Tricks! We’ve been talking in the past two weeks about incorporating a few tricks to writing a powerful suspense. Last week we talked about the Hook, and leaving the reader hanging. Today…we’re going to talk about what NOT to do. The hallmark of suspense is the unexpected twist and turns, the increasing tension and dangers. Readers read suspense for the adrenaline ride and the breathless moments – and you as the author want to give this to them. Some of the breathless moments I’ve included in my suspense have been: Trapping my hero and heroine in a burning house. Pushing my hero and heroine off of a cliff into a raging river. Making my heroine jump out of a moving plane. Having my hero chase a suspect through Epcot center. […]
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More Tricks to writing suspense!
I love it when I’m reading a book and I look over at the clock and see 2 am. Because clearly I haven’t been able to put down the book. why? The chapters won’t let me! The author has effectively raised new stakes, a new dilemma and left in the middle of the scene, so the reader is compelled to turn the page. And stay up reading all night. The Key to keeping the reader turning the pages is to… L- Leave them Hanging. In other words…don’t finish the scene. One of the biggest mistakes I did in the early days of writing my suspense novel, In Sheep’s Clothing, is that I wrapped up every scene neatly before I moved to the next. My characters completed their tasks and went […]
Read the RestTricks or Treats
So you’ve figured out your BIG EVENT, and made it believeable and compelling and immediate and threatening. But to really create a great suspense, you new a few TRICKS! Here’s the first one: Grab ‘em with a HOOK from the first line. The suspense Hook is essential for a great story. Your hook should, set the tone, start with your hero/heroine in action, hint at the stakes and raise a story question. However, there is one key that every suspense hook needs to have: Intrigue. Why? How? What? It needs to raise one of these questions right at the beginning. Here are some of my hooks: The past had picked the worst time to find her. (What?) from Flee the Night Out of all FSB Agent Yanna Andrevka’s bright ideas, masquerading […]
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