Sunday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

HOW CAN YOU KEEP TENSION BUIDLING AT THE SCENIC LEVEL?

By: Linda S. Clare

Kind of a tongue-twister title, but today’s tips are all about tension. Whether you write fiction, memoir or creative nonfiction, tension is a vital part of your story. Even more importantly, in order to keep readers hooked, every scene must build tension–down to the sentence level.

MAKE READERS CARE

New writers often misunderstand the need for scenic tension and so they keep their characters worried or scared. But tension isn’t always about what characters are doing or feeling. The basis for tension in a scene must stem from making your reader care. 

Accomplish this by creating characters who are as real as you or me. Humans are complex, but we all need the same things: food, shelter, love and acceptance, to name a few. 

If you create a character who is at odds with her surroundings in some way, readers will only care if they are able to identify some aspect of themselves in that character. If readers cannot sympathize or empathize with the character and his predicament, it’s a lot harder for them to care deeply.

NO MICRO-MANAGERS 

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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

• 4 Tips to Write a Better Character Portrait http://ow.ly/OgnSL
• Increasing Sales on an Old or Flagging Series | Lindsay Buroker http://ow.ly/OgnTD
• Back to Basics 6 – Different Ways to Publish - Author Marketing Experts, Inc. http://ow.ly/OgnUz
• The Most Important Thing You Need to Be a Writer | Write Like Rowling http://ow.ly/OgnWr
• Tips to Keep Tension Taut | Linda S. Clare http://ow.ly/OgnYu
• A Reactive Protagonist Doesn't Have to Be a Passive Protagonist! Discover the Difference http://ow.ly/Ogo4E
• Reader Question: What is the best way to make sure readers love my characters? | Go Into The Story http://ow.ly/Ogo6W
• Fiction University: Trying to Sell Novels Outside the Mainstream http://ow.ly/OgoeB
• A wrong cover and a revamp – case study of rebranding an indie novel | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/Ogojp
• How to write a cover letter and/or a query letter for submission http://ow.ly/OgokN
• Top Ten Things I’ve Learned As An Indie Author | Molly Greene: Writer http://ow.ly/Ogoox
• 10 Content Marketing Mistakes That The Amateurs Make http://ow.ly/Ogou1
• How to Use Pinterest to Build a Loyal Following for Your Brand - Peg Fitzpatrick http://ow.ly/OgoCP
• How to Create Impact with Short Blog Posts - Virtual Assistant Trainer http://ow.ly/OgoFl
• Timeless Tools for the Modern Writer: An Interview With Greg Miller - Lisa Tener http://ow.ly/OgoHR

Happy running and writing, Kathy