Sort Blog Posts

Sort Posts by:

  • in
    from   

Suggest a Blog

Enter a Blog's Feed URL below and click Submit:

Most Commented Posts

In the past 7 days

Recent Posts

(tagged with 'importance of thresholds in fiction and memoir and screenplays')

Recent Comments

Recently Viewed

JacketFlap Sponsors

Spread the word about books.
Put this Widget on your blog!
  • Powered by JacketFlap.com

Are you a book Publisher?
Learn about Widgets now!

Advertise on JacketFlap

MyJacketFlap Blogs

  • Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.

Blog Posts by Tag

In the past 7 days

Blog Posts by Date

Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: importance of thresholds in fiction and memoir and screenplays, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 2 of 2
1. What Now?

Q: I'm done! Too exhausted to type more. What now?


A: Congratulations! 

I'm so impressed with how you kept your head down and your spirits high throughout the writing of the first draft of your story. You did it in two months. You are amazing!

You're on a high. The best way to protect yourself from a letdown is to know that what goes up must come down and take care of yourself. Sleep, eat well, take long walks  -- preferably to all the locations in your story: the cemetery, the martial arts studio, the school, the church. Wander and sleep and straighten up your writing area, purge and organize notes but whatever you do DO NOT READ your manuscript for at least a week to 10 days. 

I apologize for the caps but I cannot stress the importance of this element enough. You need a bit of distance and objectivity before reading your story.

DO NOT READ your manuscript for at least a week to 10 days.

Oops, there I go again. Just wanting to make sure you understand the importance.

DO NOT READ your manuscript for at least a week to 10 days.

Okay, enough is enough.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Feel the accomplishment in the depth of your being. You did it!! You wrote a novel from the beginning to the end. You did that. Feel it. Wallow in the good feelings. Be here now.

In a week, you begin the shift from writing the first draft to preparing for the next one.

For now, you are on safely ensconced on the threshold between two worlds. Revel in the splendor of yourself!!!!

0 Comments on What Now? as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
2. Crossing Thresholds

Take advantage of every moment your protagonist crosses from one symbolic place to another. Every threshold has the potential to alert the reader, audience that the character is transitioning from the known to the unknown = creates excitement, expectancy, and an element of fear of the unknown in both the character and the reader.

The use of crossing a threshold is especially effective when the character moves from the Beginning (1/4) to the Middle (1/2). After the scene that represents the End of the Beginning, the character crosses over into the Middle. This is a big moment and often comes as the character leaves her world over everyday ordinary for the exotic world of the unknown.


Another symbolic moment is when the character leaves the Middle and moves into the End (1/4). You will likely find other thresholds or transition to take advantage of in your story.

This moment of crossing over the threshold deserves a emphasis with the use of pacing and introduction of authentic details and "showing" (not telling) the character's emotional anticipation of the moment of crossing, the actual sensations as it happens, and possibly the reaction when the action is complete and the character understands there is no turning back.

The character will likely be confronted with Threshold Guardians, but for now, go through your manuscript and locate any sections that could constitute a threshold. Rewrite that section to give it the significance it deserves.

For more on Crossing the Threshold:

0 Comments on Crossing Thresholds as of 1/14/2010 9:14:00 AM
Add a Comment