5 Things That Kill Narrative Drive (and How to Fix it) - a podcast by Savannah Gilbo

from 2020-06-09T00:00

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In today's episode, I'm continuing last week's discussion on narrative drive or that "thing" that hooks a reader's interest and pulls them through the story. Here's a preview of what's included:

[01:10] What is narrative drive? Why should writers care? (Check out last week's episode for some tips on creating narrative drive in your story).
[01:20] A story with "broken" narrative drive feels like it's going nowhere. 
[02:00 ] Mistake #1: Putting in too much exposition or backstory or worldbuilding details in a scene at once.
[03:00] Mistake #2: There's no sense of cause and effect. In other words, each scene doesn't lead into the next (and what to do instead).
[4:00] Mistake #3: Using false mystery to tease readers (and how to avoid doing this).
[04:45] Mistake #4: Relying on cheap surprise to thrill or scare readers (and what to do instead).
[05:40] Mistake #5: Solving plot problems with coincidences.
[06:45] What should you do if you make some of these mistakes in your WIP?
[07:30] 10 Questions that can help you fix broken narrative drive in your story (plus where you can go to download a worksheet with these questions!). 
[11:05] Key points and a quick recap of the episode.

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Links mentioned in this episode:

P.S. Did you know that I have a Facebook group just for fiction writers? In this private group, we talk about all things writing, editing, and publishing fiction. It's free to join and you can request access here. Hope to see you there!

Further episodes of Fiction Writing Made Easy

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