The Newsletter Stand

March 4th Action/Adventure NL

Hiking. It's MY Action/Adventure!

Never confuse movement with action." --Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961)


Readers love action. Scenes rich with physical struggles, verbal confrontations, and near death escapes. They love fistfights, boxing matches, schoolyard scraps. Parachute jumps, dare devil pilot maneuvers made under enemy gunfire. They love ferocious snarling bears and vicious crocodiles show with sharp teeth…fangs coming close to sinking into flesh. However, more than action, readers love a good solid story. One where the plot moves along with rhythm; where characters and setting make sense and the conflict builds, climaxes and is resolved.

In other words, inserting action or adventure into your piece just for action's sake does nothing to further your story's progression. In fact, such “moves” can do the opposite. One intricately developed battle scene may scores points with description, and may even pique your reader's interest; but, if combat doesn't fit into your story’s plot, you run the risk of losing your reader.

Before including the bear attack, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does the scene contribute to the overall look, feel, and progression of my story?
2. Will the reader understand and accept the scene at this particular part in my story?

After you've determined your scene's relevance, consider making your adventures pull double duty. How? Easy, with a little forethought, you can create scenes complimenting your plot, setting, characters, etc.

Symbolism - using symbolism adds a whole new dimension to your work. Deciding on which action events to include can be narrowed down if you remember to consider symbolism. For example, what weapon(s), the battlefield's location, is the commander present?

Scheduling - Choose movements underscoring your plot twists. If you know your main character will attempt to break into the office during off hours, rumage around in a co-worker's desk, then exit the building before being noticed...decide on when this will happen. Will opening your story up with these words enhance the scene's believability? Will this particular scene placed here pique the reader's curiosity?

Character development - Can incorporating certain hurdles help your readers discover who the main character really is? For instance, does Marcus need to confront the schoolyard bully in the playground? Or, would having him rescue his elderly neighbor from a fire show the reader who he really is. Maybe, as a writer, it's more to have Marcus tackle the bully, but the story screams for the fire rescue.

Action scenes pulling double duty not only sharpen dimension add/give/provide a three dimensional feel, engage readers, they round out your story. And remember the words of Ernest Hemingway, "Never confuse movement with action."

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