As a final note on the ever-important subject of tension and micro-tension, Maass includes directions on how to make tension out of nothing in five (not as easy as you might assume) steps.
That's what sets The Fire in Fiction apart from other how-to writer's guides. The extras, the subtle and succinct challenges, and the essential elements that sneak past that pesky internal editor to enrich the manuscript.
My favorite step in the exercise on Tension From Nothing is step 4: "How would your character describe the state of his being at this moment?"
This is the assignment of sorts after choosing a passage of nothing and addressing details and differences that define the potential and purpose buried within the un-happenings of the passage.
What a thought-provoking way to assess whether sequel is required, or merely more scene. It's a full editorial analysis wrapped up in one not-so-modest question.
Diligently applying just that question to every scene of action and reaction in the manuscript would nearly guarantee a stronger novel. No matter what the creative writing endeavor, it should be the strongest, boldest, reflection of the writer's best effort in that moment.
"Every minute has a mood. Every moment has meaning," writes Maass. A statement which (hopefully) will stay with me for the rest of my writing career. It's certainly an accurate assessment of what keeps me in a book as a reader.
To your best creative writing!
~Regan
Filed under Blog by on Apr 16th, 2010. 
