Karin Beery's Blog Member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors

The Fine Line Between Good & Great

Turning good manuscripts into great books.

My business motto sets a standard for my clients so they understand my editing style, including why I tend to be nit-picky about details many readers might not notice—my goal is to help create great books, not good ones.

There are a lot of good books out there. They have decent plots, characters, and conflicts, but they’re largely forgettable. People read them and rate them 3- or 4-stars, but they never talk about them again. Or worse, they confuse them with someone else’s book and talk about the wrong one!

So, what is it that boosts a book into greatness?

  • Attention to detail.
  • Honing the writing craft.
  • Doing what’s best when other writers do what’s easiest.
  • Time.

Here’s the hard truth: Well-established authors can get away with breaking the “rules” because they already have a fan base. Their fans will forgive them if their latest plot isn’t quite as engaging or the characters quite as unique. For new writers, however, the standard is higher—they need to develop that fan base, that tribe, first, and that means writing to that higher standard.

Unfortunately, meeting that standard almost always means years of writing, learning, and revising, and many authors aren’t interested in investing that much time. They want to get their books out as quickly as possible, so they publish a good book instead of waiting to make it a great one.

I’ve told many writers that their manuscripts are good, even admitting that I’ve read some published books at the same level as their manuscripts. But I don’t turn them away and wish them luck with a good book; I ask them if they want to work harder to produce a great one. It takes time and a lot of work, but the result is always a better book. It’s a book that sticks with people, that they share with others because it captured their hearts.

If you’d like to see if your good manuscript can be better, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Dialogue: More than Talking

Every novel needs dialogue, but what is it, and how do you write it well? I’m glad you asked.

What is dialogue?

At the most basic level, dialogue is a conversation between characters. Like conversations in the real world, it contains several aspects:

  1. Spoken words.
  2. Unspoken words.
  3. Body language.

How do you incorporate dialogue into your story? Let’s look at each of these three parts for some tips on strengthening your book’s dialogue.

Spoken Words

In books, the spoken part of dialogue is set apart by quotations marks, i.e.

“How did you do that?” Mark asked Michelle.

Knowing what your characters will say is one part of spoken dialogue, but you want to consider these other factors to write realistic and engaging conversations.

  • We’re lazy, y’all. Imagine someone saying, “We are lazy, you all.” Sounds a bit stiff, doesn’t it. If that’s your character’s personality, go with it! But most people speak with contractions, so make sure your characters do too.
  • Vocabulary matters. An English professor with speak differently than a biology professor, who will speak differently than the cable repair man. Dialogue should represent the character’s vocabulary, not the author’s.
  • Well, that makes sense. Is it realistic to start sentences with well, so, yeah? Absolutely. But there’s a fine line between realism and engaging writing. Your general rule of thumb: If it doesn’t add context or clarity, cut it.
  • I don’t like that rule, Billy. Think about how many times in a conversation you say the other person’s name. Then look at how many times your characters say each other’s names. Another general rule of thumb: unless there are more than two people in the conversation, they don’t need to call each other by name. They know who they’re talking to.

Unspoken Words

The unspoken part of dialogue—a.k.a. thoughts—have a few specific rules you need to know.

  • Each scene can only show one character’s thoughts. Whether you’re writing in first- or third-person point of view, there’s only one POV character. That means you can only show the thoughts of the POV character.
  • The POV character IS the narrator. Unless you’re writing in omniscient, there isn’t a narrator in your story. The POV character for each scene is the narrator, which means the thoughts need to reflect that character’s speech patterns. Just like the spoken part of dialogue, the thoughts need to include contractions, the appropriate vocabulary, and any other spoken quirks of your character.

Body Language

Human faces and bodies speak loudly; so can your character’s faces and bodies. By using body language, you can show your reader what’s happening instead of telling them. Check out the examples below.

This: “Let’s go,” Linda said, eager to leave.
Or this: “Let’s go.” Linda grabbed Matt’s hand and pulled him through the door.

This: “I love it.” Beth lied. She didn’t like the sour candy.
Or this: “I love it.” Beth’s mouth puckered, her eyes watering. She chugged a glass of water.

Incorporating body language into your dialogue shows the reader what’s going on, allowing them to feel and interpret the scene with your characters.

By including all three aspects of dialogue into your writing, you’ll create more vivid and engaging scenes that pull your readers into the story.

If you have questions about dialogue, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Effective Feedback: Get More From Your Beta Readers

One of the best ways to find issues in your manuscript is to ask for feedback from others. Once you have that information, you can use it to find and fix problem areas in your story. A lot of authors understand this concept, but the process doesn’t always work for them.

Why? They ask the wrong questions.

Too often, authors ask yes/no questions or questions that can be answered with 1-2 words.

Did you like this book?
Did it keep you engaged?
Who was your favorite character?

These questions don’t give us enough information to self-edit our manuscripts. Instead, we need to go deeper, and that includes asking more specific questions (or including follow-up questions).

In my book How to Edit Your Novel: Practical Tips for Strengthening Your Story, I include many questions to ask your readers, then tell you how to process and apply the information to your manuscript. I can’t give you all the details here, but I can share with you some of the questions I suggest asking to get the most from your early readers. 

General:

  1. Does the point of view flow well? If not, where did it stall for you?
  2. Does the point of view feel natural? If not, where did it feel unnatural to you?
  3. Were there any places where the point of view confused you? Where?

Characters:

  1. Who were your favorite characters? Why?
  2. Who were your least favorite characters? Why?
  3. Were there any characters you didn’t like? What didn’t you like about them?

Plot:

  1. Are there any places where the story dragged or was overexplained? Where?
  2. Did the action drag? Where?
  3. Were you bored with any scenes? Which ones?

Descriptions:

  1. Were there any places that felt choppy or confusing? Where?
  2. Were there any confusing places/descriptions? Where?
  3. Did anything about the story feel cliché or “done before”? Which parts?

Notice that each questions includes a follow-up. That follow-up is where you find the gold—get the specifics to help you find and fix those problem areas.

Still have questions? Let me know! karin@karinbeery.com

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Research & Revising: Two Paths to Novel Writing

Most writers know that the first draft of their manuscript will never sell, but how many drafts does a writer have to write?

Honestly, the writing portion of a novel takes the shortest amount of time. The research and/or revising will likely (and should likely) take up 75% or more of the process. Depending on how you prefer to spend your time (research or revision), you’ll have different numbers of drafts (though the first draft will never be your final). And regardless of which method you prefer, you’ll have to invest time to create an engaging, readable story.

Write type of writer are you? Here’s a quick quiz:

  • Would you rather:
  1. Plan every detail of your trip before you leave so you maximize the experience and don’t miss anything?
  2. Hop on the plane and see what happens, even if it means you miss a few things?
  • When buying clothes, do you:
  1. Try things on in the store to make sure you know how everything looks and feels, then buy only what you need?
  2. Buy arms full of things to try on at home and return what you don’t want later?
  • Before going to a new restaurant, do you:
  1. Find the restaurant and menu online so you know what to order when you get there?
  2. Maybe you’ll scan the menu online, but you don’t make any decisions until you’re in your seat and everyone else has ordered?

If you answered A to most of those, you’re probably a researcher. If you answered B, you’re probably a reviser.

Researcher

Researchers like to know all the details before they start writing their stories. They have notes on:

  • Characters, include goals, motivations, conflicts; appearance; character arc.
  • They know their stories transitional moments (inciting incident, breaking point, point of no return, etc.).
  • They’ve calculated where in the story each main plot point and reaction should occur.
  • They’ve tracked the setting, including building details, topographical information, and historical events (if needed).
  • They have binders or folders full of notes on all of these details.

By the time a researcher sits down to write, they know almost everything they need to know about the story. They’ve spent weeks (or months) writing things down and organizing them before they ever type the first word of their manuscripts.

Reviser

Revisers tend to start with a solid understanding of either their plot or characters, but most of the details have yet to be discovered. Sometimes called seat-of-the-pants writers, they do minimal prep work before writing (usually a few days or maybe a week or two). Their process is more trial-and-error: if something doesn’t work, edit out and try something different.

Revisers (as you might imagine) spend more time revising their manuscripts. It may take 1-2 (or three or four) big revisions before they’re ready to let anyone read or critique their manuscripts.

Neither of these paths is right or wrong. Neither one yields better results than the other. They’re just different. Don’t get discouraged if your best friend is a researcher and only needs to edit her story instead of revising it. That method works for her; your method works for you.

Not sure which type of writer you are? Email me at karin@writenowedits.com and we’ll figure it out!

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Conflict, Suspense, and Tension in Fiction

Conflict, suspense, and tension are not the same things. They’re often used interchangeably, but they shouldn’t be. Each one of these has a different role and performs a different function in fiction.

Conflict

New writers tend to believe that conflict means “argument,” as in having a conflict with someone else, but it’s much simpler than that—conflict is anything that prevents your characters from achieving their goals.

A conflict can be a person, event, or inanimate object. A conflict can be a seemingly good thing. As long as it gets in your character’s way, it’s a conflict.

Say your MMC (male main character) wants a promotion at work. The promotion should be a sure thing, but that would make for a boring story. It needs conflict. Anything that prevents him from getting the job will work. It could be:

  • A person: Someone else wants the job. That person has become a conflict.
  • An event: Your MMC needs to attend a company event to get the promotion, but it’s the same weekend as his wedding. His wedding is now a conflict.
  • An inanimate object: MMC’s fiancé agrees to change the wedding date, but his car stalls in the driveway. Then, on the way to the airport, a tree falls into the road. His car and the tree have now become conflicts.

Suspense

Readers and writers alike think of police, spies, and murder when they think about suspense, but they’re confusing suspense with danger. In the suspense, thriller, and mystery genres, the police, spies, and murder might create suspense, but in and of themselves, they are not.

At its most basic level, suspense is delayed gratification.

Let’s look at our MMC again. If he gets the promotion in chapter two, there’s no suspense because there’s no delay. But put conflicts in front him—make him and the reader wait to find out if he’s getting the job—and you’ve added suspense.

Each of the conflicts mentioned above adds more suspense.

  • Instead of a quick interview process, now the boss has two candidates to interview. That will take longer. Suspense.
  • MMC and his fiancé push back the wedding for the sake of his career. A delayed wedding equals more suspense.
  • A quick 30-minute trip to the airport is delayed by his car and the tree. Double suspense.

The longer it takes your characters to achieve their goals, the more suspenseful the story.

Tension

Our final piece of the confusion trifecta, tension is the term people tend to swap for conflict and suspense, but it’s actually another layer of complexity in your story.

Tension is created by your characters’ reactions to conflict and suspense, and it should lead to a sense of unrest or imbalance.

If life is going well for your characters, there’s no tension. Toss in a conflict that creates suspense, and it will yield tension. Let’s go back to our MMC’s promotion. Where does the tension come from, and what does it look like?

  • MMC’s relationship with the person going after his promotion will change. The situation might also change his relationships with coworkers. Someone else applying for the job has created tension in the workplace.
  • After rescheduling his wedding, MMC’s relationship with his fiancé will change, especially if one of them didn’t want to move the date. It’s the perfect place to add tension in the romance.
  • Whether or not the MMC makes it to the airport on time, his car and the tree are excellent reasons to increase tension—he could lose faith in his mechanic and begin resenting the neighbor whose tree blocked the road. Whichever way you write it, let unrest be the goal.

Regardless of the genre you’re writing, your story needs all three of these elements: conflict, suspense, and tension. Your reader will enjoy seeing how long it takes your characters to achieve their goals and seeing how the conflicts change them.

If you have questions about these, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Also check out:

The Omniscient Point of View
First- or Third-Person Point of View

First or Third Person Point of View: When and Why?

When it comes to captivating your audience, point of view (POV) matters. While there are no right or wrong places to use different POVs, there are absolutely genres and styles that work well with specific POVs. Before we jump into that, let’s look at the different POVs often used in fiction.

First, Third, and Omniscient POVs

For the sake of this post, we’ll refer to the three main POVs as First Person, Third Person, and Omniscient. Kathy Tyers, author of Writing Deep Viewpoint, defines them as:

  • First Person: Narrator uses the “I” voice.
  • Third Person: Narrator is present as a named character, using the “he” or “she” voice.
  • Omniscient: Still “he” or “she,” the narrator’s consciousness is godlike in knowledge.

Each of these POVs provides s different depth of perspective.

First Person is the deepest, putting the reader directly into the mind and body of the narrator and allowing the reader to experience the story life as real life—only knowing, feeling, and sensing situations from one perspective.

Third Person can keep the reader close (Deep Third) or at a distance (Shallow Third). In today’s market, Deep Third is preferred. Similar to First Person, Deep Third pulls the reader into the mind and body of the narrator (again only showing what the character knows, feels, and senses), but the use of “he” and “she” pronouns adds a bit of space between the character and reader. Shallow Third adds even more space, as it doesn’t rely as heavily on the POV character’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions and often focuses more on external descriptions and plot points.

Omniscient is a third-person POV (as it uses “he” and “she”). Its perspective creates the most space between the characters and the reader as it doesn’t ever allow the reader to get into the main character’s head or heart. The narrator can describe what a character does (and possibly even the motivations) but can’t convey the feelings and emotions of each character because the narrator is, in fact, its own godlike, all-knowing character.

When and Why to Use Each POV

Technically, authors can use any POV in any novel or genre, but there are certain POVs that work better in different genres. Here are a few examples and why they do/don’t work.

First Person—Yes: This intimate perspective is excellent for books with one main character, such as young adult or women’s fiction novels that follow the growth and character arc of one person. There may be best friends, enemies, and love interests, but their main purpose in the story is to motivate the main character to change (or to highlight how the main character changes).

First Person—No: Most romance novel readers want to see the story from both the hero’s and the heroine’s perspectives. Because of this, the majority of romance novels are written in Third Person, so readers expect (and even demand) that perspective. While you technically can write a romance novel in First Person, there are readers who simply will not read it because of the POV. Since it’s possible to create a similar POV depth by writing Deep Third, that’s usually recommended for romance novels.

Third Person—Yes: Any book with multiple main characters is the perfect book for Third Person POV. I already mentioned romance novels, but it also works well in speculative fiction, historical, suspense, thriller. Anytime you have two or more main characters (characters with goals/motivations/conflicts and character arcs), it’s a good story for Third Person.

Third Person—No: I honestly can’t think of a time when I would encourage an author to avoid this POV. Because it’s so widely accepted, it can be used in just about any genre.

Omniscient—Yes: Omniscient works well in literary fiction, where the emphasis in on the theme instead of the plot and characters. It can also work well in epic novels, where the story takes place over large periods of time or space, again taking the focus off of a few specific characters and instead putting it on several people throughout time or across the world. (Think Hawaii by Jame Michener.)

Omniscient—No: Aside from one specific genre to avoid, it’s really a specific type of story that doesn’t work well with Omniscient: stories about or that highlight deep emotional connections. For that reason, romance novels are out. For all other genres … it depends. If you want to tell the story of six soldiers in the Civil War, omniscient might not be the best fit, but it could work perfectly for the story of a regimen of soldiers and their impact on the war.

I’ll say it one more time because it can’t be said enough—there are no right or wrong ways to use POV in your books. But there are ways to use POV to improve your chances of getting noticed, getting published, and developing a fan base.

Still have questions? Let me know! karin@karinbeery.com

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

For more fiction writing tips, try these:

Backstory: The Right and Wrong Ways to Use Dialogue
Why Novels Need Structure

How to Write a Novel: Book Recommendations for All Writers

With 15+ years of experience writing and editing fiction, I can teach you a lot about plot, characters, style, pacing, and more, but I didn’t invent most of the techniques that I teach. To be completely honest, I’m still honing many of those skills myself. To do that, I continue to read books on writing, and I regularly recommend them to my clients.

Even if you hire me to edit your manuscript or coach you through the process, having these books on hand is a good idea for your own continual education and growth. These are the books that have helped me and countless others develop their fiction-writing skills.

General Fiction Writing

The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke

“There is skill involved in writing excellent … fiction. There is craftsmanship to be learned. And there are the long hours pounding away on a manuscript that, by the time you’re done with it, has you convinced it’s the worst piece of garbage ever penned by man.”

 

The Story Equation by Susan May Warren

“You can plot your entire book by asking one powerful question, and then plugging it into an “equation” that makes your plot and characters come to life. You’ll learn how to create compelling characters, build the external and internal journey of your characters, create a theme, create story and scene tension, plot your novel organically, and even pitch and market your bestseller. All with one amazing question.”

5 Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing by C.S. Lakin

“5 Editors Tackle the Twelve Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing demonstrates the deadly dozen pitfalls on the road to a strong story, along with revisions that show writers exactly how to avoid novel failure. No other writing craft book offers such detailed instruction in how to spot and remedy the major flaws of fiction writing.”

 

Writing Deep Viewpoint by Kathy Tyers

“Deep viewpoint can convince your readers that they have become your characters. This powerful writing-craft skill set includes showing instead of telling, maintaining story flow, attributing dialogue effectively, and showing characters interact with convincing antagonists and believable settings. Writing coach, editor, and New York Times best-selling author Kathy Tyers presents a short powerful set of writing-craft tools in Writing Deep Viewpoint.”

Plot/Structure

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

“[A] comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing. Revealing the 15 “beats” (plot points) that comprise a successful story–from the opening image to the finale–this book lays out the Ten Story Genres (Monster in the House; Whydunit; Dude with a Problem) alongside quirky, original insights (Save the Cat; Shard of Glass) to help novelists craft a plot that will captivate–and a novel that will sell.”

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

“How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method is a “business parable”—a how-to guide written in story form. It’s zany. It’s over the top. It’s just plain fun. Most important, it’s effective, because it shows you, rather than telling you.”

 

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

“How does plot influence story structure? What’s the difference between plotting for commercial and literary fiction? How do you revise a plot or structure that’s gone off course? With Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure, you’ll discover the answers to these questions and more.”

 

Characterization

Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins

“Want to bring characters to life on the page as vividly as fine actors do on the stage or screen? Getting Into Character will give you a whole new way of thinking about your writing. Drawing on the Method Acting theory that theater professionals have used for decades, this in-depth guide explains seven characterization techniques and adapts them for the novelist’s use.”

Plot Versus Character by Jeff Gerke

“What’s more important to a story: a gripping plot or compelling characters? Literary-minded novelists argue in favor of character-based novels while commercial novelists argue in favor of plot-based stories, but the truth of the matter is this: The best fiction is rich in both. Enter Plot Versus Character. This hands-on guide to creating a well-rounded novel embraces both of these crucial story components.”

What are your favorite fiction-writing resources?

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Write Better Characters: How to Strengthen Goals and Motivations

Characters are, of course, the lifeblood of fiction. All the twisty turny plot elements in the world won’t matter to readers if they are not bonded to a character they care about.” Just Write by James Scott Bell

Characters are the heart of any novel. If readers don’t connect with and care about your characters, they won’t keep reading. So how do you help your readers connect? By strengthening your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts (GMC). The easiest way to strengthen a GMC is to make sure it’s specific to your character.

Writers often start with goals and motivations are that are too general.

Goal: to buy a house.
Motivation: they’re sick of renting.

The problem with that goal and motivation is that they could apply to millions of people. Strong GMCs can only apply to your characters. There’s something so specific about the goal or motivation that it couldn’t possibly apply to anyone else.

An excellent example of a strong goal is Kenya’s goal is the movie Something New. The movie opens with her having drinks with three friends. The conversation eventually turns to men, and Kenya—a successful single Black woman—admits that she’d like to find a man, but she’s holding out for her IBM: her Ideal Black Man.

Her motivation is somewhat generic. Like many people, getting married is eventually part of Kenya’s plan. It’s her very specific goal, however (to find her IBM), that helps the audience understand her conflict—the kind, successful man she meets on a blind date is white. Without knowing her specific goal, Kenya comes across as either racist, irrational, or both. Because of her goal, however, the audience understands her conflict.

Another way to strengthen a GMC is to individualize the motivation. An example of a character with a specific motivation is Charlotte Atherton is Karen Witemeyer’s A Worthy Pursuit. Charlotte’s goal is to teach gifted children. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that. It’s her motivation that makes her stand out.

Charlotte was a piano prodigy as a child, and her father took advantage of her talent to make himself famous. When she grows up, the first man to show interest in her wasn’t actually interested in a relationship with her; he also wanted to take advantage of her talent. Those experiences fuel her motivation—to protect gifted children from being manipulated by and taken advantage of by others.

Without understanding Charlotte’s motivation, it’s impossible to understand why she flees to the woods and hides with three students when the school she teaches at unexpectedly closes in the middle of the night. Without understanding her specific motivation, Charlotte’s reaction to the school closing looks overly emotional at best and like kidnapping at its worst. Her specific motivation, however, makes her relatable.

By creating goals and motivations that could only belong to your characters, you’re allowing the reader to better understand and better relate to your characters, which makes the reader want to keep turning the page. Keep them turning the page.

What are your characters’ goals and motivations? How can you make them more specific?

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

The Satisfying Ending

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Most writers are familiar with the Happily Ever After (HEA), but not every genre—and not every story—needs an HEA. In fact, every story needs the same type of ending: the Satisfying Ending.

Writers and readers often debate whether or not stories need happy endings, but the debate is almost always based on personal preference. That’s why it’s so important to understand genres and what each genre expects from its stories. The people who read those genres will expect a certain type of ending, and it’s up to the writer to provide it.

What is a satisfying ending?

It’s an appropriate ending.

In a mystery novel, the sleuth figures out who did and apprehends the bad guy. In suspense, the good guys win. In romance, the couple comes together and commits to the relationship. In a Nicholas Sparks book, someone dies.

Appropriate doesn’t mean predictable though.

The criminal might not be one person; it could be several (Orient Express by Agatha Christie). The good guys win, but they don’t all survive (the movie Armageddon). The couple commits to each other, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they get engaged or get married (The Bodyguard by Katherine Center). The person who dies isn’t always the hero (Save Haven. Seriously, though—I’ve read four Sparks books and someone dies at the end of all of them).

If you’re not sure about your ending, ask someone familiar with your genre. Your seemingly sad ending might be exactly what your story needs.

Still not sure? Reach out, and let’s see how I can help: karin@karinbeery.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

7 Ways to Add Tension Without Ruining Your Story

Have you ever been in a restaurant when the people next to you started arguing? Talk about tension! Putting a fight or argument into your story is a great way to add tension, but if you rely solely on personal confrontation, you’ll end up with characters who fight constantly. It won’t take long for that to annoy your readers.

So how do you add tension without the fights? Simple – make everything go wrong for your characters. As soon as things start to return to normal, throw another obstacle in front of them. Here are some great ways to tense things up without ruining your story.

  1. Move your characters. Take them out of a familiar setting, whether it’s just moving into a new house or a completely new city. Changing the location opens lots of problematic doors.
  2. Change their jobs. Even if your characters are completely confident in their work abilities, the new location, co-workers, and management/employees can add tension.
  3. Lose something precious. Grandma’s ring. Dad’s Joe Montana autographed football. It doesn’t matter how big or valuable, as long as there’s sentimental attachment.
  4. Give them something they don’t want. A new dog. Another pregnancy. An old house full of junk inherited from a deceased relative/hoarder. Anything that messes up the status quo will add tension.
  5. Destroy something. A deer/car accident that leaves your character without a way to get to work. A house fire that leaves him homeless. A drowned cell phone that causes your character to miss an important phone call.
  6. Give them friends and co-workers. Unless your story takes place on a deserted island, you can add minor characters who mess with your main characters. Don’t start arguments though, just put them in tense situations. An ex-boyfriend who interrupts a dinner date or the highly motivated co-worker who tramples anyone on his way to the next promotion.
  7. Bring in the family. Whether it’s the nuclear family or a distant relative, the possibilities are endless for creating tension: the sexist uncle who insults every woman in the room; the annoying cousin who’s never worked a day in her life; the younger sibling who’s always trying to prove himself. (Try to avoid the nagging mother-in-law and the self-centered stepmom though – they’ve become cliché.)

Look at your characters and evaluate their situations. Figure out what would really push their buttons – then push them! Determine what would ruin their plans – then ruin them! This kind of tension gives your characters issues to work through without forcing them to slip into nagging, argumentative behaviors. Tension, tension, tension!

How have you added tension to your story?

Do you need help adding tension? Let me know, and let’s see how I can help: karin@karinbeery.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Latest Posts

The Fine Line Between Good & Great

December 20, 2024

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What is Character Voice?

October 22, 2024

What is Author Voice?

September 23, 2024

Dialogue: More than Talking

August 20, 2024

Effective Feedback: Get More From Your Beta Readers

July 22, 2024

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