The most important moment in your story is the moment when your protagonist is faced with a decision.Do this or do that? Stay or go? Speak or remain silent? Flee or fight?In fact, your protagonist will face dozens of decisions throughout your novel. They’ll face at least one in every scene: moments where they experience a crisis, when whatever happens next hinges on the decision they make.But how long should this moment take? Does your protagonist need to waffle between two options for several pages in every scene? Do they even need to know the full weight of what they’re deciding?In this episode, I’m sharing the art and science of the perfect crisis. You’ll learn:When to write a very long crisis and make your character’s decision-making process very clearHow to write a short and snappy crisis your reader might not even notice (but YOU know it’s there!)Why there MUST be consequences for your character’s choiceHow to include a crisis in every scene WITHOUT making your character annoyingly indecisiveHow to create far-reaching consequences of the crisis choice—even if your character can’t predict them in the momentAnd more!Plus, I’ll break down the opening scenes of two novels with very different crises.You’ll see how Natalie C. Parker writes a five-page-long crisis in Seafire—and why it works.And you’ll see how Naomi Novik writes a crisis so short you could blink and you’d miss it in Spinning Silver. Yet the choice the protagonist makes sparks the conflict of the whole book.A well-written crisis can be the absolute best moment in a scene. Find out how to master the crisis in this episode!This episode was inspired by a listener question from David. Thanks, David!Have an editing question you’d like answered? Send me an email at alice@alicesudlow.com with the subject line “Podcast Question,” and I’ll keep it in mind for future podcast episodes!Links mentioned in the episode:SEAFIRE by Natalie C. ParkerSPINNING SILVER by Naomi NovikEp. 8: What Is a Scene? The Ultimate Guide to Write and Edit Amazing ScenesEp. 11: How to Edit a Scene of a Novel, Part 1Download the Scene Analysis Worksheet: alicesudlow.com/sceneworksheetWant an editor's feedback on your book?I'm currently accepting new editing clients. If you'd like to find out how I can help you craft your best book, send me a note at alice@alicesudlow.com and tell me about your book!Want more editing tips and resources? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.And if you're enjoying the podcast, would you mind leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts? That helps more listeners find the podcast. And it helps me know what's helpful to you so I can create more episodes you'll love!