Monday, March 5, 2007

To keep in mind ...

When Diane Tennant was here in January, she mentioned being "aware" of the possibility of complication/resolution in case it's there.
Here's how Ken Fuson does it:
"I probably do look for ways to follow that stucture in a lot of my work, simply because I really do believe that you need that for a true story, one with a beginning, middle and end. Jack Hart says that unless you follow that structure, you're writing a feature or an article, not a true story.
I also think it's the best way to keep a reader reading. Because, essentially, you're presenting a little mystery. Something is going to happen. What is it?
Is the team going to win the game?
Is the boy going to get the girl?
Is the family going to be rescued from the burning house?
Those are the kind of questions that people want to know the answers to, so they keep reading. So when I get an assignment or come up with an idea, I generally ask myself if I can follow this structure.
And the first question you need to ask is: Who has the most at stake?"

There's more to this; I sent it out in an e-mail about a month ago. See me if you want it and don't have it.

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