I’m currently in drafting mode, working on the sequel to my debut, Ivory and Bone. I’m definitely a planner (as opposed to a pantser,) and I'm working from an extensive outline. But even the most thoroughly planned novel doesn’t always flow onto the page without a hitch. (Okay, let’s be realistic. No novel flows onto the page without a hitch!) Often, when I’m struggling to translate a scene I’ve held in my mind into prose on the page, and it’s just...lying there, devoid of life...I’ll discover that the problem is a lack of stakes. Either nothing’s at risk, or there’s a lot at risk, but no one really cares.
Raising the Stakes
Raising the Stakes
Raising the Stakes
I’m currently in drafting mode, working on the sequel to my debut, Ivory and Bone. I’m definitely a planner (as opposed to a pantser,) and I'm working from an extensive outline. But even the most thoroughly planned novel doesn’t always flow onto the page without a hitch. (Okay, let’s be realistic. No novel flows onto the page without a hitch!) Often, when I’m struggling to translate a scene I’ve held in my mind into prose on the page, and it’s just...lying there, devoid of life...I’ll discover that the problem is a lack of stakes. Either nothing’s at risk, or there’s a lot at risk, but no one really cares.