Writerly Ways

Trying to be coherent when I'm having a flare up of that trigeminal nerve pain. It hurt last night was fine all day and now it's incredible (Because you know the urgent cares are closed). Hopefully it'll calm down soon.

What I did want to talk about is putting a timer on your story. One way to introduce tension is to put a timer on it. You now have a built in deadline the characters must meet. I just finished one book and am reading another that tried this but if you asked me, missed the mark.

The one I'm currently reading has a time line of like 12 hours to solve a mystery. (and if I'm picking up the clues from book 1 which I didn't get to read, that also had a similar deadline). I personally find this too short (and yet it's feeling so long with this book) Is it reasonable they're going to solve two mysteries in one day? (the one from book one and now this, it feels like a duology which is unusual in mysteries) The tension is bled away into the 'I don't believe it can happen' mind set.

On the other hand the paranormal mystery I just finished put an arbitrary number of days from death until ghost which is irreversible and the soul loses out on its earned afterlife. We don't even have a reasoning for this until after the climax and we're doing the wrap up which okay that's believable. However, there were 42 days to solve this mystery and it took all 42 days which ended up feeling long. There were week long time jumps in the story beats and it felt like it would have been more tense and impactful without me wondering what was she doing for the last 10 days?

Maybe it's mysteries that have an issue with this. I see it used more successfully in urban fantasy/paranormal stories where you can see it it 'we have five days to the solstice/full moon/ etc etc. I just finished a manga adaptation of Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth where the narrator has to survive a single night.

the key I think is finding what works best for your story so it has that clock on it without it feeling ridiculously short for what needs to happen or too long.

OPEN CALLS

Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores March 2025 Window

Wyldblood Magazine Science Fiction and Fantasy

Moggie Noir – Dames, Derringers, & Detectives Noir! Not SF, not Horror, but classic Noir

Enter Here Speculative fiction from marginalized voices that include a door opening (literally or metaphorically) in some manner.


Burial Books Is Looking For Horror Novels

Many Nice Donkeys: Now Seeking Submissions

35 Literary Magazines that Publish in Print


From around the web

Creating Compelling Characters in High Fantasy Stories

5 Proven Ways to Conquer Self-Doubt in Writing

Naming and Renaming Your Book: How Authors Do It

Writer Fuel: Set Goals the DIY MFA Way

An Argument for Short Stories

365 Simple Ways to Talk About Your Writing and Keep Readers Engaged All Year

Finding Good Publishers for New Authors

How To Write A Story Climax That Packs A Punch

Setting Up Your Book for Future Growth

Please Promote Your Work In The Face Of Uninvited Nightmare Chuck wendig talking about creator fears about promoting when the world is burning



From Betty

What “Show, Don’t Tell” Actually Means

Six Downward Turning Points for Heroes

How to Start a Story: Designing a First Scene That Resonates

Creeping Out Your Audience

The Five Types of Narration Every Novel Needs

How Fiction Writers Can Create “Skewed Time”

Crafting Characters Using the 7 Types of Listening


A Complete Guide to Revising Your Novel: Part Two


Publishing 101: Essential Terminology To Know

The Bane and Pain of Transitional Scenes

Character Secret Thesaurus: Helping Someone Die with Dignity

Roles in Conflict: A Unique Approach to Developing Story Ideas

Rekindle Your Love of Writing with These 8 Tips

Four Stages to Channel Our Writing Towards a Greater Purpose

Using this Year's Literacy Calendar to Plan Your Book Marketing