Posts
The suspense is killing me ...
The FIRST rule ...
Create characters with such depth and resonance that the reader cares when you place them in jeopardy.
The SECOND rule ...
SLOW BURN.
The danger must approach relentlessly, slowly, seemingly unstoppably ... then BAM!!
The THIRD rule ...
SIZZLE sells the steak.
The problem of readers being bored isn’t solved by adding action but instead by adding apprehension.
Suspense is anticipation; action is payoff.
You don’t increase suspense by “making things happen,” but by promising that they will.
The FOURTH rule...
FORESHADOW don't TELEGRAPH the danger.
The FIFTH rule ...
Make Death not an IF merely a WHEN.
Make the suspenseful scene seemingly impossible to get of.
Now, get out there
and raise some goosebumps
on your readers!
Suspense, apprehension, and death.
ReplyDeleteOr just blood, boobs, and carnage!
Ah, I think that is a Quintin Tarentino film you last described! :-)
DeleteThe 5th rule is a good one, probably one we forget the most.
ReplyDeleteHitchcock was a master of that rule! I am so sorry to hear of your feline companion. :-(
DeleteAbsolutely brilliant! It's all about the buildup. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, suspense as a strip-tease. :-) Thanks for the nice compliment, David.
DeleteSlow burn suspense is the best.
ReplyDeleteHitchcock wrote that is was the sizzle that sold the steak! :-)
DeleteWonderful advice! And I really need to work on all of these. Thanks for the reminder as I'm getting ready to start my next book.
ReplyDeleteI need to keep working on them for my own new novel, too. Night Season: Worldwide Espionage meets the Supernatural. :-) Highest of sales with your next book, Gwen!
DeleteForeshadowing is one of my favorite writing tools. Definitely helps build suspense without being too obvious!
ReplyDeleteOne of mine, too, Sarah! :-
DeleteI naively believed Jurassic Park was a nice little science fiction movie, then it scared the CRAP out of me in the theater! Awesome clips and post.
ReplyDeleteYes, those raptors made quite an impression on me, too. That is why I created by species of evolved raptors living in the swamps near New Orleans in many of fantasies. Brrr! :-)
DeleteOh yes. All of those steps will do it! Well done, Roland.
ReplyDeleteI hope this post helps my friends craft suspense better. And thanks for the kind words! :-)
DeleteFive great rules to post near the keyboard when I start my first revision! I especially like #5 - not if, when!
ReplyDeleteLee, yes, Not If, When seems to be the story of my life lately!! :-)
DeleteI love rule three. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Sizzle does sell the steak ... at least to me as a reader, Anna! :-)
DeleteJust piling on the action doesn't do it at all. I've read enough submissions that fell so flat with no suspense or intrigue at all.
ReplyDeleteExactly, there is no suspense in a roller coaster ride ... after awhile you get burned out by the speed of it all, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these tips. Even as a horror writer, writing suspense can be a challenge for me.
ReplyDeleteThe best horror I think is a slow, increasing in dread kind of horror. My last four Dark Hollywood books have been historical horror/fantasy so I tried to follow my own rules! :-)
DeleteWow. Great post. I love the build up. Really great ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. Hope your writing goes really well! :-)
DeleteGood advice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking so, Mary. :-)
Delete