Mistake Number 11

Don't Forget Stimulus and Response. Things happen for a reason. People act for a reason. If they do something its because there was a stimulus; if there is a stimulus, there should be a reaction.

"The law of stimulus and response works at the nitty-gritty level of fiction, line to line, and it also works in melding larger parts of the story. For every effect, a cause. A domino does not fall for no immediate reason; it has to be nudged by the domino next to it."

True enough. But this has to be done carefully, because while necessary steps can't be left out, not all steps are necessary. Stimulus and Reaction, yes. Minute stage direction, no.

#11 Don't Forget Stimulus and Response