In this episode, Story Grid Certified Editors Leslie Watts and Anne Hawley discuss literal and essential action in the context of “Madeline,” a short horror story by Nathaniel Patterson.
They show you how to identify the essential action (the character’s scene goal) and literal action (what the character does to achieve it) within your own scenes. You’ll find out why the essential action should be consistent and aligned with the character’s story goal (or conscious object of desire). In the editorial mission, they encourage you to identify the essential and literal action of a scene from a story you love, as well as one from your own work in progress.
Click here for the full show notes.
Ep. 138 World Building
Ep. 137 Strengthen Your Setting
Ep. 136 Resolutions
Ep. 135 Scene and Story Climaxes
Ep. 134 Crisis Questions for Your Scenes
Ep. 133 Progressive Complications for Your Scenes
Ep. 132 Inciting Incidents for Your Scenes
Ep. 131 Analyzing Your Scenes
130. Writing with Abandon with Grant Faulkner
128. How to Take Your Story from Pretty Good to WOW!
127. Meeting Reader Expectations for Your Fiction Sales Category
126. Second Person Point of View
Episode 125: Putting Your Writing First with Mark McGuinness
Episode 124: Your Character’s Internal Journey
Epside 123: Leslie's Approach to Editing and Why You Need to Tell Your Story
Episode 122: Do Your Scenes Contain Conflict?
Episode 121: Structure for Character-Driven or Literary Stories
Episode 120: Crisis Questions
Episode 119: Scene Value Shifts
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