Today’s reader is savvy and knowledgeable. I believe this is the reason for the rise in
the suspense genre. Complex characters
and shocking plots grab the reader tight, unwilling to let go until the very
end. Conflict advances and drives the
plot into an unpredictable story that leaves us exhausted – yet satisfied.
Suspense is the aphrodisiac that keeps readers turning those
pages. So how do you create a gripping
suspenseful story that leaves everyone talking?
By creating characters the reader cares about while giving conflict,
tension, pacing and clever foreshadowing.
Create situations where your reader is curious about what’s
coming next. This curiosity builds
suspense and a good writer will make it flow naturally. There are many ways to create suspense:
·
By withholding information from the reader
·
By withholding information from the main characters
·
By telling the story from the villain’s POV – withholding from
main characters
·
By the main character knowing who the killer is – but he/she has
to prove it
·
Maybe there’s more than one killer
·
The options are endless as are plots.
Most writers know who the killer is . . . oh, we may be
surprised now and then, but most likely we have a good idea who we believe did
the dead. You could let the reader know
right away – but if you’re like me – I love guessing.
Keeping the killer a mystery to the main characters works so
well, it’s the most common plot. Like I
just said, we love guessing. I want to
dissect all the evidence, evaluate the characters, apply common sense, and
finally draw my own conclusion and hope I guessed who dun it!
Writing the suspense can be tricky . . . you need to foreshadow
along the way just enough so the reader realizes they could have figured it out
– but failed to take that vital bit of information seriously.
So what should you avoid when writing suspense? I think a prolog is a killer. I hate them to be honest. Whatever you need your reader to learn about
a character should be fed in small doses.
Make sure it’s important and ameliorates the plot so the reader will
understand the character’s motive and why he reacts/behaves in certain conditions
or anxious situations.
Intensity is the key to gripping your reader and not letting
go. It speeds up the momentum and the
writer must increase the awareness with each new chapter until it climaxes at
the end. Never let this suspenseful
action slow . . . or your reader will lose interest.
Suspenseful stories also revolve around relationships, usually
love interests, but that can’t realistically interrupt the flow of the
intensity. Don’t have your hero and heroine
chasing down a possible killer in an old mine shaft, then have them suddenly
rolling on the ground in a passionate interlude, then get back to the
chase. I know – we’ve read it before and
doesn’t it just annoy the crap out of you?
It does me.
Keep in mind if your characters are in danger and dealing with a
killer – then we have to be realistic.
Think it through and ask yourself, “Would a couple really stop in the
middle of a chase, have a quickie, then resume the chase?” This might be their only chance to catch the
killer. Your reader would probably
scream, “What are you doing? You’ve
almost caught him! Put your pants back
on and be real.” You must create
believable scenes so your readers don’t question what’s happening.
In writing suspense, emotion is what gets your reader invested
in the story. In knowing the characters,
the reader will either pull for them or become anxious for them to get their
due castigations.
Keep the emotion high so the reader understands the importance
of the situation. It’s the emotion that
motivates us, what dictates how we react, and controls our decisions. And, I’ll say it again, “Suspense is the
aphrodisiac that keeps readers turning those pages.”
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