WD Newsletter: Writing Stories Readers Can’t Put Down

What even is utopian fiction? [Web Version "]( &p1=%40Xa4L83dO0jO7Gsn9Cs7GXAD%2B50nkBT9zdKuCeOP5Pnw%3D) [header]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [Writer's Digest]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [Writer's Market]( ) [WD University]( ) [2nd Draft Critiques]( ) [Jess Zafarris]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) No matter your preferred genre, almost every story can benefit from a bit of tension, a sense of psychological danger, and Jordan Rosenfeld knows how to ramp it up. We also have tips on character development, historical & utopian fiction, and our weekly writing prompt. Enjoy! —Guy LeCharles Gonzalez Follow [@glecharles]( ) Advertisement [kauai writers conference]( ) CRAFT A STORY YOUR READERS CAN’T PUT DOWN [Emotional and Psychological Danger]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) Physical danger is obvious; it needs little backstory or clarification. You can create it out of the circumstances at hand. Psychological and emotional danger are deeper and more complex forms of danger that require planning. They should be true to the dynamics between characters, whereas a natural disaster can have nothing to do with a character’s personality or choices. What do I mean by psychological danger, anyway? Another phrase for this, as mentioned above, is “emotional danger.” This is when a character stands to gain or lose a person’s trust, respect, love, affection, etc. When another character has the power to affect your protagonist’s marriage, livelihood, or standing in the community, you’ve entered the territory of psychological danger. The same is true when the antagonist terrorizes, shames, or blackmails your protagonist, to name a few examples. Here’s a good example from Sara Pinborough’s thriller Behind Her Eyes. In it, frumpy, divorced, single mom Louise meets a man named David in a bar and makes out with him. The next day she learns he’s her boss at her new job. That alone is a form of psychological danger—a relationship with a boss could put one’s job in jeopardy. So she tries hard to squash any feelings for him, and then she finds out he’s also married, which creates a whole new kind of emotional danger as affairs come with consequences for multiple people. [Read The Full Article...]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [Ad 3]( ) &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 WHAT'S NEW [Moves and Counter-Moves: Letting Your Antagonist Drive the Plot]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) If you’re having a hard time deciding what your protagonist does in the middle of your story, J. J. Hanna suggests it may help to figure out what your antagonist is doing first. [Read More...]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [In Search Of Utopia: Why Is There So Little Utopian Fiction?]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) Dystopian fiction has waxed and waned and fractured into subgenres over the past few years. Sayde Scarlett wonders where is all the contemporary utopian fiction? [Read More...]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [How to Write Historical Fiction]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) Don’t know where to start on your historical fiction novel? Mariah Fredericks reveals how she conducted research on The Gilded Age for her new book, Death of a New American. [Read More...]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [The Art of Withholding Information]( ) Timing is everything. Bryan Young highlights the importance of withholding information until just the right time, using examples from the classic film Casablanca. [Read More...]( ) [Weekly Writing Prompt]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [The Hatching]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) During the annual spring egg hunt, your child is delighted to find an egg larger than their head. Not only is it huge, it's also warm… and looks unlike any bird egg you've ever seen. [Inspired?]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) [FREE PREVIEW WEBINAR]( ) [Mastering Amazon for Authors]( ) [Mastering Amazon for Authors]( ) is the premiere online course designed to help you maximize book sales at the world’s largest retailer. And now for a limited time you can sign up for a FREE preview webinar of this course. [Sign up for the free preview...]( ) [Boot Camp]( ) &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 &p1={EMAIL}&p2=233488454 Please do not reply to this email. We are happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please [click here to contact us]( ). This email was sent by: F+W, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, OH, 45242 USA [Unsubscribe]( &cid=DM115169&bid=1128006733) | [Web Version "]( &p1=%40Xa4L83dO0jO7Gsn9Cs7GXAD%2B50nkBT9zdKuCeOP5Pnw%3D) We respect your right to privacy. [View our policy.]( )