jigsaw
Senior Writer
Purveyor of Random Wierdness
Posts: 238
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Post by jigsaw on Jul 5, 2006 19:44:47 GMT -5
Suspense.
Something that I really want to work on building but am not sure if its effective. Or whether its working at all. Anyone got any ideas on this element?
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Imp
Speaker of the Forums
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Post by Imp on Jul 5, 2006 20:16:27 GMT -5
The less said, the more implied - tends to build suspense. I know that your tendency is towards lengthy description, Jig - try something brief, neatly chosen words and imply the oddity, atmosphere, danger.
Hithcock has a collection of short stories ("Stories of Suspense") that has many shorts as good examples.
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jigsaw
Senior Writer
Purveyor of Random Wierdness
Posts: 238
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Post by jigsaw on Jul 5, 2006 20:26:14 GMT -5
Yeah, I think I have gone past/ am moving past previous mistakes such as that. Thanks for the tip.
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Post by Crysi on Jul 7, 2006 19:47:58 GMT -5
Hmm... Leave the readers wondering key facts about whatever the situation is. For instance, right now I'm reading A Clash of Kings, the second book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. He decided to write each chapter from a different character's perspective, and the chapters almost always end on an exciting note, with the character being taken captive or an army sent out into battle. It can be a little frustrating sometimes, but only because it creates an incredible amount of suspense. So one way to create suspense is to end a chapter on an exciting point or a problem and don't immediately address the solution in the next chapter (or two). Another way to create suspense: be vague! Don't just say something like, "She almost dropped the coin overboard, which made Captain Barbossa and the crew cringe: they needed that coin to complete their collection of Aztec gold." You're not writing an outline here. In fact, you could actually write an outline for the scene you want to have suspense, then take away a few key parts and write the rest of the scene. Overall, it just takes practice. Write a scene or two, then post it and let us know you're trying to create suspense. That will give us a point to focus on when we critique it. It's okay to post practice scenes! You'll get the hang of it soon enough. And on a side note... I love the quotes in your signature. Especially the second one. Wonderful movie. *grins*
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Post by Deloclya on Jul 7, 2006 20:35:20 GMT -5
Suspense is really important in my current piece... I think the short sentance thing works here as well, not just for action scenes. I totally agree with Crysi, leaving bits of information out is extremely helpful, as well as cliff hangers. Too many cliff hangers will anger your readers though, so use them where they're appropriate... Another thing that works for me is showing the character's confusion and anxiety... if the character is calm and serene when you're attempting to write suspense it doesn't work. It has to be believable. Even if it's just a slight thing, like they're trying to keep their cool but they fidgit and pull at their clothing, that can work well too. Sensory detail is key as well. here's a link, it's about writing suspense in romance, but worth a look. www.barbaradawsonsmith.com/writing%20suspense.htmhere's another article about writing suspense, I liked this one better personally. www.michelemartinez.com/article_writing_suspense.htmhope that helps
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Post by Firestarter on Jul 8, 2006 13:53:50 GMT -5
A quote from a book I have:
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jigsaw
Senior Writer
Purveyor of Random Wierdness
Posts: 238
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Post by jigsaw on Jul 10, 2006 2:29:20 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I've got the cliffhanger part of it covered. It's not that I think I'm no good at it, I just want to improve.
As to writing a scene...I find that difficult for some reason. If I write a scene I have to write a story. To justify the scene or just to continue it, because once I'm writing the scene ideas will flow and i wont be able to stop.
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Post by Snoink on Jul 10, 2006 16:58:16 GMT -5
First of all, it has to make sense. For instance, if I'm writing something which is inevitable and it has the readers going, "OMG! NO!" and yet, the characters' reactions to the event make perfect sense, then that will be absolutely thrilling for the reader. Suspense can be created by knowing the inevitable but waiting to see hit in action anyway. You know this one character is going to die, you knew it from the start. But how? So for suspense to really work, you have to answer that "how?" question as well as you can. How does this transformation, from living to dead, come about? That's one neat way to create suspense. Another thing which is really good is cliffhanger. I wrote about cliffhangers here.To add onto that article, there are little nuances. Showing works better than telling here. We don't know what happens, so watching it unfold before our eyes is BIG. And awesome. So good luck!
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