Suspenseful. Interesting word and one that I find hard to pull off while writing a story. I’ve mentioned before how much I want this to be a story that evokes emotions. Well, heading into this chapter I realized that with what I needed to happen plot wise, that I could let it play out in an exciting, adventurous way, but that the biggest bang for my buck would be if I could manage to pack some suspenseful moments into it. Like I said, I find that hard to do, but if a story doesn’t have some scenes where you’re not sure what’s going to happen, and are worried that something you don’t want to happen is about to happen, then the moments of triumph end up getting washed out. This chapter is also a pivot point in the main plot, where the looming threat literally jumps up and bites us. But…was it all done effectively. It’s time to go find out.
Okay, in one respect this is my favorite chapter from the writing point of view. Because, even though I did write it and therefore knew what was coming, as I was reading it I still got caught up in feeling like the boys didn’t have a chance. So, I think I hit the mark on it being a suspenseful, emotionally charged chapter. And I liked the further growth of Shahdow too, who more and more seems like someone who would and could battle a dragon. Now, some things that might need some attention. Kholin, the boy who got killed, is a faceless nobody. I broke my rule that even the most minor characters should have enough life built into them for the readers to have a mental picture of them. Had that happened, the emotions evoked by the monster’s attack would have been even higher. Plus, the fact that we see that Kholin was killed off would make us wonder if Reginhald, or someone else, might be next; which equals more suspense. And finally, the climatic scene where Shahdow kills the beast probably needs a little tweaking to make it more vivid and lifelike–not gory, but intense. In the end, I like the chapter, doubt I’ll do any major rewrites, and–this doesn’t happen very often, I look forward to polishing it.
I wish you and yours all the best,
Mike
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