Plots are created from a writer's imagination, but they should flow as if a choreographed dance. Step One slides to Step Two which twirls to Step Three and so forth. If this natural flow doesn't appear in our made-up worlds, readers might suspect some awkward plotting is going on. 

Avoid building false suspense. If you must delay a scene for another chapter, provide a believable reason for it. 

EXAMPLE:
Tammy felt her heart crumble along with the paper in her hands. Barry was in love with another woman. Fine. She knew exactly what to do. Something he would never expect. But it had been a long day. She would take a nap first. 

CLEANED UP:
Tammy felt her heart crumble along with the paper in her hands. Barry was in love with another woman. She grabbed the phone, but then stopped herself. No, this conversation had to be held face to face. 

EXAMPLE:
There it was, in black ink. Her misspelled name on the marriage license. Did this mean Esther wasn't married? She didn't know, but she vowed to find out as soon as she finished cleaning up the attic.

CLEANED UP:
There it was, in black ink. Her misspelled name on the marriage license. Did this mean Esther wasn't married? She vowed to find out. 

But the third stair step, the one she had earlier told herself to avoid, gave way beneath her foot and she tumbled down the stairs. When she finally settled, her right foot rested at a most unnatural angle.

It’s dusk, Halloween.  

Murder has occurred in the affluent neighborhood of a small town.

Your lead character, who works in some capacity of criminal investigation, is the first one to arrive. But this crime scene is unlike anything your lead character has seen before. This crime scene would frighten even the most seasoned big-city investigator. 

What’s the story?

Grand Prize

$100
Story published in The VERB
One Opinion, also published in The VERB
Signed copy of Ridley Pearson's novel,
The Art of Deception
 

Get all the details at the Contest Cafe.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
(in reference to "Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 47" - "Kreutzer")
Do you like it?

ANTON FELIX SCHINDLER
Shh!

BEETHOVEN
I cannot hear them, but I know they are making a hash of it.
What do you think? Music is... a dreadful thing. What is it?
I don't understand it. What does it do?

SCHINDLER
It... it exalts the soul.

BEETHOVEN
Utter nonsense. If you hear a marching band, is your soul exalted? No, you march. If you hear a waltz, you dance. If you hear a mass, you take communion. It is the power of music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer. The listener has no choice. It is like hypnotism. So, now... What was in my mind when I wrote this? Hmm? A man is trying to reach his lover. His carriage has broken down in the rain. The wheels stuck in the mud. She will only wait so long. This is the sound of his agitation. "This is how it is," the music is saying. "Not how you are used to being. Not how you are used to thinking. But like this."

View this scene.