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Disdain not the freshness of
small improvements outside
comfort zones.
If you are a “character-driven” writer, spend an extra 10
percent of your writing time ratcheting up the action.
How can the events of the story be made more threaten-
ing, suspenseful, fresh?
If you are more on the “plot-driven” side, spend 10
percent of your writing time going deeper into the emo-
tions of the character, how she is reacting to the events,
how they threaten her inner well-being.
And when you do this 10 percent exercise be sure to
push yourself and go beyond what’s comfortable. Well
beyond. Because you can always scale it back later. But if
you don’t allow yourself the fullness of exploration up
front, you may miss the rich vein waiting for you just a
few more steps ahead.
Now, open up a new document or take out a pad
and write for fi ve minutes without stopping. Write a list
of what can happen that’s worse, letting the thoughts
come fast and furious. Don’t edit. Be as outrageous as
you can be.
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