Why Read Suspense?

It was a dark and stormy night...

Why do I like to read books that depict the darker elements and side of humans? It's a great question. Aren't the headlines filled with enough horrible things, like the 3 year old in St. Louis who was snatched from her front yard Saturday? Or the riots in London? Or how about an economy that seems to spiral ever deeper?

With the world in such a state, why would a girl want to read about a fictional world that's in chaos?

I don't know. Really. While I love a good historical romance or a contemporary romance, I love a good suspense -- especially if it ends in hope. I like to experience the ever tightening spiral of suspense to the point I wonder if all will survive -- if God is in the middle of it. Not that I want a sermon on every page or even in the book. But I want to smell His fragrance and sense His presence. I want to close the book with the sense that He is always there even in the darkest night.

How about you? Why do you read suspense?

NANOWRIMO

Hi all, Lynette Eason here.

Today is the first day of Nanowrimo. I just finished up NovelTrack where you set your own goal. I set a goal of 50,000 and only made 36,000. BUT, I have an excuse. I had emergency gall bladder surgery and that knocked me for a loop and off my word count for several days. Very disappointing.

Anway, I’ve moved past the month of October and decided to go with Nanowrimo for the month of November. With Nanowrimo, the goal is set for you. 50,000 words in one month. The idea is to write a book in a month.

I decided to take it seriously this year and do it. One reason is because I have a book due on January 2, 2011 and think this will motivate me to keep writing even when I want to procrastinate or quit for the day. To do 50,000 words in one month, you have to write 1,667 words a day. I set a goal of 2,000 a day simply because I like round numbers. Ha.

How about you guys. Are any of you going for the 50,000 word goal?

If so, best of luck to you.

Lynette

The Day We Really DID Find that Body!

Dana Mentink, reporting in. I believe I have been writing mystery and suspense for too long. I find myself thinking things like…that would be a great place to find a body! Or, I wonder what it would feel like to be lost in the Antarctic? While I was on vacation, what do you know? We DID actually find a body. See attached photo.
Bodies everywhere? Danger at every turn? These are the perils of living in an imaginary world a lot of the time. But there are advantages too. I am absolutely sure that the bad guys are going to be punished at the end of my novels. Unlike real life, justice is served! I am equally as certain that someone will find a lasting love, no dogs will be killed and most of the good folks will survive. Pretty nifty, huh? Creating my own world is a difficult job, but it’s got some perks too. Must go now and save my heroine from a ruthless killer. Ta!

Building Suspense with ACFW!

by Debby Giusti

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure and honor to visit the American Christian Fiction Writers' WORD Chapter in Buford, Georgia. President Lindi Peterson (sitting to my left in the first photo) invited be to present a workshop on Building Suspense in Any Genre. The topic was fun to research and made me realize, yet again, how much I love the suspense genre.

The members were so warm and welcoming, and although I live quite a distance from where they hold their monthly meetings, I wanted to become a part of the group and joined that evening. Diana Shuford (far right in the photo below) and I rode together and hope to return at various times throughout the upcoming year. If you're a writer and live near the Mall of Georgia, check out this wonderful and talented group of writers!

During the program, I discussed a number of ways to build suspense that could easily be adapted to other genres. Suspense relies on tension and conflict, which must be in every book to keep the reader interested and ready to turn the next page.

One of my favorite suspense techniques is giving the reader a superior position. That's when he or she knows something the hero or heroine doesn't. A cop hero may learn the identity of the serial killer, targeting women in his hometown. The reader learns about the killer while in the hero's POV then, in the next scene, becomes totally engaged in the story when the heroine invites the killer, who--unbeknownst to her--is also a plumber, into her home to fix the clogged drain pipe in her laundry room.

Another favorite technique is to end a chapter with a cliffhanger and then reverse the POV in the next scene. The reader has to quickly read through the next scene before learning how the cliffhanger problem is resolved.

James Scott Bell's book, The Art of War for Writers, provided an interesting tip on writing comedy. Bell states, "To write a comedy, make the characters believe they are in a tragedy." He goes on to say the tragedy is trivial because the characters have blown something out of proportion. Often the situation can seem like a life or death issue to the characters, which means the author may often use suspense techniques to build up that trivial tragedy.

The old adage about learning when we teach held true for me last week. I learned a lot about writing in general and especially suspense because of the WORD ACFW Chapter. Thanks to all those who made the evening so enjoyable.

Happy writing! Happy reading!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
http://www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com/