The scariest part of writing a novel is not knowing what comes next.

You wrote a scene. Now the brazen cursor flashes in your face, asking what's next. Your amygdala hoses down your insides with fear. You're suddenly fresh out of words and ideas. You don't know what happens next. The horror.

Here's how to overcome the fear of what's next and write on:

Cue critical thinking.

Prepare your page by asking yourself the following:

• What does your protagonist desire most?

• What would this character logically do or say next?

• What are the rewards or consequences of this action?

• What are the other characters in this scene doing?

• And so, what happens next?

Your character's internal motivation and external goals will lead you to the successive story beats.

Break out the beats.

Write a messy summary answering the questions above.

Example:

Your character agrees to go on a romantic trip. She wants to woo her spouse, so she packs sexy lingerie. Her spouse is packing, too — a gun. Your protagonist succeeds in her seduction but finds the gun under the pillow. She discovers that her spouse is an assassin.

There's a lot to go on there. Write down the specific things you want to happen without worrying about making it good yet.

Put meat on the bones.

Put space between the beats and flesh them out one at a time. Use sensory detail to describe the scene and show us the stakes.

Writing is not scary when you know what happens next.