Girls Write Out
Monday, March 27, 2006
CHANNEL SURFING

Kevin and I were watching TV. Or rather, Kevin was surfing the channels while I was watching scenes of shows flicker past. He stops for about five seconds then flips on, as if he's sure he can find something better. I'd comment more on this, but that's a different blog.

During one of those pauses, I watched a woman wheeling a gas grill into a bedroom. A man was lying helplessly on the bed watching her.

Flip. Another program filled the screen.

"Kevin," I said. "How can you possibly turn that? For heaven's sake, a woman is pulling a gas grill into a bedroom. Don't you have to know what happens next?"

He shook his head at me, but turned back to the movie. We sat and watched the rest of it, spellbound. The movie was adapted from a Stephen King book, and it really made me think. Does my writing do that? If a reader were to open my manuscript to a random scene, would she just have to know what happens next? Would she be spellbound from that point on?

If you're a writer, open your WIP to a random scene and put it to the channel surfing test. If it doesn't pass, what can you do to make it more intriguing? If you're writing a romance, you sure won't want something as bizarre as a woman with a grill. But whatever you do, make sure your readers will be asking themselves "What's going to happen next?".
Anonymous  
posted at 12:43 PM  
  Comments (4)
 
 
Delicious Delicious
4 Comments:
At 2:10 PM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

Ooh great suggestion, Denise! Just like Maass says, "Conflict on every page."

Which King adaptation was that? LOL

 
At 3:21 PM, Blogger Julie Carobini said...

I'm still wondering about that gas grill in the boudoir!

And great idea, Denise. I often pick up books in the store and flip through them. Why not do that with my own work?

 
At 8:24 PM, Blogger C.J. Darlington said...

The same thing happened to me when I saw Misery on tv. I couldn't stop watching!

 
At 10:59 PM, Blogger Pammer said...

Great suggestion. What movie was that? It sounds intriguing.

I just got Donald Maass's book, (still waiting for the workbook, shipped seperately, doncha know) and I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

Hugs!

 

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The Authors
Kristin Billerbeck
Kristin Billerbeck is a proud Californian, wife, mother of four, and connoisseur of the irrelevant. She writes Christian Chick Lit; where she finds need for most of the useless facts lulling about in her head.

www.KristinBillerbeck.com

Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.

www.ColleenCoble.com

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.

www.DeniseHunterBooks.com

Diann Hunt

Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.

www.DiannHunt.com

Hannah Alexander

Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.

www.HannahAlexander.com

 
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