Crucial things to add to every scene that will increase intrigue, suspense, drama and conflict. This will be more useful to edit your manuscript after the first draft is finished.

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• What happens • Motivation (what do the characters want, and why? • What’s stopping them? (Opposition: 3 hurdles or obstacles) • Reaction, synthesis, action • Change or reveal (action or new info) • Pause for effect • 3x Conflict (light the fuse - two opposites that create tension) • Tension (pull the string - unresolved story questions) • Snapshot (picture it) • Momentum (urgency - why does this have to happen NOW) • Relevancy: does this matter to the REAL story conflict or quest? • End scene with unresolved conflict (cliffhanger)