Writing tip 10 - Season your text with an extreme scene, or two

Everyone likes a little seasoning. Some people like a lot. Whether it is pepper and salt, or the hottest chillies, it is good to have one or two highly seasoned scenes in your novel.

The difficulty with seasoning is knowing how much is too much, or too little. In a first draft I would suggest that where the text is restrained and pulled back, one judiciously placed scene of extreme emotional stakes, can lift interest, and keep readers on their toes. While it might come across as too much, or as melodramatic on first writing, it can be worked and pulled back  once you get to the editing process.

I think the key to writing a highly charged scene is to hint at, or foreshadow, the event earlier in the text, and to concentrate on the what (action, dialogue) rather than the how and why (adjective and explanation).

Writing prompt

Find a couple of novels that use dramatic scenes well and study what it is that makes these scenes work. It might be emotional content, placement and timing, the way the scene is written, or that the event depicted by the scene alters the stakes for the protagonist.

Now choose a place in your text where you might like to lift interest and try writing a high stakes scene of around 300 - 500 words for your project. Don't worry if the first draft is awkward and melodramatic. You can pull it back once you have the outline on paper or screen.

OR...

If your manuscript is too well seasoned with dramatic text, try pulling back a section of high drama that isn't working. Consider that light and shade in a story can help maintain interest.