: Re: How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep? I remember reading somewhere that while plots should have tension, too much tension will tire the readers out, so there

An analogue:

I had a friend in college who was a choreographer. She had recently presented a piece to rave reviews, and was amused that one of the moments which got the most positive attention was a long, slow, sweeping movement (I don't recall what the dance term for it was).

She told me, "This thing they love — it was right after a big, complicated, difficult sequence. I put that arm-sweep thing in to give the dancer a chance to rest!"

You may know that you're putting in a quiet scene to give the reader a breather. But the quiet scene has to have purpose. It has to contribute to the story. Find a reason for the quiet scene, and the tension-release takes care of itself. If you can't find a reason for a low-key scene, then maybe you don't need one.

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: Re: How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep? I remember reading somewhere that while plots should have tension, too much tension will tire the readers out, so there

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: If your essay is analytical (and I'm struggling to think of any other reason you'd write an essay about The Great Gatsby) then I'd put it in the present tense. Gatsby loves Daisy, but

: How to determine rates to charge as a freelance writer While I have a few articles published, they were easy fixed rates. Today, however, I've received this email (identifying details removed):

: What's "fair use" for borrowing someone else's invented term? Let's say I'm writing a sci-fi novel. I want to use a word which another writer has coined, which has become well-recognized outside

: "Streamlined and useful"? Which means punctuation is useless clutter? Ask the legendary guy whose life was saved by Czarina Maria Fyodorovna's misplaced comma. ("Pardon impossible, to be sent

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