Catastrophising

What is the worst thing that could happen? This author is good at catastrophising.

This image was taken at my April 2018 Red Skies Mini-Exhibition.
Do you focus on the tangles, the balloons, or the artist trapped in the middle?

Never Boring

Some people long for a simple life, while others find a way to enjoy the drama and excitement that is part of the contemporary culture in the twenty-first century.

Writing complications into the lives of my fictional characters seems to be an easy task for me because I am good at catastrophising.

I wasn’t sure if that was a real word, but am delighted to say that it is. It refers to the habit of looking at some ordinary event and thinking about the worst complications.

While I was verifying my facts I came across some helpful information. 

How to stop Catastrophising (Tanya Peisley, The SANE Blog, Sane Australia, 31st May 2017) Click HERE

Pinch Points

I have joined a few reader/writer discussion groups recently and discovered that there is a whole new language I need to learn. Pinch Points are the little dramas (aka catastrophes) that I build into my narrative. For example, in White Rose of Promise, my heroine goes for a job interview. She is feeling anxious and worrying about all the things that could go wrong.
What would be the worst thing that could happen? She might get lost on the way? She might arrive late? She might get run over crossing the road? *Please add your suggestions to the comments below. If you come close to my own ideas, I will send you a copy when WRoP is ready.

Everything she thinks of comes nowhere near the possibilities that I throw into the mix once she enters the door. By the time I have added some new details to the working environment, she begins to think the worst outcome might be getting the job.

How close to publication?

Book 1: White Rose of Promise – is still away at the Copy Editor. Another author’s project pushed back my return date

Book 2: When Promises Are Broken – first draft complete, halfway through the second edit, with 20 chapters sent to my alpha reader, and 8 to my first beta reader. Initial feedback indicates there may be a quicker turn around for this one.

Book 3 and 4: Untitled – Preliminary research has begun, and the plot outline under development.

There are lots of possibilities.
Which one will be the rising star
that takes my story beyond the ordinary
and makes it shine?

Thanks for reading )i( Please add your suggested catastrophes for my heroine as she goes to her job interview. Perhaps you have had a real catastrophe of your own that you would like to share?