The Right Note

Once in a while you’ll be writing along and you’ll suddenly hit a scene that hits exactly the correct tone for the story as a whole. Something about the dialog or the vibe or the word choices just clicks. That scene is now your anchor point for the tale - you’re going to have to go back and edit everything that came before to conform to it, and shape everything that comes after to share that feel.

That sounds like a lot of editing work, but identifying this kind of moment is a GOOD THING. Now you know, without a doubt, what you’re story is supposed to feel like. I just had this happen in my current WIP, and even though it means a lot of work, I’m pleased, because at last I’ve struck exactly the right note, and now I have to tune the rest of the song to match that note.

Listen for that one note that defines the whole tune. :)