The Writing Life Designing Your Plot - Nicola Upson returns!
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Jul 24, 2020 Crime writer Nicola Upson, along with early career writer Okechukwu Nzelu and writer Inua Ellams, discuss designing compelling plots. Topics include Nicola's evolving process, the unique demands of crime fiction plotting, and the importance of character evolution. The episode is part of a resource pack on plot for novice writers, offering valuable insights and free content.
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Solving The Mystery With Your Protagonist
- Writing The Death of Lucy Kite Nicola planted many questions and clues without knowing answers.
- She solved the mystery alongside Josephine, keeping red herrings authentic and surprising for readers.
Order Scenes By Their Single Purpose
- When a book feels like simultaneous scenes, list every scene and ask each scene's single most important purpose.
- Use those purposes to find the sequence that makes disparate moments cohere into a readable order.
Write Time Strands Cohesively Then Fragment
- Write each time-strand cohesively in one go to retain voice and detail, even if you later fragment it.
- Upson completed all 1915 scenes in one strand for Sorry for the Dead to keep immediacy across separated blocks.