Things You'll Need:
- Practice
- Practice
- Practice
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Step 1
images. bid or buy. co. zaAPPETIZER - Writing a novel that’s suspenseful requires that you stimulate the reader’s appetite, but leave her wanting more. The simplest and most innocuous words can be suspenseful. The partial line in the Short Description section above demonstrates just that. But the opening “hook” can be overused, and withholding the answer is just one of many elements of suspenseful writing.
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Step 2
imthi.comPACING - By definition, suspense is a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety. Suspense is, of course, an important part of any good story writing. Writing an entire novel based on suspense requires pacing. There is a delicate mix between keeping the reader off balance, and annoying the heck out of him. Practice will help you learn the difference between giving too much up and holding too much back.
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Step 3
www. nd. eduDECEPTION – In suspense writing, honesty isn’t always the best policy. Which character is telling the truth? Which is telling a partial truth or outright lies? Keep in mind, though, that it’s okay for the characters to lie to your protagonist(s), but it’s never good writing practice for the writer to lie to the audience. That’s called the cheat, and it is a sure sign of poor writing skills.
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Step 4
www. uwm. eduDANGER! – In order for a suspense novel to be successful, a potential victim, innocent bystanders, or the protagonist herself must be in immediate danger. If no one is in danger of some kind, your suspense novel might as well be a travel brochure.
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Step 5
the goddess blogs. comIMMEDIACY – Along with danger, writing is more suspenseful when immediacy is part of the equation…a countdown before the engines explode (what would Star Trek have been without it?), a deadline before the heroine suffocates, a nick-of-time rescue from the jaws of certain death.
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Step 6
img2. photo graphers direct. comANTICIPATION – Building suspense through anticipation is a way of investing the reader in the story. In romantic suspense, anticipation builds as the characters flirt and laugh with each other, teasing the reader at the same time.
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Step 7
4. bp. blog spot. comDYNAMIC DUO – Your protagonist cannot face the suspenseful situation alone! It is often helpful to have a partner or a team to work together to solve and eliminate the danger.
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Step 8
www. best- horror- movies. comFEARS and NIGHTMARES – In writing a suspense novel, especially a horror novel, common fears and nightmares are pay dirt! Take a look at the horror section in your local bookstore or online, and you’ll see that readers love to be scared. Using these devices builds tension and anxiety not only in the story’s characters, but also in the reader.
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Step 9
www. inside so cal. comTENSION – Tension is the flip side of anticipation. In a visual medium such as TV or movies, music often does the job of building tension. In writing a suspense novel, the writer builds tension through increasing danger to the characters in the story. Giving the reader’s emotions time to build is key to a successful suspense novel. In addition to having relatable characters, giving the reader’s emotions time to build and anticipate the possible outcomes of a desperate situation is key to a good suspense novel.
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Step 10
johnston co arts. files. word press. comMOTIVATIONS and POINT OF VIEW – What makes the villain do what she does? Why is the old friend obviously lying about where he was on that night? Telling the suspense story in the third person helps you as a writer let the reader in on motivations for certain actions…Oh! The friend lied because he was having an affair with the nanny, but not because he killed the school principal! Aha, the villain killed the school principal because her daughter couldn’t get into Columbia if she got suspended!
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Step 11
www. creating- kids- rooms. comWHEW! THAT WAS CLOSE – A great way to build suspense is to make the hero drop his guard when he opens the door to find his old friend standing there...
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Step 12
www. foto search. comMYSTERY SOLVED – Unless you’re planning on writing a sequel, it’s usually a good idea to solve the mystery for the reader. If you leave the reader hanging in the end, she’ll feel cheated and tell all her friends about her disappointment. That said, rules are made to be broken, so it may not hurt to give a final “wink” to the reader leaving just that grain of uncertainty that everything was wrapped up neatly in a bow. (On that note, the end of the sentence in the Short Description of this article could be anything from “the perfect murder” to “the perfect dinner party menu” depending on what type of novel you’re writing.)
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Step 13
static. open. salon. comGET STARTED – As Stephen King said, “The scariest moment is just before you write,” so get started and let the games begin!
Comments
mistyblue1965 said
on 6/23/2009 Super advice...fantastic layout...motivational!
1GoGetter said
on 4/14/2009 Fabulous, funny and fortuitous for those ready to write a suspense novel! 5*s
greatnews said
on 4/14/2009 Awesome article on How to Write a Suspense Novel! 5 *'s
JeannieKerns said
on 4/14/2009 Great article :-)
Mitestarossa said
on 4/12/2009 Excellent ideas on how to write a suspense novel.