Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there is an explosion–that’s Plot. ~ Leigh Brackett Your protagonist and antagonist will always have opposing agendas. The clearer your characters’ agendas, the more […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Jessica Page Morrell' Category
NaNoWriMo tip: Keep the fire burning
As a writer I need to have my story festering around in my head all the time, so that when I sit down to write its as though I’m writing from memory, rather than from imagination. ~ Ann Cleeves
Read the rest of this entry »If it’s November….it must be NaNoWriMo
It’s that time again. And I’m not talking about all the Christmas folderol in the stores already. Writers everywhere know that November is the month for joining National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Time to hunker down, write your heart out at a dizzying pace, aiming for 50,000 words by December 1. On November 1, 2015 I wrote […]
Read the rest of this entry »Write for the night: Dire Consequences
With All Hallow’s Eve here I’m still reading the Shirley Jackson anthology (with growing admiration) and I’m still unsettled by what happens in her stories and how her twisted mind works. Reading along I’ve been thinking a lot about how stories function and how fear is wired into our bodies and brains. Some theories suggest our […]
Read the rest of this entry »Write for the Night 1: Pull readers in from the first sentence
Yesterday was dazzling and golden, the kind of autumn day many of us dream of. I spent time outdoors deadheading flowers and sweeping up after a big storm blasted through over the weekend. I drove through town after a medical appointment gaping at leaves transformed into burnished and magical hues. I’m reviving an old reading […]
Read the rest of this entry »A writer, like all artists, gives the gift of release to our audience by naming their feelings. We know light on water, the sight of a baby, the bucket that tips off the ladder, the pain of loss, the endless pain of injustice, but until it is written, it is just an impression that dances […]
Read the rest of this entry »Scene Tip: Opposite Emotions in Dialogue
Autumn has crept into our region with glorious colors and shades. We’re starting to get heavy rains here, but for the past few days the nights were crisp, days were sunny and mild, and leaves seemed to be changing day by day. Every errand, every trip around town is color-infused. I feel like the autumnal […]
Read the rest of this entry »Look up at the stars…
“So remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give […]
Read the rest of this entry »Dr. Seuss advises
Writing simply means no dependent clauses, no dangling things, no flashbacks, and keeping the subject near the predicate. We throw in as many fresh words as we can get away with. Simple, short sentences don’t always work. You have to do tricks with pacing, alternate long sentences with short, to keep it vital and alive….Virtually […]
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