Hey everybody!
First and foremost, you will probably be happy to know that I have been writing lately and that means that I am closer to finishing untitled book number 2.
So, this entry will be about something very dramatic. One of my favorite books is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. For all of you that haven't read it, it is over a thousand pages long. The first 400 or so are really good. Then, from 400-600 it is pretty boring b/c it has to set up for the end. And then, the final 400-500 is really good as well. It took a lot of effort to stick with the book during those 200 boring pages, but I am glad that I did. There probably have been many people who have read books (maybe even that one) and at some point they lost interest in it b/c it became boring. Well, for all of you writers out there, I have some words of wisdom.
Directly above where my desk sits, I have a poster full of writing tips and inspiration. One of my favorite is, "When things start to get boring, break down a door!" Now, I don't want a bunch of people walking around their houses breaking down doors. If you really have the urge to break down a door, do it in your writing. Say, you are at page 100 in your book. You have done really well with the first 80 pages but the last 20 you needed some back story, or setup and so it got a bit dry. Your solution for the problem. Do something totally crazy, unexpected, and absolutely abrupt! Have a random car chase, have SWAT storm a characters apartment out of the blue, or throw a giant wrench into your story that makes it have a whole new twist to what is happening. Whatever it is, make it TOTALLY DRAMATIC. This may sound kind of crazy, but it works. After you settle down your story again, your readers will be more than happy to read another 20 pages (hopefully you won't need much more than that in setup) of not so dramatic writing. They will stick with your story to see if you have any more adrenaline filled moments at the end. I am sure when they read it, they won't be disappointed.
In my second novel, I decided my story was starting to fall a little flat. I decided some drastic measures were needed. My solution was to make certain, important characters be killed in a very dramatic form. I want my readers' heart rate to increase when they read what I have wrote. I want them to be entranced by the story. Killing off characters (especially important ones) really helps do that. What helps even more, is to do it in the middle of the story, that way you have the rest of the story to figure out what the other characters should do about it.
Whatever the case may be, spice up your story. Enthrall your readers with what you can make happen. Be crazy, be creative, make the impossible possible. People read fiction to be entertained, your one and only job as a writer is to do just that. Give it your all, and watch as it comes together in a dramatic way!
