Suspense is Critical

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Story revolves around suspense. From the first page, there needs to be a compelling story developing. Tension. Argument. A chase of some kind. A search for something important. And possibly even a dead body, be it human or animal.

Recently I picked up a book that sounded interesting. The youngest daughter had been implicated in the murder of her father and the near death of her mother, but the boyfriend was found guilty on circumstantial evidence. Sounds compelling, right?

The problem is that the story moved too slowly. It felt as if the same thoughts and actions happened over and over. Worry about the youngest daughter moving back home. The accused being released from prison on a technicality. The oldest daughter, once a thriving mother with tremendous potential, now wallowing at home.

I kept waiting for something to happen. Some action that brought renewed fear into the protagonist’s life. A window found open. A bloody knife left in plain sight. A note or call that threatened. But none of that ever happened.

As a writer, you have an obligation to engage your readers with suspense, even if your story is not a murder mystery or thriller.

How do you do this? Your protagonist has to interact with others, animate or inanimate. This interaction brings up a strong emotional response. The character reacts, either by confronting the “thing” or by running away or by putting it out of mind. This leads to more tension as the “thing” comes back again and again to haunt the character, spurring the character into action once again.

Your job is to take something that you’ve written, that perhaps you find less than compelling, and reread, looking for spots where the story bogs down. Where there is a pronounced lag.

As you discover these places, fix them either by eliminating them altogether or by turning them into scenes with dialogue, action, tension.

This will not be easy as we often do not like to rewrite our pieces, but you must.

Good luck on this one.

Bigotry in the World

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Bigotry seems to be running rampant in the world. Little or no reason is necessary to hate someone. It could be the color of the skin, a disability that impairs movement, religion, the way someone dresses or even income. A bigot hates because he/she can and feels no obligation to justify the emotion.

Characters that are prejudiced are not pleasant to read about, unless, of course, the reader believes in the same ways.

Imagine that your character comes in contact with someone who is prejudiced against people like himself. What might occur? What types of hurtful things might be said?

How might your character respond? Your character might try reasoning with the bigot, giving examples to counter the misguided beliefs. Your character might simply walk away, as quickly as possible, but not be able to shake off the image.

There might be physical contact: a little pushing and shoving. One of them might have a weapon of some sort and flourish it about. There might be injury, either through a fall, a nick of a knife or a bullet.

Think about the story you are going to write. First make a list that describes your protagonist’s qualities. Then a list for the antagonist.

Choose a scene in which they are likely to come in contact with each other.

Put the characters in the scene and set things in motion. Keep in mind where you want it to go. Do you want violence? Death? Hurtful words exchanged? As you write, guide your characters in your chosen direction.

This story might feel contrived, but stick with it anyway. Bring things to a head, and then a conclusion. Then go back and rewrite, adding in details that add to the description.

Good luck with this one.

 

Transitions

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As we grow, we pass through many transitional points in our lives, none as dramatic as those of a child. From the time of conception, the changes are rapid and dramatic. There are too many to name, but think of those that mark milestones.

For example: rolling over, sitting and crawling, first tooth, standing, running, potty training.

Once we are able to process the spoken word, then comes enjoyment of books, games, rhymes, stories.

At last we hit school age where we learn to socialize with peers outside of our home. We master puzzles, learn to draw and color within the lines, and form beliefs in magical beings. We wish on stars and dream of being astronauts.

Your task is to think of a time of transition that either you have gone through or your character is going through. This does not have to be a children’s story, but it can be.

Write a scenario in which the character, after many trials, masters the skill. Include description and emotion. There can be frustration, failure and elation.

Have fun with this one!

Good luck.

The Issue of Health

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There is no such thing as a complete healthy human being. We all have issues, of some sort or another, varying in intensity from mild to severe.

Even young children are afflicted with something or other. For example, it is not uncommon for kids to have ear infections or to suffer the flu.

Teens might struggle with bladder infections, cramps or the common cold.

Then there are sprains, strains and broken bones.

As we age, we run into even more difficulties. We might need glasses or hearing aids. We might have difficulty swallowing or lose some degree of balance.

The challenge this week is to write a story/scene in which your protagonist has some type of health issue. Before you write, think about how it affects his/her life. Does it mean sitting in the front row in a classroom? Walking with a cane? Using a walker or wheelchair?

There needs to be conflict to make the story interesting, so use the health issue as an impetus for the conflict. Perhaps people get tired of shouting to be heard or maybe the character is color blind and so runs a red light.

Your task, then, is to add complexity to your character. Make her real, dealing with actual issues that all of us struggle with at one time or another.

Good luck with this one.

The Electricity Goes Out

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Imagine life without electricity in the contemporary world. We would be angry, frustrated and bored. We could not access our landline phones, television or radio. We could not cook and keeping things cold could be a serious problem. Those of us lucky enough to own electric cars could not charge them.

This is the problem that arises in your next story. This does not take place in the past when rugged individuals knew nothing about the joys of electricity.

Set up your scene and introduce your character in an interesting way. Then the power goes out and stays off not just for hours, but days. Think of the passage of time and how the character feels as each minute, each day passes with no change.

Describe the emotional state of your character as well as what the individual does to survive. Think about the senses. Smells. Sights. Taste. Touch.

Have fun with this one.

Good luck.

Consider Nature in Your Writing

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Nature is a force that we cannot ignore in our stories. It can be kind and gentle, as when it brings storms that refresh the earth, allowing plants and trees to grow. It cleanses our air and turns the grasses green.

It can also bring tornadoes and hurricanes that cause destruction and take lives.

Mudslides sweep down hills, taking down buildings, bridges, roads and making it impossible for people to get through to safety.

Earthquakes bring down buildings, often trapping people and pets inside.  They destroy houses of rich and poor alike.

Trees fall when their root systems become weak. If we are lucky, they come down in forests and do no further damage. But they also fall on cars, killing passengers, and on houses, injuring sleeping children.

Droughts eat up the water, making it a precious commodity that has to be rationed. But not everyone saves water. Stories abound about the wealthy who ceaselessly water their green lawns while the poor look at dried brown grass and collect used water in buckets.

Your task is to write a story in which weather plays a part. You need to decide whether it’s a force for good or destruction. Whether someone gets hurt or not.

Be descriptive in your telling. Use the senses to allow your readers to be there, experiencing the same things that your characters go through. The reader needs to be able to feel the force of the wind, the sting of the rain, the shaking of the earth, the strength of the wind.

Have fun with this one.

Good luck.

The Storm

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Imagine that it is raining. Not a soft, gentle rain, but a downpour that rattles the windows and creates floods of water overflowing banks and filling gutters.

Imagine your character inside, sitting by the window, watching it all happen. She sees leaves torn from trees that bend, almost touching the ground. She sees branches break and tumble across the lawn. She watches people who run with newspapers over their heads, getting soaked as they dash from the shelter of one building to the next.

In your story, worse things happen. Think of the news stories that you have seen on television. Recall the devastation that follows. The homes destroyed. Cars carried away. Lives lost.

Write that story from your character’s point of view. You can choose first person, if that works for you. Describe the emotions your character feels as the storm impacts his life. What goes through his mind. What he wants to save and what he chooses to leave behind. Be careful not to make a list. Instead, weave it into the description, piece by piece, paragraph by paragraph.

This will not be an easy to story to write as we don’t like to write about those things that we fear. Tackle it anyway, for it will push you beyond your comfort zone.

The important thing to remember is that bad things happen to good people and those stories deserve telling.

Good luck!

The Evil One’s Story

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Not all characters are likeable.  In fact, some are downright despicable. Yet for some readers, such characters are compelling. The reader wants to know what motivates the character and what he will do next.

Perhaps the character has been a victim of emotional abuse since childhood. She is quiet and shy, prefers to be alone and fears crowds. She has few, if any, friends. She never leaves the house. Yet something happens that forces her out of her protective shell and into the world.

Readers might enjoy seeing how this character interacts with the world and whether or not she is changed by her experiences.

What about the abuser? Why kinds of things has he done to the victim? Is the abuse emotional, physical, sexual or all three? For how long has the abuse been going on? What happens when the victim fights back?

Think about the serial killers you see in television shows such as Criminal Minds. Each week another one is set loose in the community. She picks her victims sometimes by random, sometimes with intent. Perhaps the color of the hair triggers a strong emotional reaction. Maybe it’s the shape of the face or the size of the feet. Perhaps she hates all teachers because she was once bullied by a teacher.

Your task is to create a situation in which your protagonist is not likeable. He fits one of the profiles above, or maybe one you’ve been thinking about for a while.

Give your character at least one victim and then put him in action. Let the reader see what he does, in rich detail. Do not hesitate to include gore, if that’s what turns your abuser on. But be careful. Too much gore when not important to the story might turn off your readers.

This will be a challenging topic. I’d like to close in my usual way by saying have fun with this one, but it does not feel appropriate.

Good luck!

Another Look at the Past

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Storytellers and memoir writers have to keep in mind that telling what happened in the past can affect how a person looks at the present.

One effective way of detailing the past is through the form of letter writing.

Address the letter to the main character or to yourself. Begin:

Dear Mattie,

And then write notes that encourage the character to overcome past occurrences, emotional distress or offenses committed against self or others.

For example:

“When you were a little girl, you were stuck between a brother who was worshiped by your mother and a sister who could do no wrong. This put you in a precarious position that was none of your doing. No matter how hard you tried, you could never be as perfect as your brother nor as needy as your sister. You tried to garner your mother’s attention by being shy and retiring.”

And so on.

Do not hold back. Speak about the things that the character/you did that got you in trouble or lead you down the wrong path. About those things that you could not control but that shaped who you later became. About those things that you did well for which you earned promotions, degrees, letters of accomplishment.

Do not try to cover the entire life in one letter, but rather construct a series of letters as information pops into your head.

After you have written a letter, think about how you can turn the details into a story. Construct likely dialogue and interpersonal interactions that might have happened. Do not worry about being exact as that will hold you back.

Your task is to write at least one letter either to yourself or to a main character. Make it at least 4 paragraphs long. Touch on emotional issues that motivated you/your character to react. When you are finished, do not put the letter in your story. Turn it into a series of scenes, including dialogue, that are interesting to read.

Have fun with this one!

Good luck.

Dealing with the Past

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In Karen White’s contemporary novel, The Sound of Glass, the secrets of the past are interwoven with events of the present. As the story unfolds, the strings binding together families slowly unravel, revealing a disturbing proclivity that is spread across time, place and generation.

This novel reminds us that a person’s history is built by a series of events that influence the development of character.

A classic example is that of an abusive parent or spouse, who abuses the children of the union, who then grow up not knowing any other path of relationship building, and so repeat the pattern of violent action on a new generation.

Likewise a family that is created by love, kindness and caring raises children who feel the warmth, grow up understanding how love binds together individuals and so build new relationships based on mutual respect.

When designing a character, the writer must take into consideration that individual’s past. While the past might not be described in the text, but it does influence how an individual sees and responds to the world.

One way to do this is to write a character sketch of a defining moment in that person’s life. It could be a remembrance of being held in the father’s arms, snuggling with a sibling in a hammock strung between two strong trees, talk around the table during dinner.

Imagine how differently the individual sees the world if he is smacked across the face for speaking during a meal, pushed against a wall for dropping a toy that shatters into pieces or is whipped with a belt for forgetting to pick up dirty clothes.

Your task is to create the background for a character that already exists in one of your stories. You can do this either by writing a scene or by making a list of bulleted points.

Once you have done this, reread your story and look for places where the individual’s reactions would be influenced by the past. Make corrections in order to build consistency.

Have fun with this one.

Good luck.