What sort of ending to you have for your novel? Try writing the climactic scene. Wow, Mr Bell, seriously? This reminds me of how, allegedly, Nabokov wrote the ending of Lolita way early in his drafting process, because he wanted it clear in his mind as he approached it. […]
Going back to the chapter on GENERATION IDEAS, we find solutions to the problem of a dry well. It reminds me of the techniques Julia Cameron talks about in her books, The Artist’s Way and The Right to Write. In them, she has loads of exercises to break through writer’s […]
Dear Writer, Please make your villain more badass. Sincerely, Every reader . . . Dude, even I have to admit, I like me a strong evil character. I’m thinking Ganon in the Legend of Zelda games. All the Disney queens. Or even the literary villains […]
Today’s exercise is a matter of life or death. For the characters. That’s because Mr Bell recommends that the stakes be so high, so grand and important, that they will make or break a character to his fundamental being. I remember last night’s episode of Sex and the City, […]
The next exercises in the chapter all revolve around the first. You essentially pick it apart. Kind of odd, if you ask me. Like scratching something off your back, and inspecting it. Well, here is it. First, a look at story world. How well do you do it? Are […]
I’m being silly with the title. But here is why: James Scott Bell tells us in chapter four his thoughts on beginnings. They must check a series of elements. The story hooks the reader, usually with motion (which I thought a nice touch). The reader bonds with the lead. The […]
Who doesn’t like pyramids? Mr Bell always wanted one named after him, so in his plot book he did just that. He asks writers to put their unsunken lines and hooks through another test: PPP. Does the story inspire passion? Does the story have potential? Will the writing […]