Teaching moment

Take something you have recently learned – a fact, a skill – and give it to one of your characters in a significant way. Make what you have learned a key element in the progression of the scene. For bonus points, teach yourself something you have always wanted to learn – a foreign language, how to pick a lock. When you feel a little confident in your new skill, write five pages showing one of your characters learning the same thing. Draw out areas of frustration and confusion.