When Veronica suggested a theme for Halloween week, we all jumped on it (obviously) with relish. Suspense is what keeps the pages turning. It is what makes your story unputdownable. And it is a perfect theme for this week as we head into the time of year that frightened our ancestors the most (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway). Anticipation of winter. Darkness, damp, starvation, death.

What more primal fear is there?

Because ultimately, it is fear that builds suspense, whether you’re writing a thriller, an adventure, a mystery, a romance, or a quiet, character-driven story. There is an element of fear every time you raise the stakes.

“Will Katniss survive?” We fear for her life. “Will Percy stop the gods’ war?” We fear for humanity. “Will Bella end up with Edward or Jacob?” We fear for her happiness. “Will Melinda tell her story, will she Speak?” We fear for justice to be done.

And we, as writers, know all about fear. I mean, look at yourselves. You’re bleeding onto the page. These characters are borne directly from you, like Athena from the skull of Zeus. The very act of creation is an act of immense courage.

We, as writers, feel fear every day. And suspense. Tension. Anticipation. What if it’s not good enough? What if I never get past Chapter One? What if my computer crashes and I lose my manuscript? What if I can’t write tomorrow? Or the next day? Or next week?

What if. The two biggest guns in our arsenal. Because they are what enable us to create – “What if demigods were real?” “What if vampires went to high school?” – but they are also what impel us to doubt. To fear.

So what do we do? We mine that. Just like so many other emotions and events and characters from real life that we merge and tweak and alter and fictionalize. We use the fear. Put it on the page. Give it to our characters (the poor things). Build on it. Make it worse. Afraid of spiders? Make an Aragog. Afraid of criticism? The Mean Girl needs to pinpoint your character’s weakness. Afraid of falling? Imagine it. Afraid of rejection? Have your protagonist get it in the throat.

And survive.

The Fear by Katy

Katherine Longshore Reply Thursday, October 28, 2010

When Veronica suggested a theme for Halloween week, we all jumped on it (obviously) with relish. Suspense is what keeps the pages turning....

Literally.

I am in the throes of writing my first thriller. The problem? How to make it thrilling. Enter the solution- Suspense.

Easy, right?

Not.

I am a bit of panster when it comes to first drafts. I have a vague, broad outline that keeps me pointed in the right direction, but the details are left to chance. It gives me a certain freedom, and I love when characters or plot twists surprise me, but it's not exactly conducive to building suspense. Unless you count the suspense of not having any idea of what is about to happen until it shows up on the page- THAT will get my heart racing.

So I'm about to let you in on my unproven and untested method to building suspense.

You're a risk taker right?

You can try this at home, but your individual results and satisfaction will vary. Manuscripts may be injured.

Okay, here it is: My secret to building suspense is....

*drum rolls*

*pretty girls in brightly colored costumes wave scarves*

*black covering is ripped away to reveal-*

"Ta-Dah!"

Revision.

Yeah, I know, the payoff wasn't big enough. But that's what revision is for!

It's only after I know for sure how the story ends that I can plant seeds of doubt along the way. For me, building up to something requires knowing what that something is, and more importantly, what that something is not (but the character might think it is).

When I start a first draft, I usually have a concept, some characters, and three or four major plot points. I may even outline a few scenes that need to happen along the way. But to really create tension and suspense, I need details.

Its through details that a mystery builds. It's through revelations that a secret is uncovered or a character is changed.

Building suspense during a revision is not as exciting as it sounds. For me it's a methodical, analytical process. It's the lawyer in me.

First step: outline all scenes in the WIP with one sentence that describes the major plot points.

Second step: identify the key conflicts in your story and their resolution (note: you should have external and internal conflicts- but conflict is another post).

Third step: For each of the above, identify scenes in which this conflict is presented, complicated or resolved.

Fourth step: (don't have all three?) Brainstorm new scenes and where they fit in overall story.

Fifth step: Are there scenes where you can't identify the main conflicts? Consider revising or (Sob!) cutting.

Sixth step: Now review the scenes you've identified and make sure the conflict really is presented, complicated or resolved in the course of the scene: revise accordingly.

Seventh step: Do you have enough complications? Can you add more? Where in the story? In what scenes can conflict be intensified? Revise some more.

Seventh step: Repeat.

Voila! Conflict is the key. Conflict builds tension naturally. Complications (or setbacks) keep the reader turning the page. And resolution? Makes the trip worthwhile.

For now, I'm still working on the first draft of my thriller, but as I throttle towards the end, I am already dying to know how it turns out. I don't have long to find out.

And then I can fix it.

In revision.

The Suspense is Killing Me

Talia Vance 3 Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Literally. I am in the throes of writing my first thriller. The problem? How to make it thrilling. Enter the solution- Suspense. Easy,...

I have to give a solid shout-out to Donald Maass for his tips on crafting suspense. I've attended two of Donald Maass's workshops. One focusing specifically on his concept of Micro Tension, the other a weeklong workshop named Breakout Novel Intensive. Also, I've read and highlighted my way through his book, Writing the Breakout Novel.

I'm not going to attempt to encapsulate all of Don teachings - but do consider looking into his books and workshops if tension and suspense are particular areas of importance to your writing (they should be.) What I'd like to do is focus a key lesson I learned from Don that swirls about in the back of my mind as I write. Creating tension. Also known as suspense.

Tension very often implies doubt about what will happen. Here's a definition of suspense for you. Pay close attention....

suspense [səˈspɛns]

1. the condition of being insecure or uncertain

2. mental uncertainty; anxiety

3. excitement felt at the approach of the climax

4. the condition of being suspended

I know I'm belaboring this point a bit. You know, of course, what suspense and tension mean. But for me, looking at tension this way was a breakthrough. After I realized this, writing suspense became a matter of:

1) Creating a sympathetic character (the reader wants character to succeed/survive/achieve their goal)

2) Giving that character a clear scene and story goal

3) Creating questions and doubt about whether that character will achieve their goal.

This last point is most of the real work in creating tension. Once you have a goal - let's say it's something straightforward like get out of a burning house - then you can start making decisions.

Sometimes you can give the reader hope that your protagonist will get what they want. They scramble to the kitchen. The doors and windows are jammed tight - but they find a fire extinguisher and there's the sound of fire engines in the distance. You know that feeling... oh, this is good. But it's too easy... It can't be this easy... Something bad is going to happen.... That's doubt. That's good stuff to read. It'll keep you turning pages.

This, of course, doesn't just apply to life and death moments. It applies to any goal your character might have. Impressing the girl. Passing that test. Getting good results from that last doctor's appointment. Whenever you want something, there's the fear you might not get it. Oh, but it does help if you want it badly, and bonus points if you need it. Stakes, people. But that's another lesson...

You can work reader expectations any way you want. Give them hope and tear them down. (mwah ha ha!) Or make them despair, and then turn it around and give them that carrot. Those are valid, important moments in storytelling, too. The point, at least the point I took, is to be smart about those decisions. Look at your scene carefully. I like to use a highlighter. Find those delicious moments of doubt. If you do it, I promise I'll... I swear to you that I'll...

(mwah ha ha ha!)

V, over and out.

Tension & Suspense

Veronica Rossi 2 Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I have to give a solid shout-out to Donald Maass for his tips on crafting suspense. I've attended two of Donald Maass's workshops....

Keeping You in Suspense- by Donna

Donna Cooner Reply Saturday, October 23, 2010

There is nothing better than fall in Colorado. As I write this, a horse drawn wagon filled with pumpkins and kids just clip-clopped down ...

Follow Friday- Emma Dryden

Donna Cooner 2 Thursday, October 21, 2010

I was very excited to recently learn I have the opportunity to work with editor extraordinaire, Emma Dryden . Emma brings over twenty five ...

Last week I talked about how pieces of my characters come from people I know. And I don’t think it can be helped that all of my characters have pieces of me. But my favorite characters are the ones who show up fully formed in my head, chattering away until I get them down on paper. Since I write in first person, these characters often become the primary character for my novels, and if I’m lucky, they don’t stop talking until I’ve typed the words, “The End.”

Yes, sometimes I do worry that I must fall off the very deep end of even Donna’s Texas-style crazy scale. But it’s these characters who teach me the most, by letting me see and experience the world through their eyes. They’ve also given me something I never expected: a little nerve.

You see, despite their different backgrounds, situations and conflicts, all of my main characters share a common trait. They’re invisible. Whether it’s by circumstance or design, they are safe in the shadows. But it’s by stepping outside of their comfort zones and letting others in, that each discover their true potential.

For Berry Fields, the teenage private investigator in SPIES AND PREJUDICE (Egmont 2012), staying in the background is a necessity, and keeping boys away is a conscious choice. So when Tanner Halston sits down across from her and flashes a perfect grin, she’s not prepared:

“My breath momentarily catches in my throat. Oh hell no. My stomach did not just flip inside out. I’ve seen countless men look at a girl in just the way that Tanner looks at me now. Right before they screw their secretary, the grocery store clerk, or some random coed in a diner. It’s nothing to get worked up over.”

I can relate. I wasn't at all prepared for the friendly, talented writers who sat across the table from me at my first conference critique. I didn't even know I needed the YA Muses until I found them, and now I don't know if I could do this without them.

Evoney Slater from my shiny new WIP, is literally invisible. She’s a ghost who only appears to the living as an omen of their impending death. She knows better than to try to get involved in what’s left of their lives, until she doesn’t:

“Most of the time, I just stand there and stare at the person staring at me, watching their facial expressions change as I vanish before their eyes. That’s what I’m going to do now. Why not? He’s not so bad to look at. “Trust me, you don’t want to know me.” Crap. Did I just answer his question? Edgar and his effing improv.”

I was the same. Always thinking about writing a book but never doing it. Until I did. And then there was no going back.

In BANDIA (Flux 2012), Brianna Paxton is panicked to realize that after years of being invisible to boys, Blake Williams suddenly sees her:

“I straighten my spine and walk to the island, taking a position next to Haley where I am sure to disappear.

It will only be a second before he looks back at Haley.

One.

Two.

Any second now.

Blake doesn’t look away, so I do. I concentrate on one blue shoe. Stupid, uncomfortable, way too high shoe. Like running was ever an option.”

Sometimes I feel like disappearing too. But high heels or no high heels, running is not an option.

Three characters who’ve spent years lurking in the background, hiding from the world and hiding from themselves. None can discover their true potential until they are thrust outside of their safety net, but no journey worth taking is without complications, conflict and heartache.

Is it any wonder I’ve started to ponder what’s at stake for me as I step out of the shadows? Well, if Brianna can face her darkest fears, and Evoney can confront life and death, and Berry can learn to trust in love, what do I have to lose by actually writing a book instead of just burying my nose in one? What do I have to gain?

I guess I’ll have to wait for the second act to find out. But in the meantime, I’m taking a page from my characters and enjoying the journey.

Characters Build Character by Talia

Talia Vance Reply Thursday, October 21, 2010

Last week I talked about how pieces of my characters come from people I know. And I don’t think it can be helped that all of my characters ...

Little known fact: I wanted to be an actress. Spent several years studying it. I even got an acting scholarship to my (first) college. Live theater, the murmur of the audience, the smell of the dust and sweat in the costumes, the creak of the floorboards. The applause. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the applause. But the best part? Getting into character.

I was taught acting by a believer in the Stanislavski system – related to Method acting – where the actor must discover ways to become the character in order to represent her fully onstage. Every scene, every action had to be questioned (which, at the age of 18, became a little tedious, but now I get it). Why does the character arrange the flowers in this scene? What is her motivation? What does she want? And what will she do to get it? Not in this scene, or even the next, but is she thinking about what she will do in Act II already? And how do you convey that? With a look? A gesture? A stillness?

Brilliant stuff, right? So what does all this have to do with writing fiction? Everything. But you’re clever people, you’ve figured that out already. Because what do we do when we write a scene? We ask ourselves the question, “What does my main character want?” But Stanislavski and I are asking you to go a little deeper. Walk in your character’s shoes. Sit for a minute in his chair. Listen to the silence or the chaos that surrounds him. Drink his cold cup of tea. Feel that. And write it down.

You don’t have to run out and take an acting class to get into character. You can do it at home. Answer Veronica’s questions. Think of some of your own. But if you want to try, go for it. It’s awesome. You get to do things you’d never do in real life: slap people, kiss strangers, dress up as the opposite sex, spout gibberish, become a queen or a mad man or Blanche DuBois (one role I always coveted and never got to play). But then, you kind of get to do that, anyway, don’t you?

End note: What happened to my dream of becoming an actress? Halfway through my college career I took my first trip abroad. And round about month three, in the deserts of Morocco, having seen real faces and characters and life and death and fear and pain and joy, I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in a windowless black box. I’ve done lots of plays since then, and hope to do more. I admire the people who make a living at it. I admire even more the people who strive to – therein lies passion. But me? I’m much happier where I am.