-
Your story must: entertain, educate, enlighten
-
Bite-sized chapters are preferable for today's
ADD/strapped-for-time readers. People
have short attention spans nowadays.
Despite the shortness of the chapters, the author's job is to get the
reader to turn the page and start the next chapter.
-
Don't let the facts get in the way when it's a
page-turning suspense. Page-turning
suspense is for EVERY genre.
-
Everyone needs editing. Everyone.
The scene needs to move the plot!
-
Use critique groups like a salad – choose what
fits. Pay attention of multiple
critiquers bring attention to the same issue.
-
Put your first draft away for a month and then
review/revise it with fresh eyes.
-
Everything that is real must be right.
-
1 twist for every 2 characters. 3 characters – 2 twists
-
“The palest of ink is better than the best
memory” - write stuff down whenever you can!!
Don't try to retain too much in your head. Get it on the paper.
-
Difference between thriller and mystery – reader
knows who the villain is near the beginning in a thriller. How it's done vs who done it? (mystery)
-
Engage the reader with the main character – with
the character reach his/her goal???
-
Mysteries and thrillers are popular because
people are naturally problem-solvers.
-
Don't trick the reader, give them an “ah-ha”
moment.
-
Raise the stakes. Something awesome is about to happen—but
under certain conditions. (Ex: (amazing
possibility)You can have a million dollars...(condition)but only if you can get
to Catalina by noon.)
-
Good suspense depends a great deal on
backstory. But don't use backstory up
front!
-
Write the whole story first (try to first plow
through to the end, don't agonize forever on the first chapter)—you can always
go back later and change/move around/delete things.
-
Use prologues sparingly. Start off with chapter one. You have to hook the reader in the first 2
pages.
-
Make the reader care about something, then put
it in danger. Make the stakes high
enough to make people care about the character/character's goals. IF this happens, THEN this
happens...
-
If you want to increase the tension,
shorten/clip the sentences
-
Create a ticking time bomb—something that must
be accomplished, or all is lost! What is
the obstacle? Throw rocks at your
characters.
-
Use senses/setting to generate tension and anticipation
(ex: The telephone is off the hook. A
broken window. Water left running in the
sink, etc).
-
Use longer sentences to slow down time
-
Break tension by having something happen (ex:
the phone rings)
-
The twists must be more believable than what was
previously thought/suspected.
-
If you're going to pull the rug out from under
your reader, then give them a place to stand
No comments:
Post a Comment