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)