Big Moments

 I research writing a lot, and I make notes.

I often combine several "experts" into one set of notes on a particular topic, so that if I want to mention such things here, I can't always quote an exact reference.

A case in point is "Cut the Sagging Middle."

This has been written about time and again, but what I gleaned from my research is that in a novel of 70k words, page points 70, 140 and 210 are IMPORTANT.

Now I must confess I never calculated how I was doing page wise but I was aware I should have big emotional moments. I just didn't care too much about where they appeared!

They should include turning points in the hero and heroine's story. (You can tell I was writing historical romance at the time) They should also have a Black Moment and work hard as they struggle to get through the BM to a HEA ending.