drama

2017 November 27 Prompt

During the 2017 NaNoWriMo event in November, Writers in the Grove members offer these prompts to provide inspiration and incentive to keep you going during the self-competition to write 50,000 words in 30 days. You may find NaNoWriMo prompts from previous years and prompts from our weekly workshops.

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

It was then I realized that there weren’t any sounds behind me.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

2017 November 25 Prompt

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

The wind rattled the trees.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

2017 November 12 Prompt

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

Margo looked out the window and screamed.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

2017 November 11 Prompt

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

I did not recognize the voice that called my name. It was deep and gravelly, sending me back to the trial.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

2017 November 7 Prompt

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

The hand on the doorknob shook slightly as the handle turned.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

2017 November 14 Prompt

Today’s NaNoWriMo prompt is:

The FBI complicated my…

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, or wish to, Writers in the Grove offers an extensive range of NaNoWriMo tips and techniques to help you through the month long writing project.

NaNoWriMo Tips: Where are Your Cliffhangers?

Cliffhanger movie 1993 screencap of man falling from landslide on cliff Have you included some cliffhangers in your story? Cliffhangers are the moments in a movie or television show when there is a cut-away from the action, often for a commercial, and the viewer is left hanging, anxious about what will happen to the hero.

Cliffhangers are common writing devices, but they work. In a novel, these are found between scenes and chapters, but also between paragraphs, pulling the reader through the story to find out what happens next.

Where are your cliffhangers? Are they critical plot points or have you thrown in a few throughout the story to keep the reader on edge, eagerly turning page after page?

If you don’t have any, start adding them. Write them in. They add tension, conflict, and drag the reader through the story.

The key to a good cliffhanger is how it draws the reader into the story. They are a part of the action. They want to know what happens. A successful cliffhanger is one written to make the reader a part of the story, so they feel like they are the ones pushing or chasing the story forward.

You can find more writing tips, NaNoWriMo prompts, and writing tips for NaNoWriMo on our Writers in the Grove site.

NaNoWriMo Tips: The Ticking Clock

The Ticking Clock is a writer’s device to add tension to a scene or the plot. The clock is ticking, time is running out, the character(s) are up against a deadline and there is no escaping the ticking of the clock.

If you are having trouble writing ticking clock scenes in your plot, here are some questions to consider.

How long do the characters have? How much time are you going to give them to succeed before the clock runs out?
Could you shorten the time period? To what?
What does the character need to accomplish within that time frame?
What amount of time would it normally take to accomplish the task?
Why is the time period so short?
What does the character(s) need to do to “stop the clock?”
What will prove that the task is complete and the clock will stop?
What are the consequences of failure?
What will the character(s) lose?
What can go wrong?
Will one or more people die?
What are the physical obstacles in the way of stopping the clock?
What are the psychological obstacles (fears, dreams, risks) to stopping the clock?
How does the character(s) handle obstacles (physical and psychological)?
How does the race to beat the clock show the character(s) strengths and weaknesses?
How long does it take to overcome each obstacle?
How does the tension (suspense) grow as the deadline approaches?
What are the “cliffhangers” as the character(s) overcome each obstacle?
Does stopping the clock start another ticking clock? Is there another task the character(s) must tackle?
When all clocks have stopped ticking, then what? How has the character(s) changed? What is next?

You can find more writing tips, NaNoWriMo prompts, and writing tips for NaNoWriMo on our Writers in the Grove site.

Prompt: A Terrible Tragedy

The prompt this week was suggested by the recent shooting at Umpqua Community College as well as other tragic events.

Write about a tragedy, one that involves risk and fear. Put your character(s) under pressure in the middle of something where split second decisions could make things worse or resolve the issue.

Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and community of Roseburg, Oregon. Forest Grove hosts Pacific University, and we are kindred spirits sharing your pain and loss.