WRITING ON WEDNESDAY: GROWING start somewhere promising then deliver

All about the suit design... apparently ;)

I'm thinking about writing so it must be Wednesday or a day of the week with a "d" in it.

I found this advice on The Guardian site. Then condensed it a little.

Bait the hook.

Main character:

What do they have?

What do they need?

The protagonist needs to start off fairly ordinary, a mirror to ourselves,  but with an ember of something more.

Identify the catalyst (the inciting incident): 

what

when

why

and a measure of how extreme it is.

What has already been tried but failed?

For the character:

What is the cost of action?

What is the reward?

Make sure we know when the character strays past the point of no return.

The choices for the character are universal:

do nothing

run away

take the risk and act

Writer, first do the JK - think about the story as a whole and plot a roller coaster ride:

From scene to scene, raise the stakes:

If you can't put them in peril give them internal angst

Apply external pressure.

Keep up the pace.

Turn up the conflict.

Strengthen those obstacles and build them higher.

Make the protagonist principled so you can test them:

struggle

fail

succeed 

the outcome doesn't really matter, because they are all human.

The character needs a catalyst and enough room to develop and to grow. 

I have five of these statements pinned up - very large - over my PC.
The one I think is the greatest of them all? Raise the stake - and then thrust it through to the heart!