Posts by Ines

I believe there are 7 Beats -obligatory scenes that readers or viewers expect- in a thriller; particularly romantic suspense. Come learn all about  The Crime or Threat Adhesion to the Case The Initial Theory Three Bangs and an Explosion Reminder of Danger Speech in Praise of the Villain (Why/How Dunnit) Resolution   Want to learn…

Want a breakdown of the beats of Paranormal Romance? This episode lists the nine beats I believe are common in all romances that feature werewolves, vampires, fae and other kinds of supernatural beings. ORDINARY WORLD MEET CUTE SHOW OF POWER EXTRAORDINARY WORLD FOUND FAMILY MIRROR MOMENT POWER UNLEASHED THE CLAIM HAPPILY EVER AFTER   Want…

You just finished writing thousands and thousands of words in your manuscript and told an emotional love story with kissing. But wait, you’re not done. Now you have to write a couple hundred words to sell that story. It’s the book blurb and why is it so hard to do?   Want to learn more…

Faith is a tricky subject when it comes to taking someone else’s work and making it your own. Following Krevolin’s rules of originality, seeking without destroying, keeping the key things, while maintaining the character arc can get you through adapting a work as short as a newspaper headline or as long as a 500-plus page…

Did you know there’s only four types of obstacles that your protagonist can face? They are an Antagonist, Physical Obstruction, Inner/Psychology Problems, or a Mystic Force. Let’s break these four down with a trip to Disneyland! Want to learn more about pacing, try my courses Page Turner Pacing Course https://ineswrites.com/PTP Writing Sweet at ineswrites.com/writingsweet Writing…

There aren’t three bases in the game of love. There are twelve. Find out the twelve levels of intimacy in this episode. 12 Levels of Intimacy Worksheet “Intimate Behavior” by Desmond Morris: https://amzn.to/40al35w   Want to learn more about pacing, try my courses Page Turner Pacing Course https://ineswrites.com/PTP Writing Sweet at ineswrites.com/writingsweet Writing Dirty at…

In a romance novel, the love scenes should be integral to the plot. Otherwise it’s just description that readers will gloss over to get back to the important action. Best beats or pacing points for a love scene are scenes of Growth, Setbacks or Regroups because those are scenes where characters tend to grow, learn,…

In addition to the twelve pacing points that we talked about previously, each genre of popular fiction has beats that readers are expecting see or hear. If you don’t hit these beats in your story its like a record scratch. Wanna know the beats I hear every time I read, write, or listen to a…

Buttons are like punctuation marks. Like a period, exclamation point, or question mark, a button is a punctuation mark at the end of an act in a show or a scene (or chapter) in a book. To use these in writing treat the end of your chapters like commercial breaks and turn that last sentence…

The Pet the Dog moment can be used to remind us of the stakes of your story before the big battle or ordeal your hero must face. But you can also use it for the villain, or the bad boy, to humanize them and add more conflict to your story by giving the reader pause…