The Good News and The Bad News in Your Story

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Some of the best writing advice I've ever heard was on a podcast done by Pilar Alessandra called On the Page. It's a podcast for screenwriters, but many of the shows pertain to writers in general.

(I'm paraphrasing, but) She said that good stories have good news and bad news to keep them moving and interesting. I don't know if you've watched the zombie show, The Walking Dead, but this is the perfect example. The show is a constant stream of good things, then bad things happening. You're always on the edge of your seat.

In one scene the cop appears safe from zombies as he grabs a bag of weapons. The next second, he's surrounded by zombies who all want one thing...him. Then he spots an Army tank and we think he's safe. He crawls underneath only to have zombies coming at him from both sides. We think he's a goner as he's about to kill himself. As he looks up from under the tank, he sees the hatch to get into the tank. He quickly crawls up and huddles next to a dead guy. He's safe. But not for long. The "dead" guy next to him suddenly comes alive and grabs for him. He quickly shoots him and is safe at last. At least until the next "bad news."

This trick is a great way to keep your readers turning pages and interested in what happens next.

Comments

Pat Tillett said…
That is so true! Much like real life... Thanks Lisa!
December 21, 2010 at 4:46 PM
Ava Z. said…
This is perhaps the advice I needed to continue with my rewrite.
December 28, 2010 at 9:12 PM
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