Creating Suspense to Strengthen the Narrative Arc

Great novels grab your attention and never let it go until the reader looks up from reading, “The End.” That’s a given. But it’s not always easy to grab that reader’s attention. What you need is suspense.

Suspense is created by an uncertainty about what happens next in your story. So–what does happen next? Something unexpected, of course. But let’s go back to the basics.

What happens in a story is conflict; without something bad happening you don’t have a story. Suspense is the reader’s worry about what will happen because of that conflict.

How can you increase the reader’s worry?

Conflict, character, details, consequences, emotion, uncertainty, anticipation = suspense

Let readers root for the characters. Likewise, if we care for the characters, we worry more. Good characterization gives us cause to root for a character and his/her eventual success over the conflict. If we know that a woman has been abused, but come out of it and successfully raised two lovely children, then we worry more when she starts dating a man we suspect of being an alcoholic.

Details. In order to characterize well, give readers a person to root for and to evoke strong emotions, you must include great details. This means you must think about what the setting is like in terms of sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and tactile possibilities. Use specific sensory details to evoke the situation and give the reader a blow by blow of the action of the story.

Feel the Consequences. Once you place the reader in the situation with strong details which evoke strong characters set into overwhelming conflict, then evoke even stronger emotions by making sure the reader understands the consequences of failure. This is the, “So What?” question. If X fails to do Y–so what? Who cares? You must provide enough details on the consequences or hint at it broadly enough for the reader to guess the consequences.

How can you escalate the reader’s worry?

At any particular moment in the story, you can use the strategies above to evoke worry. But that’s not enough, because a story isn’t static, it quickly moves from one scene to the next. And it’s not enough to just evoke the same amount of worry, you must escalate the suspense of your story.

Begin at the right place. Looking over the broad picture of your story, the need for escalation requires that you start at a place of strong conflict, but not so strong that the situation can’t get worse. You must find a strong enough place to create suspense; yet, that exact situation and time in the story must allow for a progression of scenes in which things get worse. In other words, make sure the sequence of scenes makes sense.

Conflict must change. In some way, as the story progresses, the character’s situation(s) must change, usually by building on the initial conflict. You must ask how things can get worse. This is often a place where I get stuck and find it helps to take the situation apart. Would it be worse at a different time? A different place? With different characters? Or try it from a different stance: what is the worse thing your character would ever have to face? That is the ending scene and how can you back up from there and soften the conflict?

Add uncertainty. As you work with the plot and conflicts, search for ways to bring in or to imply uncertainly.

• No one has tried this approach before.
• Theoretically, this should work.
• Someone tried this and it didn’t work, but we have no choice but to try it again.

Scene cuts. Try using scene cuts to leave X hanging while you present a scene with Y that leaves Y hanging; then come back to X, finish the first scene and transition immediately into the second scene which–of course–leaves X hanging again. Repeat as needed.

Pacing. Much of this is an issue of pacing, which is merely taking the long picture of your story and thinking about how scenes blend with each other. For example, you might follow two fast-paced action scenes with a scene of simple action but more complex character interaction. Here are some suspense building techniques that come from this idea of pacing.

• Include enough details to spread out the story and make the reader wait for needed information.
• Let uncertainty fester: never give a straight answer when a sideways answer will work.
• Stop at unexpected points.
• Deliver the expected, but in an unexpected way.
• Intrigue, but don’t explain–yet. (But don’t cheat here: If your main character knows something, your readers should know it, too.)

Use Dread and Anticipation

Keep in mind the difference in dread and anticipation.

Dread: bad things have happened and even worse things are possible.
Anticipation: something bad could happen unless. . .

Dread builds on past conflict, while anticipation builds on hope of avoiding conflict. Try to use both as you build the suspense of your story.

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Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

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Scene Quiz: From a Harvard Bar to Your Scenes

Yesterday, we talked about what you’d find if you dissected a good scene. Today, we’ll apply this information by studying a scene from the classic movie, Good Will Hunting. (Warning: Adult language) Then, you can apply it to your own scenes.

*|YouTube:ymsHLkB8u3s&hl|*
Watch this four minute scene (If it’s not showing above, you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymsHLkB8u3s&feature=player_embedded) and identify the following:

1. What happens in the beginning phase?
2. What happens in the middle phase?
3. What is the turning point or focal point of the story?
4. How does the scene end? In a disaster (tragedy), in success, or somewhere in between? At the end, what has changed for each character?
5. What is the setting for this scene? Why is this an appropriate scene for the action that happens?
6. What is the underlying emotions of this scene, the pulse, as Sandra Scofield calls it?
7. List at least 3 reasons why this is a necessary scene for this story.
8. What else do you notice about scenes by studying this film clip?

Repeat this analysis for each of the scenes in your novel.
If you want confirmation of your answers, or want to discuss the analysis, please leave a comment.

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Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

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It’s well know that I don’t want an honest critique on my novels or picture books! But for some reason, people keep giving me exactly what I don’t want.

Conflicting Emotions of Receiving a Critique

Yesterday, when my local critique group talked about my latest picture book manuscript, three emotions held sway.

• Embarrassment. I am always embarrassed when someone reads one of my works-in-progress, because it’s, well, not perfect. I know it’s not finished, it’s a draft. I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed, that everyone has to go through drafts. Yet, every time, I just want to hide. I want to cry. I am totally and thoroughly embarrassed.
• Outrage. What? You don’t understand that part of my story? It’s perfectly clear! Did you even read it? Even while embarrassment reigns, I’m also outraged that the readers didn’t understand my story, didn’t agree with my wording, didn’t feel the emotion that I know I evoked. Yes, I’m mad. At myself, as much as you, but I channel all that outrage toward you.
• Working it Out. But even while I’m embarrassed and outraged, I’m rewriting in my head. Oh, if THAT is what bothers you, I could do this or that, or say it this way. I won’t let on, of course, that I’m doing that, because then you would be right (see above!). But I’m doing it. Absolutely. Every time. Because I know that I’m trying to communicate something and if you don’t get it, then my communication isn’t clear and I’ve GOT to fix it. The rational brain is there, behind the emotions, clearly, calmly trying to figure out how to communicate EXACTLY what I want. Not what you want me to communicate. But what I want to communicate.

Critique group, I love you. But don’t let it go to your heads. Because I’m still mad at you! BTW, for the next meeting, I’m bringing a revised version of that last story back for a fresh look.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Take Your Character’s Pulse

The emotional arc of a story is just as important as the narrative arc; it’s just harder to see sometimes. One way to check this emotional or inner conflict arc is to consider scenes one at a time. First mark off one scene in your manuscript. Then, identify the emotional pulse of the scene.

Is there a question that needs an answer?
Does an emotion underlying all the action of the scene?
Does the characters’s emotional state differ at the beginning and end of the scene?

For example, this is the second and third paragraph of the opening chapter of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy :

“Turner Buckminster had lived in Phippsburg, Maine, for almost six whole hours.
He didn’t know how much longer he could stand it.”

The emotional stakes are clear! He doesn’t want to move to this town.

Often you can identify the exact place where the pulse of a scene quickens. Look for it and strengthen it. If a scene lacks a pulse, find a way to make the emotional arc stronger.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win