Susan Watts shares several discoveries that completely changed the way she revises emotional scenes, making the scenes stronger.

As writers, we’ve been conditioned to think of our entire future as dependent upon the success of our books. What a nasty little trap.

Any great protagonist, we know, needs SOME kind of a quest. Because people who are content just to sit on their porch can get dull after a few such chapters.

The beginning and ending of stories are essential to entice readers into our stories. But the middle two zones of a story provide plenty of action.

Scene after scene, even after improving viscerals, strengthening interiority, and verifying emotional movement, there were still moments that felt…flat.