Welcome, from Sunday's Craft Lady!

Hello, again,

Just in case you might have skimmed over it, page down to Debby's post on Donald Maass.

I absolutely love his book. I marked up my first copy so much that I finally had to buy a second one! So make sure you come back and see what Debby has to say about his wonderful techniques, in the coming weeks. I sure will be--it's always great to have a chance to learn more!

Back to setting up a book...

Last time, I suggested trying to coming up with five or six progressively more dramatic events leading to the big, climactic action you expect to have at the end of your story. It's a great way to start laying out your book. And, I mentioned that this works whether this is a suspense or a straight romance, or even a light-hearted romp, because "worsening events" can be anything from humorous/embarrassing situations, to a killer on the prowl.

Once you have a framework, you can expand it--by adding a logical sequence of main and subplot events along the way. Having strong, interesting subplots help with "bridging tension" (that's a Maass term!) so there's always something uncertain or tense or new going on, even if your main characters are off-scene. Make sure you keep a good balance amongst your main plot and subplots, though. Secondary characters can be a lot more quirky and fun to write, but don't let them take over the story!

Until next week...wishing you great success with your writing!

Roxanne