Imagine that you have two sticks held together by a rubberband.  If you add another stick, tension on the rubberband builds.  As you add more sticks, it continues to build until eventually it’s ready to snap.  When you stop adding sticks, all is well, and it all stays together.

In writing a novel, you start out adding conflict that causes tension.   As your novel progresses, the added tension grows to a very uncomfortable stage, eventually reaching a point where things can’t get much worse.   You continue to blast your story with conflict until the tension peaks.  That’s when it’s time to back off, you must lead your characters to a place where a conclusion can be reached and all is well. 

An important thing to remember is that the tension gets undermined when an unnecessary line is thrown in.   

I’m in the midst of revising Tessa and Claudine, my current novel about my two sisters.   I’ve spent some time reading over past workshop notes.  I was delighted when I found the great example from Johathan Rabb of the sticks and the rubberband and especially loved being reminded about undermining the tension.   

In the chapter I just revised,  Tessa’s sister, Claudine is about to get married.  Tessa doesn’t like Frank, her sister’s husband-to-be.  Actually, she can’t stand the guy and for good reason.  Should she tell Claudine why feels so uncomfortable around him?   It might ruin her sister’s future.  There’s plenty of opportunity for conflict in this chapter.   Now let’s just hope I can identify those uneeded lines.  If not.  Thank goodness I have great friends who critique for me.  We trade off reading manuscripts.  Sometimes it takes another eye to see what needs to be whacked. 

Good luck with adding tension to your own writing.  And be sure to cut out those lines that don’t move the story forward. 

Enjoy the springtime, Lisbeth

Hello all.  Glad you stopped by.   I got my chapter back from the 3rd the summer workshop session, and it was covered with a gazillion pen marks. 

It turns out that I’m only touching the surface of my main character’s emotions.  Stephen King says in his book, On Writing,  ”Don’t stop writing a scene because it’s hard emotionally.”   I think that’s why I’ve been simply skimming the surface.   (Twenty lashes with a wet rag for me.)  When Tessa’s sister, Claudine, goes after her boyfriend while she’s lying in a hospital bed after getting her front teeth knocked out in a car accident, I don’t show her emotions.  I’ve got to let my readers know that she feels like she’s been stuck in the gut with a sharp knife.  And it hurts like hell. 

A second critiqued comment was about my tendency to jump into a journalistic mode.  I did just that in a scene where Tessa’s friend Lisa comes by and insists Tessa get her butt out of the house where she’s been  hibernating while her face heals.  The teenagers walk downtown.  I have a golden opportunity to show character in this scene.  Instead, I give a journalistic report.   In my revision, I plan to let the reader see the buildings, smell the doughnuts in the bakery, get a glimpse of what other shoppers are wearing, hear the clerk comment on Tessa injuries and Lisa’s trendy outfit, have Tessa see her face in a store mirror and get teary-eyed, and listen to the two girls share their thoughts.   Tessa may even notice the sawdust on the floor of the remodeled drugstore when they stop in for a milkshake.  These are only ideas, but it will be a real scene, not a newspaper report.

I hope my ramblings have helped you realize the importance in digging deep for emotion and in setting a scene in your writing.

Happy writing.  Have a good day.

I went to the first meeting of my summer writing workshop.  When the first chapter of my novel, Tessa and Claudine, was critiqued, our workshop leader pointed out several instances where I’d stepped out of the narrative to explain something.   He emphasized the importance of character development and staying in the character’s voice.   He showed where I’d listed details and explained how it would be better to filter in the details by showing them.  I did some backdooring, meaning I tried to stick in info I wanted the reader to have.  He said to be patient. I could tell the reader later on when it worked better.   “It’s a novel,” he said.  “You have plenty of time.” I did a bit of overwriting.    The good news is I came home and spent hours revising this chapter. 

.My main tip from the first workshop is this:  watch out for those times when you are simply telling the reader something.  It stops the narrative.  Trust your reader and keep the narrative moving.  I found that to be such good advice.  I’m often afraid the reader won’t understand the narrative, so I stop to explain.  DON”T do this.  I hope you won’t  step out of the narrative either.  (Nobody said novel writing was going to be easy.)

(By the way, a few other tidbits from our workshop leader  regarding my manuscript, “This is nice.  Great line.  Another great line.  Perfect line.  Cut.  Cut.  And, what does this mean?”)

If this helps only a few writers, I will be delighted.  If you have any tips for me , I’d love to hear them. 

Cheers, Lib

www.lisbeththom.com