Last week we talked about how to discover Stakes and Motivations. But, how do you use them to create a powerful story? Let the Fight Begin! One of my favorite movies for continually raising stakes and forcing the viewer to the edge of her seat is the thriller, Cellular. Just to recap, in a nutshell, it’s a movie about a woman who is kidnapped. She uses a demolished phone to call for help and gets hold of a young man whose girlfriend has broken up with him because of his irresponsibility. A deadline of sorts hangs over their conversation (an essential element in any suspense), because, at any moment, they could get cut off, and she may never be able to dial out again. She must convince this random guy […]
Read the RestTag Archives | Suspense
“I couldn’t put it down!” Using Stakes and Motivations to build riveting suspense!
I saw two suspense movies this weekend: I am Number Four and Unstoppable. Both were enjoyable – both captured my attention and moved me into the story. But neither of were epic. Neither of them made me care, rooted me to my seat in fear, or made me jump from it yelling. Why? Because they both lacked the key elements of Stake and Motivation. The key to a great story is the combination of both, and this is the third element needed in a great suspense. In a riveting suspense, there is always a rising interplay of balance between the motivation and stakes of the story. As things get worse, and their fears grow, so also do their motivations to defeat the fears. Let’s start […]
Read the RestI’m a girl, I can’t lift heavy things! (A study on creating the Perfect Suspense Heroine)
Who is the perfect suspense heroine? A courageous woman? A timid woman? A strong woman? A fragile woman? A confident woman? A struggling woman? When I first met my husband, twenty –two years ago, I was a strong, lithe, hard core camping woman who could carry a Duluth pack and a canoe alone on a portage. I thought I was sooooo tough. In our group of fellow guides, there was a girl who loved asking the guys to carry things for her. “I’m a girl, I can’t lift heavy things!” she’d say and I’d roll my eyes. Never, I vowed, would I ask a man to carry things for me. Then came the day when I was trying to carry a baby, a toddler, our carryon, a diaper […]
Read the RestMan up (Creating a Suspense Hero Day 1)
Today, we’re going to take a look at our suspense Hero. See, when you’re when you’re writing a suspense, it’s all about the guy who rises from the dust, the ball in hand. (Ooops, it’s playoff season. And I just watched the Pack (my second favorite team!) beat the Bears. Go Pack!) so you may get football illustrations) But, just as quick review, last week, we divided a suspense novel into three sections: Act 1: The Game The set up: Players, the Goals, the Rules, Board/Playing field. Act Two: The Guts All the great stuff happens during the Guts phase – confronting fears, reaching out in the darkness for the girl’s hand, stealing a kiss, and failing big, and learning something new about yourself. Act […]
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