Author Toni Pike with 20 steps to build a story.. I am a particular fan of the last one.. I really do not like a story, film or television drama that ends with loose ends flapping around all over the place. Cliffhangers are fine provided you don’t have to wait two years to get the next installment.. Thanks Toni and of course The Story Reading Ape..
- Surprise your readers with twists and turns, provided you keep heading towards that big climax.
- Add plenty of suspense, the feeling that something is about to happen, so that readers want to turn every page.
- Decide on the mood of the story, the way it makes the reader feel – sad or cheerful, scared or angry, despairing or hopeful.
- Choose the central question that the story will resolve.
- Hook readers with an opening surprise and then take your time to reel them in.
- Reveal the place, time, mood and point of view in the first chapter.
- At the 10% point, steer events in a particular direction so that the hero finds a goal.
- After the first 10%, let your hero start to explore their new goal.
- The climax of the first act is at the 25% point. Have a major event to push the hero in a new direction with…
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Many thanks for sharing Sally – Hugs XX 😀
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Always a pleasure Chris.. hugs
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I’m a firm believer in the idea that any author who wants to end a story on a cliffhanger should have the next instalment actually written before that one is released. We’ve all been bitten by series that start and never end because the author dies/gets fed up/ can’t be bothered and never completes the story arc…
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Absolutely.. my pet peeve is investing time watching two or three seasons of a television show only to find it is cancelled after leaving you with a gaping hole… the very least they could do is commission a wrap up episode. Enjoy your Sunday Will. S
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Great tips! 🙂
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