Heighten The Drama Increase The Danger!

Howdy-Hey Folks,

Okay that a little bit of a cheesy opening, but every so often, I have to be cheesy. It's part of my charm.

More sunshiney clear sky lovely days! But I know it's going to be in the 70's. May I whine that it's not any cooler than that? Please? I'll be your best friend.

Okay, all kidding aside (obviously coffee and sleep deprivation kicking in--okay maybe sleep deprivation isn't really the excuse, but coffee kicking in)

Todd Stone said to put your people in danger to make your book more of a page turner. This doesn't mean that if you're writing in a genre that believes in happily-ever-afters (e.g. Romance) that you make it impossible for some form of happily-ever-after to happen. What he means is throw everything you can reasonably throw at your characters to make that ending even better.

This might mean put more tension between your characters (in Romance you can have the two that are supposed to end up together hate each other for a long time before they realize they actually are madly in love...ooo, I like those! I think they're fun).

Or if you're writing action go all James Bond-MacGyver on everyone. Write so that it's heart-thumping, pounding action. Don't let them sit still, if you're writing action your readers will be expecting ACTION.

Drama--ooo so many ways to increase drama. Whether it's a 17 year old running away from home or discovering his or her parents are actually aliens who want to take him/her away to their home planet for morbid experiments.

Or even something Stephenie Meyer-esque like in The Host or even a brooding vampire/shape shifter falling in love with someone he/she can't have.

Or the dragon that suddenly turns on his/her master and wreaks havoc on the village.

There are a bazillion ways of heightening the drama and increasing the danger.

What are your suggestions on heightening drama and increasing danger? What inspires your drama/danger in your stories?

Have A Thrilling-Thudding Thursday!

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me: In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta: I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me: You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...

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