Saturday, May 24, 2014

SVU, cliffhangers, and discipline

I'm typing this during a commercial. I'm watching Law & Order: SVU. And, as always, I'm hooked. I turned on this episode four minutes after it started. Sometimes I start half way through an episode. It doesn't matter when I turn it on, I almost always finish the episode.

Today is a beautiful day where I live. I had planned to be outside writing, but I made the mistake of flipping on TV and finding SVU for just a few minutes. Yeah, right.

The show does a fabulous job of hooking you before each advertisement. It's something I strive for in my writing, usually at the end of a chapter or scene. Things seem to calm down. They've followed a lead who they think will solve the case. And then, BAM, a new clue that spins everything! (Pause, show is back on) Okay, I'm back! End of the episode, and I turned the television off. It's the only way I won't spend another hour sitting on the couch when I should be outside on the patio writing. So now, I shall use my discipline and do what I should have been doing all along!

I'm not one for long posts, so moral of the story. Small cliffhangers and new clues placed at the right time, will keep readers reading. And at the end of the day, that's what we want as writers :)

4 comments:

  1. Very true! My cp is great at ending chapters w/hooks. I'm working on it! =)

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    1. I like ending on cliffhangers, but I have a tendency to write really short chapters so sometimes I think I end them too soon :)

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  2. Good point. I don't write in chapters, so when I go back through to chop up the book, I'm always looking for useful hooks to end chapters!

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    1. I tend to write in chapters, but I like the idea of not having to worry about it until later! I'll have to try your strategy sometime!

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