Tag Archives | writing a novel

How to Craft the First Chapter in a Suspense

By Susan May Warren on September 12, 2011 in How to write a Suspense, Suspense, Writing your Suspense Chapters

Summer’s Over. I know because, well, the kids went back to school last week. And we had our first conference football game (which we won!) And the Minnesota Vikings lost yesterday. *sigh* But most importantly, the August blogging hiatus at MBT is over, and it’s time to start working on our suspense WIPS again! We spent the first seven months of this year studying Suspense, the four components that go into powerful suspense structure, and what each component contains. We talked about the elements of the ignition, the deadline, and crafting villains and heroes who can save the world. Now it’s time to put it all together! Writing a novel is a two part process – the creating of characters, the gathering of the elements and the plotting of the […]

Read the Rest

Continue Reading • Comments { 1 }

Ten Common Author Mistakes. #4

By Rachel Hauck on August 4, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck

You do realize these common author mistakes I’m blogging about are my opinion only and not subject to any known or award winning authors. I formulated these ten things while on a reading spree this summer. So, take them for what they are worth. Okay, numero quatro! He said, She Said. They Came, They Saw, They Went Leaving the reader suspended in time and space. This one actually surprised me. But I read several novels recently — one a YA and the other an historical — and I was lost on where I was as the reader. I wasn’t sure how much time had advance. The scene’s stage had little to no description. I couldn’t get a feel for the “space” the characters lived in. In the YA, the protagonist […]

Read the Rest

Continue Reading • Comments { 1 }