Nancy Rue

Author - Supporter of Writers - Encourager of the Authentic Life

The Podcast

Every week I post an episode of Women Creating Writerly Lives with Scribbling Woman Nancy Rue, available on Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube.

In these chats, I (sometimes in the company of a fellow Scribblie) open up your concept of the writerly life. We explore the four strands – Dream Discovery, Story Shaping, Career Crafting and Life Living – not as a how-to. There is no prescription. No hack. I simply want every woman who writes to embrace her creative life as a whole that is unique to her in every way.

Want a full list of podcast episodes, arranged in writerly categories?

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The Latest Episode
Canvas of Possible Tensions Physical dangers that automatically produce tension Ongoing, everyday tensions Delicious tensions Conflicts within the character Conflicts between characters (see details below; for now, go with what you know at this point Questions to ask about the obstacles/problems that create your inner turning points (see Episode #60) Is the obstacle, the problem, bad? How can you make it worse? How can you make it the worst at that point? As the obstacles worsen, is the protagonist more and more challenged? Can the overcoming of these obstacles allow your protagonist to change for the better? How can you go over the top in your imagination? You probably won’t go this far, but pieces of it might just work. Developing conflicts between/among characters Turn a sheet of paper horizontally. List ALL your characters down the left side AND across the top. In the squares that form, jot down what tension does/could exist between those two characters in the course of the story Susie Hubby Son Daughter Pastor Principal Susie Hubby Son Daughter Pastor Principal Questions to help you develop those conflicts Does your protagonist get along with absolutely everybody? Not a good sign. Give her a conflict with somebody. Preferably several somebodies. Who does your protagonist have issues with as the story opens? How can you ratchet that tension up as the story progresses? Who does your protagonist experience conflict with when they first meet in the course of the story? How can you heighten that tension in the pages that follow? Who are the people your protagonist gets along BEST with? Can tension develop between them as events occur in the story? Who is your protagonist’s most loyal ally? Can conflict arise that threatens that relationship? Are there places where negative tension can turn to positive tension? Perhaps your protagonist is at odds with someone but has to learn to trust him or her, has to depend on that person, or finds that their differences can work in their favor toward a common goal. Are there places where the reverse could happen, where positive tension can turn negative? Clever banter turns to bickering as familiarity breeds contempt? Does the obstacle move the protagonist toward the meeting of the hidden need? Or is it just there to stir things up so your reader won’t get bored? Does it allow your protagonist to have some agency? Or does it happen TO them in a way that renders them powerless for too long? As you write, do you feel anxious for your character, but not hopeless? (Even if the protagonist does at some point?) Is your protagonist saying, “Enough! Stop already!” (Characters often express this by becoming bitter and snarky when you don’t want them to or becoming paralyzed by the volume of trauma and you can’t write them out of it in any realistic way.) Do you feel at home with the story? Do you know that this is going to be satisfying not only for your protagonist but for your reader? And you? Do you need time and space to imagine your protagonist at their worst and see how they got there? Do you need to venture out from your usual writing space and dialogue with your protagonist? Do you need to get some of it on you? Can you get as close to the protagonist’s situation as you can to see what’s involved? (Susie is ousted from the congregation. Can you stand in front of locked church doors?) Do you need to brainstorm with a trusted Scribbling Sidekick or a non-writer friend? Such a person can keep you from going too far up the crazy tree. NEXT TIME : Raising the stakes to the bleakest moment.
Episode 61 The Tension Mounts!
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