Learning to Create Tension

This week, I’ve been doing a lot of research on tension and the art of hitting tension points to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

I’m an outliner. I like knowing and remembering what scenes I want to go where. It keeps the story moving forward in my head and hopefully moving forward for the reader.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally veer away from the outline when the characters decide to go in a slightly different direction. But having a map means my characters and I don’t get completely lost.

Many of us enjoyed watching the Back to the Future movies this week. Like most people, I’ve seen all three several times. This time, I watched with a writer’s eye and discovered something fairly interesting: Even though these movies are not classified as action movies, there’s a ton of action.

Let me break it down even further. There’s no soggy center. Each scene moves the story forward and keeps the audience engaged.

So, how do I apply this to my own writing?

• Each scene should present a conflict for our hero/heroine which ties into the overall story conflict.
• The reader needs to learn something valuable from each scene. If you can cut the scene out completely and have it not change anything about the story, then you don’t need it.
• Backstory needs to be weaved into the narrative or dialogue gently. Dumping will bore the reader. Only details that reveal information critical to the story need to be included.

I’ve been using an awesome outlining tool I downloaded from Ally Bishop over at Upgrade Your Story, which gives you a clear cut layout of where the tension beats need to be. She offers it on her website Upgrade Your Story for free. I highly recommend it.

But I’m also trying to fine tune my outline to make sure each scene contains its own great tension in my current WIP. I’m outlining to avoid a soggy center from the get go. I want my future readers turning pages, eager to find out what’s going to happen next. I’ve learned that chapter breaks should not be a convenient place for the reader to put down the book, but rather only a change of scene, taking the reader right back to the middle of the next action.

I think by fine tuning my outline, I can develop the high-tension scenes I’m looking for and cut out the potential for any lull that could lure the reader into taking a break.

I’m excited to see how it changes the way my WIP comes together.

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.

Find me at http://www.yoursweetandspicyromanceauthor.com/

Signup to join My Dream Team: http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

Review of Jennifer Senhaji’s Sunset Dreams Series

Marina's Portal

BRENDA’S BOOK PICK OF THE WEEK
(A Review of the Sunset Dreams Series by Jennifer Senhaji)
By Brenda Rogers

Today I’m going to tell you about not one, but two amazing books by my favorite “Sweet and Spicy” author, Jennifer Senhaji. Sweet Dreams and Choosing to Dream are from Jennifer’s Sunset Dreams Series. Both books follow the oftentimes turbulent journey that famous actor Jake and down-to-earth coffee shop owner Jenna travel to find each other and true love.

Both books were incredible I enjoyed reading them. The best thing for me about the books was that they were written in first person POV. It made me feel like I was a participant in the story rather than a spectator from the sidelines, and I feel that the first person POV helped create the books’ realistic, in-depth characters that I was rooting for from the beginning. Another wonderful thing about…

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Exploring the Art of Writing and Self-Publishing

What am I passionate about when it comes to writing?

This is a question that I’ve been pondering all week at the urging of one of my writing gurus, Ally Bishop aka Upgrade Your Story. I knew the answer immediately, but it took some time to actually put my feelings on the subject into a succinct statement.

When I started writing, I had one purpose: To get the story out. I had a story in my head that wouldn’t leave me alone, and I knew I had to get it out on paper. I’ve been a big reader for most of my life, but it wasn’t until late 2013 that I started writing. Writing a novel was on my bucket list, but until that magic moment when I opened a notebook and the words started flowing, I never actually thought I could do it.

I did do it. I wrote a contemporary romance novel and published it. Dream accomplished.

Two novels and two short stories later, I realize you never really have any idea what you’re getting into until you’re right in the middle of it.

After joining a few writing groups, I knew my first book wasn’t going to be my last. Not by a longshot. I was hooked. Ever since, I’ve been soaking up as much information on the art of writing fiction I can get my hands on.

Can I explain and put down on paper my entire experience from start to finish? I started blogging in early 2014 about my self-publishing journey. Once the book was published, my blog posts varied from writing tips and things I’d learned, to book reviews, articles on romance, author interviews, and some personal posts here and there.

My one blog turned into two: This one which I’ve decided to focus on writing and another over on Blogger which is more focused on Romance. You can find it here if you’re interested. http://jennifersenhaji.blogspot.com/

The thing is, even though each blog had a specific purpose, I still hadn’t been able to pinpoint exactly how I wanted to use them, until recently.

I’m passionate about exploring the art of writing and self-publishing.

The more I learn, the more I want to know. Writing is an art. I want to explore that art. I want to take the information I learn from the experts and apply it to my writing to make it better. I want to know how to create better tension, structure scenes, develop character arcs, series arcs, and strengthen my language. I want to know how to use misdirection and subtext to keep my readers on the edge of their seats and anxious for my next book. I want to know. I can totally hear “Stangers Like Me” by Phil Collins from the Disney version of Tarzan in my head right now as I write this. “I wanna know, can you show me…” It could totally be my theme song, but I digress.

I’ve decided to soak up all I can and share it here. I’ve picked up so much information along the way I need to write it all down before I forget it. I will be sharing what I learn along the way, which I think will provide me with an endless amount of blog content. Yay.

Follow along. Let’s explore the art of writing and self-publishing together. 

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.

Find me at http://www.yoursweetandspicyromanceauthor.com/

Signup to join My Dream Team: http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

 

Character Motivation: What every story needs to fly off the page

 

The more I write, the more my process changes. Lately, I’ve been alternating between developing scenes and perfecting my outline to make sure the tension points are spaced out correctly. I know exactly what needs to happen in my story and where I want it to go. But instead of flying by the seat of my pants and only writing the main plot points, I’m working on deepening my characters and developing my subplot.

 

• What are their motivations?
• What happened in the past to make them who they are today?
• How does this affect the other characters?
• Will the resolution provide enough setup for the next book without being a cliffhanger?

The ups and downs we experience in life shape who we are as people. How I react to certain situations is different than the person sitting next to me on the daily commute train. The same is true for fictional characters. I want my characters to not only be likeable and easy to identify with, but complex and flawed. Real people have issues.

Currently, I have a character who is afraid to let herself be happy. She fears that something will happen to derail her happiness. Why? This is a tough question to answer the third book into a series and still maintain a credible storyline, but the character deserves to be multi-dimensional. Thinking through the possible scenarios is fascinating.

• Did something happen to her, before our story timeline that was hinted at in the previous books?
• Will she have an epiphany on own or will tragedy help her see the light?
• How does she get over this fear?

Discovering the deeper motivations of my characters has been an amazing learning experience and a technique I will continue to cultivate the more I write.

The challenge is how to develop enough subtext to tease the reader, but not giveaway all the secrets. I want the reader to think about my story after they’ve finished reading, and wonder if their theories about the characters are correct without confusing them, but that subtext still has to be plausible.

I’ll be honest, this current story is testing my limits, but I’m all about learning and growing.

The goal is to fill the tank with enough fuel to make the adrenaline pumping loop-da-loops that will hopefully keep the reader’s eyes glued to the page with oohs and aahs.

Wish me luck.

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and experienced that moment where the lightbulb goes off and everything the character does suddenly makes sense?

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.

Find me at http://www.yoursweetandspicyromanceauthor.com/

Signup to join My Dream Team: http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

Writing isn’t always a walk in the park. Or is it…

I’m a master procrastinator. I can find everything under the sun to do except that which needs to get done. It’s frustrating. I know this about myself, yet I procrastinate about making changes. It’s a vicious cycle.

Over the past few weeks. I’ve been working on my current WIP. When I say working, I mean working through it mentally, but not actually getting words down on paper. I’ve known where this story is going for months, but how to get from point A to point B, has changed several times.

I know, not so deep down, I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to time management. I can do it, I just need to get out of my own way. I love writing, so why does it sometimes feel like such a chore to actually sit at my laptop and write?

Fear. I’ve come to the conclusion it’s fear that keeps the procrastination machine churning. Fear of not writing the best story I can. Fear of not being able to dig deep enough to provoke the emotions in the reader I want. Fear I may not yet have the skill to put the plot running through my head to justice on the page.

So my laptop has rested undisturbed on the table in the corner. What to do?

When I find myself in this situation, a walk in the park seems to do the trick.

I live right next to a park that links up to a beautiful trail which goes on for miles. And every time I take a few minutes, alone, to walk in said park, the inspiration flows. There’s a little pathway, lined with trees on both sides, I love. Beautiful. Serene. Children laugh and squeal on the play-structure to the left and packs of adults play Frisbee-golf to the right. It’s my little pathway of shaded heaven.

It’s on this pathway, alone with my thoughts, ideas and storyline run freely through my mind. I become excited again and eager to write. This is when the magic happens. I sometimes bring a notebook with me, but most of the time, I jot down notes in my phone so I won’t forget.

So, if you’re feeling stuck; avoiding your computer and/or otherwise getting in your own way, take a walk in the park. I think the key is undisturbed alone time, free of distractions. Don’t walk to the park, sit down, and proceed to spend another hour on social media. Focus on your characters and the scenes you want to develop. Ask yourself what their motivation is, why they are doing X when they should be doing Y. Put yourself in the shoes of the protagonist and antagonist and flesh out their backstory.

Don’t be afraid. Write down all those ideas that stroll through your mind before you forget them.

How do you motivate yourself into action? How do you end procrastination?

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.

Find me at http://www.yoursweetandspicyromanceauthor.com/

Signup to join My Dream Team: http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

 

Must Remember Monday

I am excited to reveal the cover for Must Remember by Colleen S. Myers, book 1 of the Solum Series coming this November 2nd. I had the pleasure and extreme honor of reading this book in its early stages and can’t wait to get my hands on the final version.

Here’s the blurb:

Nineteen-year-old Elizabeth ‘Beta’ Camden is a survivor.

When the E’mani—those pale alien freaks—destroy Earth with a plague of madness and scoop up the remains, Beta is one of the ‘lucky’ ones. For years, she endures their tortures, experiments and games. Then one day, she manages to escape their ship with her life, and no memory of her time with them.

Stranded on their world, Beta wanders the mountains, looking for a way home. She stumbles onto the Fost—the E’mani’s ancient enemy.  Their war with the E’mani is old and rooted in magic that the Fost once had and the E’mani crave. Magic Beta soon discovers she’s developing along with strange tattoos and disturbing glimpses of her past. The Fost take her in and train her in their ways. As she spends more time with them, she falls in love with their culture and with Marin—he of the hot hands and slit eyes.

But the E’mani took her for a reason and they want her back—dead or alive. If Beta doesn’t remember that reason soon, they’re all going to die.

 

Keep your eyes on Colleen S. Myers.

Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen’s dreams include surviving her son’s teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antartica, cause that’s way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Currently she is getting ready to publish her first novel, MUST REMEMBER on November 2nd, 2015.  Until then you can find her on her website, Facebook and on Twitter at @ColleenSMyers

 

I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and have a husband and two children. Music is an addiction. I can often be found in the car, singing along at the top of my lungs to whatever is playing. I work full time, and I split my spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. I’m a habitual quoter. Lines from films and TV shows constantly pop into my head—my kids are the only ones that really get it. I’m an only child, and so of course I married a man who is one of ten children. Other than English, I speak Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. I love to travel, but don’t do enough of it. Reading has been a passion for most of my life and I now love writing. I’m klutz, and in my own mind, I’m hilarious.

Find me at http://www.yoursweetandspicyromanceauthor.com/

Signup to join My Dream Team: http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1