has all three, as well as individual plots for each of the books:

The conflict: Harry vs. Voldemort
The mystery: Why Voldemort couldn't kill baby Harry, and how the grown-up Harry can eventually defeat him
And the lack: Harry going from not having friends or family to being surrounded by them at the end of Book 7

Tip #36: Sometimes it's better to tell...

Sometimes it’s better to tell instead of show...
let’s just say that a lot of convoluted, cliche stuff happens when a writer desperately tries to avoid telling (like hammering hearts and foot-tapping gestures, instead of just saying, “She was nervous,” or “He hated when she was late,” or whatever).

 http://kidlit.com/2010/06/23/when-to-tell-instead-of-show/

Tip #35: On critiques...

Trust the intuition of your readers to know where something doesn’t work – but don’t trust their advice on how to change/fix it.

http://writeanything.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/21-tips-for-writers-of-all-ilks/

Tip #34: Naked in the middle of the woods

Feel free to take every amount of support and help away from your character until you’ve left him or her standing in the middle of the woods completely naked in twenty below temperatures. But do this one layer at a time.

http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/2011/01/writing-teen-angst-guest-post-by-author.html

Tip #33: When to stop editing

How do you know when to stop rewriting? Ask yourself:
A) Is it getting better with each draft?
B) Do I still care?
If you answered in the negative for either question, it’s time to step away and reevaluate.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #32: If it's awesome...

If it is awesome, and your readers like it, write it.

http://johndbrown.com/2010/05/excellent-advice-from-author-larry-correia/

Tip #31: Introducing your characters

Show them in the act of attempting to achieve a goal, prevent something bad from happening, et cetera... I don’t really care what it is, just show them trying.
The conflict itself forces characters to respond. In watching their responses, we learn about them.
Create mysteries about your characters... don’t explain. Let us wonder.
illustrate a personality trait that is at the heart of the arc you’ll be putting that character through.

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-establish-your-characters-openings

Tip #30: Never give up on an idea

Never give up on an idea. File it away for later, and you may find the missing piece of the puzzle comes to you in time.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

and a bonus tweet from @Merc_hyn_di:   

Dear self, it helps to have notes that actually tell you how to resolve your own plot, when you want to come back to a story a year later.

(5:25 AM Jan 2nd, 2011)

Tip #29: Generating Ideas

Generating ideas is easy: open a blank document and write down everything you can think of that you personally enjoy in other people’s writing. Use screenplays, novels or any other kind of fiction. Be as specific as you like.
Now read over the list. Maybe mix and match a few entries. You’ll be amazed how many new ideas hit you.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #28: Is your conflict engaging?

There are many ways to hook a reader who opens your book--a great cover, a catchy title, luscious descriptions, an endearing character portrait, a captivating hook, and so on.
Yet all too soon, much of how well the story grabs a reader will depend upon whether your conflict is engaging...
two main strategies that we can use to introduce conflicts... Think of them as notes on a scale: A) mystery, B) conflict... we might go with a line like this: A, A, A, B. A, A, A, B. In this example we might create a sense of mystery for five pages to lead to the revelation of a major conflict—which in turn leads to more mysteries and an even greater conflict in chapter two.
But of course you can create any variation

David Farland's Daily Kick in the Pants - Opening Strategies, 10th May 2010

Tip #27: What is conflict?

Conflict, in novel-writing terms, is any situation in which a character’s goals are impeded by something. Could be an explicit antagonist trying to mess up the protagonist’s plans. Could be a physical obstacle, a raging river that was only marked as a stream on the map. It could be a situation, not enough dinner to feed the family and the surprise guest/business associate the thoughtless husband brought home. The obstacle could be internal, as in the interviewee’s lack of knowledge of how to get around the streets of Chicago.

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-establish-your-characters-openings


Also see: Tip #2: The Six Standard Antagonists

Tip #26: Just when your heroes are celebrating...

Take a cue from videogames and slasher flicks and give your antagonist a ‘final form’. Just when the protagonist thinks the bad guy’s defeated, bring them back as the worst, most threatening version of themselves.

http://screenwritingtips.tumblr.com/

Tip #25: High Stakes

High stakes have consequences that will severely change the protag's life. The decisions made have far-reaching consequences and failing here will change who that protag is. Common high stakes include choices where the protag must make a sacrifice about something they care deeply about... It's about how that choice and the consequences of that choice will irrevocably change the protag forever.

Given example:  choosing to walk away from someone you love because it's the only way to save their life.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2010/12/up-up-and-away-raising-stakes.html