Friday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

THE SECRET TO CRAFTING HIGH STAKES

By:  C. S. Lakin

We’re looking at conflict in our fiction, and last week I touched a bit on this essential “corner pillar” of novel construction. Conflict is crucial to having a compelling story, for if our hero has no obstacles as he tries to reach his goal, the story will be bor-ing. What would The Wizard of Oz be like if, once Dorothy arrived in the Land of Oz, she had only to take a walk in the park without incident to arrive back in Kansas? Well, there wouldn’t be a story, and story is everything.

So I’ll assume we’re in agreement that we need conflict in our novels. I talked last week about some different types of classic scenarios that pit man against other forces (opposition), and how conflict doesn’t necessarily imply a bad guy or antagonist blocking your hero’s way. But what conflict should do is present high stakes for him.

The Truth about High Stakes . . .

Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again: 

1. How to make an author website or book sales page that doesn’t scare away your readers | Creativindie http://ow.ly/v2w53
2. Email List Building Series (Part 1): The Power of an Email List (And Why It's a Must) | Your Writer Platform http://ow.ly/v2xsN
3. Tips for writing Sci-Fi & Fantasy - A.M Croft - Author http://ow.ly/v2yBL
4. Karen Woodward: Writing A Murderously Good Mystery: The Importance of the Murder Victim http://ow.ly/v2yJQ
5. A Writer's Journey: Can Anyone be a Writer? http://ow.ly/v2yYU
6. Secrets of a Bestseller|Tips for Writing Novels Faster|Humor | WritingNovelsThatSell.com http://ow.ly/v2zmD
7. QueryTracker Blog: Drawing the Reader in through Character Emotion http://ow.ly/v2zth
8. Do You Write by Heart or Head? Technique Overload | "CommuniCATE" Resources for Writers http://ow.ly/v2zC9
9. Public Speaking—It's Even for Authors Who Are Sissies | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/v2zPS
10. How to Write Dynamic Dialogue http://ow.ly/v2Ab4
11. Creating Perfectly Flawed Characters Part X: Avoiding Stereotypes http://ow.ly/v2AOP
12. Answering Writers’ Questions: In TV Shows, Cops Welcome PIs Onto Crime Scenes – Is That Real? « Guns, Gams & Gumshoes http://ow.ly/v2B7S
13. The Secret to Crafting High Stakes | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/v2BuN
14. 4 Ways to Find Readers Who Love Your Work by Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant http://ow.ly/v2CUs
15. Are You Missing Your Best Fiction Marketing Opportunity? | storyrally http://ow.ly/v2Di6
16. Writer Unboxed » Expanding Your Brand http://ow.ly/v2Doc
17. 5 Successful Marketing Strategies For Fiction Authors by Joanna Penn — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/v2DAY
18. The Free-Marketing Gravy Train Is Over on Facebook | TIME.com http://ow.ly/v2OrN
19. Grammatical Case in English http://ow.ly/v2Uka Daily Writing Tips
20. How to Get your Book into Costco | Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living http://ow.ly/v3rAU
21. Author Website: Use Beta Readers to Polish http://ow.ly/v3tuE
22. Has everyone conceded the US ebook market to Amazon? | Dear Author http://ow.ly/v3uwK
23. How to Organize Our Writing Research & Notes — Guest: Jenny Hansen | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/v5k8I
24. New From Twitter: Post Up To 4 Photos (And Tag Your Friends) In A Single Tweet - AllTwitter http://ow.ly/v5C3k

Happy writing and running, Kathy