Writting a Scene

Each scene is composed of a miniature story arc. Do you see how closely the steps mimic the story arc? Only Step 5 is different. Step 5 is a thought process for the author to undertake as each scene is written.

S T E P  1 :  S e t u p

W h e r e  a r e  w e ,  w h o ’ s  t h e r e ,  a n d  w h a t ’ s  g o i n g  o n ?

S T E P  2 :  G o a l

W h a t  i s  m y  h e r o ' s  g o a l  i n  t h i s  s c e n e ?  W h a t  d o e s  he/s h e    w a n t ?

S T E P  3 :  C o n f l i c t

W h a t h a p p e n s t o  m a k e  i t  h a r d e r  f o r  m y  h e r o  t o  g e t  w h a t  he/s h e w a n t s ?

S T E P  4 :  R e s o l u t i o n

D o e s m y  h e r o  s u c c e e d  o r  f a i l  i n  g e t t i n g  w h a t  he/s h e  w a n t s ?  H o w d o e s  t h e  s c e n e e n d ?

S T E P  5 :  P u r p o s e

W h a t  i s  t h e  p u r p o s e  o f  t h i s  s c e n e ?  D o e s  i t  m o v e  t h e  s t o r y f o r w a r d ,  c h a r a c t e r i z e ,  o r  b o t h ?

From: Ink and Quill

Holiday Gift-giving

Give someone you like or love the gift of a book for one of the delightful holidays between now and the end of January. Go to www.saguarobooks.com and click on the “store” page to see the 17 books plus 1 graphic novel that are on our published books list. There are books in many different kinds of fiction, from fantasy to fictionalized nonfiction, for kids, 'tweens, teens. Give the gift of a book this year. They can be purchased from the website, on Amazon in print or Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook.

Query/Pitch/Synopsis

Queries, pitches  and synopses are different things.

A query is a one-page letter that explains what you’ve written, who you are, and why the agent should represent you or publisher should consider your book. In a query letter will be a pitch, which is an explanation of your story in 3-5 sentences. It’s like the text you see on the back of a DVD box. It’s designed to pique your interest. A pitch, like the back of a book or DVD, will not spill the beans regarding the ending.

A synopsis is a front-to-back telling of what happens in your story. It’s like sitting down with a 12-year-old and explaining your entire story in about five minutes. You explain who the characters are, what the conflict is, the three acts, and finally, what happens at the end (e.g., the villain dies). In a synopsis, you do indeed give away the ending. You would not do so in a pitch, and a pitch is what appears in a query.

Saguaro Books

Saguaro Books is a traditional publishing house that specializes in Middle Grade, Young Adult, and New Adult, fiction. You can find out more information at www.saguaroBooks.com

Conflict

Does your story need conflict? Maybe, maybe not but conflict is the one aspect of a story that is sure to raise interest, cause a reader to take sides and, in general, portray a true-to-life situation. Much of our lives, from early childhood, have involved some type of conflict, be it sibling rivalry, teen competition, adult competition and rivalry for jobs, mates and other facets of our lives. So, to speak, conflict is a normal part of life.

Conflict boils down to five main areas:

a.      Man against self: A person deals with conflict within him/herself when ones decides whether or not do “do the right thing”. Do I keep that beautiful ring lying on the sidewalk or try to find its owner?

b.     Man against man: We are well aware of the conflict of man against man—just watch the evening news.

c.      Man against society: People have fought to break from social mores since we lived in caves. There have always been do’s and don’ts, often called taboos. Women, for generations, were raised to believe that ‘decent’ women wore dresses. Now, that is no longer true, women wear dresses, slacks, jeans, shorts or whatever is comfortable or fitting for the occasion.

d.     Man against nature: Humans have conflicted with nature since time began. The most notable conflict comes from the weather. We have conflict with dust storms, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, hurricanes and all other manner of foul weather that can be damaging or life threatening.

e.      Man against God: This is the trickiest one in that it assumes a belief  in, or at least a grudging recognition of, the Almighty. No God, no conflict, no problem, right? No so fast—there are always forces that cannot be explained, whether they’re supernatural, chance or “dumb luck”. These areas of conflict are covered here.