It’s time to Meet the Girl! Writing a romantic suspense has its own challenges – not only does the author have to deal with the suspense storyline, but the romance must be threaded in as well, usually in equal parts. Because we’ve already jumpstarted the suspense in chapter 1, Kenzie’s scene, and moved her forward into the Noble Quest (staying alive!) in Chapter 2, we’re now going to turn our focus on Luke, our hero. In Luke’s first scene, in Chapter 1, we started in his home world, and because the suspense plot hadnt’ quite touched him yet, I started out with a glimpse at his character, the heroic man he is, and a taste of what he’ll do for others (namely, risk his life). And, although his first scene […]
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How to Write a Suspense: Chapter 2 Checklist
Yesterday, we talked about the considerations that go into crafting Chapter 2 of your novel. To see an application of these considerations, read Kenzie’s scene: Chapter 2.Scene 2.Kenzie with SMW Comments Here’s a checklist for you as you craft your chapter: Chapter 2 is The Great Debate. Have I anchored my reader into the scene with enough storyworld/facts? Have I recapped what happened so far, to remind the reader of the danger? What are the choices before your character? What will each choice cost them? What is at stake for the POV character? (IOW: what will happen if they don’t act?) Why should they act? Why shouldn’t they? What is the best choice, and what is their motivation behind choosing that? (IOW: hint at their backstory just enough to establish […]
Read the RestHow to Write a Suspense Chapter 2 – Moving the Character toward the Noble Quest!
You’ve jump started your story with an inciting incident, and home world (maybe not in that order, but definitely in the first chapter) and now you need to write…Chapter 2. Last week we talked about the considerations in crafting Chapter 1. To see the checklist, click here. And, to catch up with the story to date…Chapter 1, Scene 1 Kenzie, Chapter 1 Scene 1 Luke That first chapter is key for pulling your reader into the story. They need to like the characters (and worry about them) enough to keep reading to chapter 2. But now, you need to give your reader a reason to go on the Noble Quest with them. This chapter is all about giving your character (and your reader) enough motivation to go on the journey. […]
Read the RestCrafting your First Chapter for a Suspense – Application
The first chapter in a suspense novel is the most important. You want to introduce your characters, create sympathy for the, hint at the stakes or danger, and hook the reader to turn the page. How do we do this? I’m going to apply the questions from yesterday to my WIP today. Below is the link to the first scene of chapter One of Limelight, a novel I wrote for MBT teaching purposes. For your FYI, here is the Premise: She’s a movie star with a cause – fighting to stop human trafficking. In fact, she’s gone far as to write, produce, fund and star in an independent film about the horrors of human trafficking. Except – someone doesn’t want it shown, and has bad-mouthed the movie onto Hollywood’s black list. […]
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