The last few weeks we talked about the key to creating a suspense is the Big Event that awaits the characters – either a positive or negative event that looms at the end of the story, one they either know about or don’t, but that has the effect of raising the tension as they draw closer (or are kept from it). So far, the Big Event needs to be Believable, Compelling, Immediate…and now Terrifying. See, we need to believe that his horrible Big Event will be…horrible. This is different from believing it can happen. It’s answering the questions — so what? If it happens, how does it affect me? You make it terrifying by looking at two different perspectives – personal and public fears. Personal fears […]
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About Susan May Warren
Former Russian Missionary Susan May Warren is the best-selling author of more than 40 novels and novellas with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill, and Summerside. A Christy award and RITA winner, and multiple finalist for the RITA, Christy and winner of Inspirational Readers Choice contest, Susan currently has over a million books in print. A seasoned women’s events speaker and writing teacher, she is the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com an online community for writers, and runs a fiction editing service teaching writers how to tell a great story. Visit her online at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com.Author Archive | Susan May Warren
The Big Event…make it immediate!
We need another bathroom in our home. Not that we don’t already have three, but we have an unfinished room in the basement, plumbed out for a bathroom. More importantly, our daughter is graduating from High School next month, and I have about 30,875 people arriving at our home for the festivities. I’m anticipating a high need. So…with that thought in mind, I dragged my husband to the tile store to contemplate options. His eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head from the excitement. Still, with a vision of the lineup in front of the boy’s scary bathroom, he helped me pick out tiles. See, it’s not about whether we need this, but how soon. Even more important than the need is the deadline that looms […]
Read the RestThe Big Event…make it personal!
The last two weeks we talked about the key to creating a suspense is the big EVENT that awaits the characters – either a positive or negative event that looms at the end of the story, one they either know about or don’t, but that has the effect of raising the tension as they draw closer (or are kept from it). Think about it – if we didn’t believe there would truly be an invasion of aliens, then we would have laughed our way through Independence Day. If we didn’t believe the Russians and the Americans could wage World War 3, then we would have never had the cold war (and the Hunt For Red October). If we didn’t believe that Buttercup might not marry Wesley, that Prince Humperdinck […]
Read the RestThe Big Event: Make it Believable
For some reason this didn’t post last week – sorry for keeping you all in suspense! Last week, e talked about the Big Event in writing a suspense, and how you must have this hovering over the story as you draw closer to the climax. The reader must believe that something terrible will happen if the hero/heroine don’t save the day, otherwise, there is nothing “suspenseful” to worry about. Think of it like a football game – if the team won’t lose, there is nothing at stake. There has to be a believable threat of a disaster, or a loss. Let’s take a closer look at the Big Event. Whether the event that is/will happen is caused by an elements or a villain – needs to have four components. […]
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