MWG Writes on Q Issue 1, 2015 | Page 17

MWG Writes on Q March 2015 A Thing of Bits & Pieces sequentially is expensive and time-consuming – think of all the equipment you have to move. Don’t get stuck in that “page one, line one” trap. One of the fun parts of being a fiction writer is that you get to play God. You’re able to express opinions which are not only yours, but which can also be utterly contrary to what you believe. Also, if a character gets objectionable, or is just plain in the way, you can kill him off with a few keystrokes. One final thought for today on which I’ll expand a bit later, is about beat. Beat is about conflict, holding multiple opposing thoughts at the same time. Beat is, “Boy finds girl. Boy loses girl. Boy finds girl and they live happily ever after.” It’s about getting your hero up a tree and throwing rocks at him. No worthwhile story can exist without conflict.