Comments on: Plot or Plod Part 1: Give Your Story an EKG http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:17:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Suspense fixes » Jordan McCollum http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-15415 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:35:48 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-15415 [...] several scenes, it might be time to reevaluate your suspense. Rerate your new scenes on tension and redo the EKG. If you’re really lucky, you may not have to do [...]

]]> By: Make sure parallels pack a punch for suspense » Jordan McCollum http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-15257 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:16:59 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-15257 [...] software, you can create a line graph from that column of data—Kaye Dacus calls this an “EKG” for your story (you know, an electrocardiogram? Like a heartbeat [...]

]]> By: Hooking the Reader: Scene Two, Take Five « KayeDacus.com http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-9015 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:52:53 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-9015 [...] though, what we talked about with plots—your action/drama/suspense cannot be unrelenting. There do need to be quieter moments as well. Not every single scene can end with a dropped [...]

]]> By: Plot or Plod Part 3: . . . and ACTION! « KayeDacus.com http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4531 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:01:11 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4531 [...] of your story, of your characters, have a motor? Is it going somewhere. Let me point you back to Part 1 of this series with the graphs I showed. Have you ever graphed your plot to see if it’s actually [...]

]]> By: Carol Collett http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4428 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:53:12 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4428 Very cool analogy, Kaye. I’m for sure in flatline territory. I’m hoping the story I’m outlining for NaNo will convert back to normal sinus rhythm!

]]> By: Amy Jane (Untangling Tales) http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4423 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:55:26 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4423 I totally get what you mean by the EKG. It’s basically what my husband said I needed after he read my first draft– it looked more like your first graph (always rising, no breaks) and he found it exhausting.

“Can you slow it down?” was one of his critique suggestions.

I’m still trying to decide what could be relaxing lulls that won’t be boring (hmmm, time to pull out a few more sample books…)

Would you say there’s a general rule of external action alternated with internal or 1-on-1 (character-building) dialogue? Before looking this is the vague idea I have…

]]> By: Erica Vetsch http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4418 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:38:13 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4418 As a semi-visual person, could you possibly break down a familiar book or movie into the ups and downs of a rising plot so I could see it? Like the Wizard of Oz or GWTW? Or High Noon, or LOTR? :D

]]> By: Georgiana Daniels http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4416 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:09:55 +0000 http://kayedacus.com/2007/10/16/plot-or-plod-part-1-give-your-story-an-ekg/#comment-4416 EKG–I love it! You’re right about some books existing more for verbage than for story. Double yawn! Good reminder to put in breathers, I don’t always do that =)

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