Flood!

Due to water leakage in my basement from recent downpours, it will be a few days before I update.

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Action Jackson

Action seems simple to write, but isn't always. You have to clearly convey what's happening, but in a way that keeps the story moving (which usually means minimal description during the fast-paced scenes), keeps the character growing, and keeps the reader invested in the story, but at the same time paces the narrative such that it matches the pace of the action being described.

There are tricks you can use. Writing an action scene using the most descriptive verbs you can think of can add interest and can help with pacing. The best action scenes start quick, and get quicker. They use an economy of words to get the reader's pace of reading in tune with the action, which in turn really involves the reader with the scene.

So here you are: write 200 words using full characterization and scenery, with as much tone and atmosphere as possible, but avoid adjectives for description.

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Heroism

Write 200 words about a heroic characters. However, this character's heroic actions may not be life-saving, world-saving, etc.

For example, here is the skeleton of a scene. Guy at a store. He's in a hurry, seems generally tired. There's a whiny kid in line in front of him. The mom is obviously having a bad day. She's yelling at the kid, taking out her bad day on the child. This strikes a chord with the guy. Maybe his kids are grown and have moved away, and remembering how many times he yelled at his kids, he feels moved to try to ratchet down the emotion.

There is an act of minor, every day heroism. Writing suspense and emotion into life and death situations is easy. If the reader relates to the character, and really cares for her, the outcome of the situation has high stakes. Taut suspense is the natural outcome of high stakes and an uncertain outcome.

In an every day situation, however, the emotion probably won't running as high. You will have to work harder to develop suspense. The challenge is to develop the right amount of suspense without descending into melodrama. Imagine reading a story where every situation is written like the fate of the world rests on the character's decisions and actions. The reader would likely find it laughable after just a few pages.

So this week's challenge is: Can you write a suspenseful scene of every day heroism without melodrama? Let's see what you can do.

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Inaction Jackson

As the song goes, the waiting is the hardest part. No matter how action filled your story or novel is, at some point, things will slow down. How do you keep the reader on the hook, so to speak? Can you write a suspenseful expository scene? This scene can be someone waiting, a brief interlude of description for purposes of setting, or the aftermath of a big action scene.

Here's the challenge: write 200 words of a scene with little or no action, which still creates suspense. Bonus if you can get the scene to build in suspense throughout the scene. Try to avoid cheap theatrics, like a surprise ending.

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