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Rant: I spent 2 years writing scenes backwards without realizing it
I was working on a mystery novel set in Austin, and I kept getting stuck on why my chapters felt flat. Then last Tuesday, my critique group pointed out that I always described the setting first, then the action, then the dialogue. One member asked why I never started with the line of dialogue that sets the tension. It hit me hard. I had been writing every scene like I was building up to a punchline instead of starting with the hook. Has anyone else realized they were structuring scenes wrong for years? What tipped you off?
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hannaht2916d agoTop Commenter
Took me six years to realize I was doing the exact same thing with my short stories.
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barbarab5616d ago
What if you need that slow build to earn the emotional payoff? I can't stand being dropped into a scene with no context, feels like running into a dark room.
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