Today's Daily Drill #62
Your Mentor
Sam
A bookstore owner who's started thousands of books. He knows in three sentences if he'll finish yours. The question: "Do I want to keep reading?"
Build tension through what the character doesn't yet know—use dialogue or action that hints at hidden danger.
The merchant's scales had been perfectly balanced all morning, but when Kael placed the sapphire on the left pan, both sides trembled and held. The old man's face drained of color. He reached for the gem with a hand that wouldn't stop shaking, then pulled back as if burned.
Escalate through revelation, not explanation