Creating Tension + Suspense in Fiction #amwriting #writingtips

I infuse a lot of suspense into my novels, since in addition to romance, each of my books also involves some type of paranormal mystery: either spooky hauntings that need to be unraveled, or supernatural secrets that pose a dangerous threat.  Recently, I was invited to meet with a local writing group as a consultant, and one of the topics they asked to cover was methods of injecting suspense and tension into a story.  While these two things work together and are even listed as synonyms for each other in dictionary definitions, they are not exactly the same (although the definitions are pretty close).  Suspense is "a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen" (source link).  In fiction, it's that growing desire to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.  Tension is "a feeling of nervousness, excitement, or fear" (source link).  In fiction, this is driven by emotions and is the element which causes us to worry about the characters.  It can ebb and flow based on the situation.  To try to give a simple example, in Silver Lake, my ghost story/romance, part of the suspense comes from wondering what happened to Brandy.  Tension comes from the dangerous situations Brandy's ghost's best friend, Rain, finds herself in as she tries to answer this question...assuming, of course, the reader has come to care about this character.  A novel doesn't need to be labeled "suspense" or "thriller" to have these elements, either.  Romance involves suspense and tension in terms of the fate of the couple and the obstacles they must overcome, and so I use the following techniques in both aspects of my novels.

As mentioned, suspension and tension work together, and below is the list I came up with for my class on ways to create these two elements in a novel.  I originally posted this as a feature of Writing Tip Tuesday on The Pearls of Writing Wisdom blog, and I'm sharing it this week on my own blog with a few examples.

*Conflict is key.  There should be conflict in any type of commercial fiction.  To increase tension, load on the conflict, both internal and external, to keep characters from their goals.  (See my post of Goal, Motivation, and Conflict here).

*Escalation of story problems, which add new questions beyond the hook (ex: the mystery of Brandy’s disappearance in Silver Lake—questions move from “Could ghosts be real?” to “Is Brandy’s ghost really trying to communicate?” to “How can we help her communicate?” to “What really happened to her five years ago?” to "How far will this desperate spirit go to expose the truth?", ect.).

*Stack the odds against the protagonist. (ex: In the movie MacFarland, USA, a coach new to a predominantly Latino high school in a very low-income area starts up a track team, recruiting boys with speed and endurance from working in the fields...but they have less time and energy to practice, due to field work, less support from their families, since earning extra income is the priority as opposed to sports, and no money for appropriate shoes and uniforms.  All these disadvantages make us anxious to see these underdogs prevail.)

*Make the stakes high.  This does not necessarily mean the entire world will end if the character does not meet his or her goal, but the consequences of not meeting a goal should be extremely negative or even disastrous for the character.

*Give characters impossible choices (ex: Katniss in The Hunger Games—she either must kill other kids (both morally reprehensible and potentially difficult) OR be killed herself.  Neither is a good choice, but she could decide morals take precedence over her own life.  However, her family’s existence depends on her survival, as she provides the source of food.  Plus, she’s promised her sister she’ll survive.  So now we have a truly impossible choice: Kill other kids, who are trying to survive themselves and kill her, including the friendly boy from her district, OR be killed herself, break her promise to her sister, and possibly condemn her family to death.)

*Have some plans fail. (ex: in the movie The Martian, the character's first attempt to rig a system to create water fails...now we are even more worried for his long-term survival.)

*Create urgency.  A time constraint is useful for this (ex: The Finest Hours movie—the Coast Guard rescuers will have to reach the foundering tanker before it sinks into the stormy ocean, or everyone on board will die.)

*Use foreshadowing.  Foreshadowing is used to both build suspense and prepare reader for an event or scenario that otherwise might come out of nowhere.  There are many methods of foreshadowing, from blatant to extremely subtle.

*Make readers care about the protagonist.  Again, there are many ways to do this, including using deep POV to connect reader to character, creating engaging characters with realistic flaws, and avoiding Mary Sues.

*Use dramatic irony to create apprehension.  This can be employed when writing from multiple POVs.  (ex: In Gull Harbor, the reader sees what the bad guy has planned for Claire from his POV chapters.  However, neither Claire nor Max know—this knowledge is only between the reader and the villain.)

These are some of the methods I use...please add your tips for creating suspense and tension! Happy writing!

Fiction Writing + Publication Class in #Falmouth #CapeCod #amwriting #writingtips

My "Fiction Writing and Publication" course is coming to Falmouth, MA, this winter!  In this 5-week class, we'll meet on Tuesday evenings beginning January 26th, from 6-8 pm, and we'll cover a multitude of topics related to writing fiction and getting it published.

There's something for writers at every stage in this class.  We'll go over some of the basics, such as identifying genres in commercial fiction (necessary for meeting reader expectations, writing query letters, submitting to small or digital presses, and/or listing your book in Amazon categories), idea inspiration, staying on track and word count goals.  Once we've covered the basics, we'll move on to showing vs. telling, Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts, character development, and the hook. Common pitfalls will be covered, such as info dumps, cliches, Mary Sues, and POV (Point of View) issues/head hopping.

Finally, we'll get to querying agents or presses and writing the dreaded blurbs and synopsis. We'll go over all the different publishing options available as well as promotion and marketing.

Some of the quotes I received in feedback from my latest class: "Sequential and well-planned lectures.  Kathryn gave ample opportunity for discussions and questions...presented a wealth of information"..."Very good class, covered everything"..."Teacher was great!  Knows her subject!"

So if you're near Falmouth, follow the link for registration info: Falmouth Community School.

Hope to see you there!

Guest Teaching a H.S. Creative Writing Class! #amwriting #HONY

Tomorrow is a big day!  Before Thanksgiving, I received an email from an ELA teacher at the local high school, asking if I'd like to come in as a guest speaker in his Creative Writing Class.  Of course I said yes--what an opportunity to share my passion for writing!  I've been teaching a course on Fiction Writing for the local community college for a while now, and my adult participants have all seemed to really enjoy it--but I have little experience creating a lesson plan for a single visit to a class of high school students.

The teacher and I exchanged emails until we worked out a topic for discussion: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, which is something I spend quite a bit of time on in my own class.  But with the time constraints, we needed to come up with some short examples to analyze after the lecture.  We tossed around a few ideas, and then I hit on something I hope will be engaging, interesting, and effective: two Greek myths full of drama, action, and tragedy.  Once I review the concepts of GMC, we will work as a group to build the GMC charts for several of the characters in each myth.

Then the teacher came up with a great idea for an accompanying exercise for the students after the discussion.  They're going to break into groups and visit the amazing Humans of New York site (HONY).  Many of the stories that accompany the photos reveal the subject's struggle--and often, in the longer stories, it is possible to discern the very real elements of GMC that people face every day.  Students will pick one of the photos and tell us about that person in terms of their goal (what they hope for or dream of), their motivation (why they want this), and the conflict (what they will have to overcome to achieve their dream).  This should be a powerful discussion.

I truly hope the class finds the lesson useful and educational.  And in an odd twist, I discovered that the Beta reader I worked with for DIVINE FALL, my Young Adult Paranormal Romance, is in the class!  Since the protagonist in the book is a 16-year-old girl, and I am not, I contacted the school's volunteer office a few years ago to see if anyone was interested in taking on the project.  So I will get to thank her personally once again, and perhaps motivate some other aspiring writers to become Beta readers in order to learn more about the process.

It is late and the class is early, so I need to get to bed.  Fingers crossed for a great class tomorrow.

The Pearls of Writing Wisdom #writingtips #amwriting

I'm part of a great new blog dedicated to providing writing tips and inspiration twice a week!  Nine authors from my agency take turns posting - on "Writing Tip Tuesday" and "Friday Inspiration". We write in a variety of genres, so there is something for everyone here - please join us by following our blog, The Pearls of Writing Wisdom, and Like our Facebook page too!

Today's post is by yours truly, on Goal, Motivation, and Conflict charts (GMC).  The green bolded title is the link to the post, so please stop by an comment...I'd love to hear from you! Happy Writing.

Teaching Creative Writing! #amwriting #CapeCod #Plymouth

This has been a whirlwind month.  Finished my fourth manuscript, sent out initial queries, and signed with an agent!  I am now a "hybrid" author in every sense--I've been published by a small press (SILVER LAKE and GULL HARBOR), I've published independently (DIVINE FALL), and now I've signed with a literary agency, which will begin the submission process for my new novel HAUNTED SOULS very soon.  So exciting!

With all this first-hand experience with different avenues to publishing, I'm confident I can share helpful knowledge as I embark on my first creative writing class.  I'll be teaching "Fiction Writing and Publication" for the local community college beginning the first week in March, and in six weeks, we'll cover a multitude of topics, including the various ways to publish in this rapidly changing industry.  But we'll save that for the last few weeks, focusing first on the basics--identifying genres, Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts, character development, POV (point of view), common pitfalls, and idea inspiration.  Then we'll move on to getting started...and staying on track.  Finally, querying agents or presses, writing blurbs and synopsis, publishing, and marketing.  How will I fit it all into 12 hours?

My sub-par photo of the flier -
good thing I'm not teaching photography!

If you're anywhere near Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'd love to have you in class!  If not, go on over to the right hand column of my blog and click on either the Join This Site blue button or the overlapping squares (depending on your browser) to stay connected - I'll be posting some notes from class along the way.

I'm thrilled to begin this new chapter in my writing career, and if you'd like more information, check out the registration link here: Plymouth Class Schedule - Cape Cod Community College.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing!

Thoughts on #NaNoWriMo #amwriting

The first time I saw the term "NaNoWriMo", I thought...what the heck kind of word is that?  Then, much later, when I found out what it meant, I was stunned.  Write a novel in a month?  What?

Warning:  Do Not Put
Beverages Directly on Keyboard

It takes me--minimum--nine months to write a full length novel.  I can't imagine trying to finish one in 30 days!  And 50,000 words is A LOT!  Plus, November, to me, seems an odd month to attempt such a lofty goal.  For many people, it's the start of the busy holiday season.  For me, personally, it's the start of the holiday season PLUS the lead off to consecutive months of every birthday celebration in my little family of four: one in November, one in December, and two in January.  Not to mention two extended family birthdays and one anniversary.


But the idea, I've now come to realize, is to promote inspiration and motivation.  And accountability, if a participant chooses to register their work at the official website.  The philosophy is "quantity over quality", and this is a great way for people to get started.  Writers write.

I'm not sure that approach would work for me at this point, as I now tend to be a perfectionist as I write.  A full-length novel at my publishing house is 65,000-100,000 words.  Usually, when I've finished the last sentence in a manuscript, I'm already somewhere in that range.  From there, the editing process only involves small details or little pockets of research.  It's just the way I write these days.  I make Goal/Motivation/Conflict charts in advance, as well as pages of character back-stories, lists of reveals, hints leading up to reveals, facts from research, etc., etc.

But that certainly isn't how I started.  I had an outline for SILVER LAKE in my head when I began, with some fairly significant character development as well, thanks to years of thinking about the story.  But no charts or schedules.  I began writing in a notebook, on an 8-hour car ride. It took me 2 1/2 years to finish the first draft, and there were months when I didn't write a word. Of course, I was absolutely thrilled when I reached the end, but even when I polished it up, it clocked in somewhere in the neighborhood of 135,000 words.

Seeing the cover art
for the first time was
an incredible feeling!

Way too many for a first novel.  And there are good reasons for that...my novel was a perfect example.  Thankfully, the editor who received my submission liked the story idea enough to give me some pointers.  I took her advice to heart and rewrote...not once, but three times.  The end result was a tightly-paced 78,000 word novel that I sold to a publisher.  That was my dream come true, and the reason I achieved it was because I pushed myself to start the novel on that car ride in April of 2008.  Then,  I persevered after the initial rejections because I had the basic bones there...I was even told not to change the second half at all.

My understanding of NaNoWriMo is that the novel begun on November 1st must not be a work-in-progress.  So that counts me out, since I have something I'm working on (see HAUNTED SOULS Pinterest Board). That has to come first, even thought I'd love to be part of the NaNoWriMo camaraderie I see playing out online everyday.  

October is a busy month
for authors of paranormal -
but I enjoyed all the events!

I have decided to tap into the spirit of the challenge, though.  My latest novel released in July, and that was my third in three years.  I was exhausted.  Promotion and marketing take a lot of my time, and then there's my other job and of course my family.  I couldn't bring myself to continue work on my fourth manuscript, the one I was 22,000 words into when DIVINE FALL released.

So on November 1st, I committed to writing something every day.  No word goals.  Just work on the manuscript, at least once a day.  And you know what happened?  The words just began tumbling out.  My characters took control.  I found myself once again submerged in the twisting plot lines of a reunion romance and a spooky ghost story.

Six days later, I'm at 31,500 words.  A gain of close to 10,000!  I know it doesn't count, in terms of the NaNoWriMo rules.  But for me, it's been an exhilarating achievement.  I'm going to keep going.  So the moral of the story is...just write.

A #Pricedrop for SILVER LAKE - #amazon #oneclick

My debut novel, SILVER LAKE, is now two years old (where did the time go?) and when books hit this milestone, my publisher gives us the option of a price reduction for electronic formats.  I'm thrilled with the option, since older books often need a lower price point to stay competitive in a market filled with new releases.  SILVER LAKE is now available on Kindle (and nook and iPad) for $2.99, almost half of its original $4.99 price!  A fancy coffee costs about the same thing, so it's a great bargain for hours of entertainment.

The premise of SILVER LAKE is a reunion between former friends who became estranged when their friend Brandy disappeared their senior year of high school.  Five years later, the group agrees to reunite at a lake house from their past in a final attempt to solve the mystery of her disappearance.  Rain Anderson, the main character, is determined to find closure for Brandy's terminally ill mother, and she's also anxious to try to reconcile with Jason Lansing, the man whose heart she broke back in high school.  As the paranormal activity escalates throughout the summer, it soon becomes clear that Brandy's ghost has a message to share...and she's willing to put her friends in danger to expose the truth.

I recently typed up the original Goal, Motivation, and Conflict charts for three of the characters: Rain, Jason, and Brandy (yes, the ghost has an agenda too!).  You can find the GMC charts here - I posted them for a class I'll be teaching on writing fiction.  Don't worry, no spoilers...just more insight into the characters.

If you'd like to grab a copy of this ghost story/reunion romance at the new lower price point, the links are above under each device format, and I've posted them below as well.  October is around the corner, and it's a great time for a spooky read...and it's always a great time to experience first love again, as two people fight for a second chance to be together--while wading through the secrets of the past to finally expose the truth behind Brandy's disappearance.

Enjoy the story if you give it a read!  Links:



Kindle - Amazon

 

Nook - Barnes & Noble

 

iPad - iTunes

A little excerpt from one of my favorite scenes!

Goal, Motivation, & Conflict - #amwriting GMC

Anytime I'm asked in an interview to suggest a "must-have" tool for aspiring writers, my answer is always the same: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, by Debra Dixon.  This book lays out the framework for commercial fiction in terms of those three building blocks, known as GMC.  Every character needs a chart, even minor characters.  Maybe their goals won't receive much time or attention in the actual novel, but if the character is in your book, he or she is there for a reason.  That character plays a part.  As writers, we need to develop every character, by giving them solid reasons for their actions and urgent goals that must be met.

As Ms. Dixon points out in her book, goals, motivations, and conflicts can shift throughout the story.  One goal may be achieved, only to set the character on a new path with a new set of GMC.  Smaller GMC scenarios may exist within the larger, overarching GMC for each character.  For maximum tension, heroes and villains should have GMC charts that directly oppose each other--if one character gets what he/she wants, the other character will fail.  Adding urgency to a goal is another way to maximize the impact.  And characters should have both external (the "outer goal" - something physical) and internal (the "inner goal" - involves emotion) goals.

I make charts for every character, using Ms. Dixon's examples as guides.  I'm sharing a few of the charts I made for Silver Lake, my debut novel, with the participants in a fiction class I'm teaching.  I've copied them below as well for reference, and I was careful to include only the major GMC arcs for the three characters I've highlighted; the smaller GMC scenarios are not revealed (no spoilers).  If you'd like to read the blurb first to get an idea of what Silver Lake is about, you can find it here.  But a simple one sentence description (it's good to have one of those too!) would be something like this: When Brandy Pierce vanished during their senior year of high school, Rain Anderson's tight-knit group of friends slowly unraveled; five years later, they agree to reunite at a lake house from their past in a final attempt to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

Each set of numbered GMC points should fit into the following sentence:  (Character) wants (Goal) because (Motivation), but (Conflict).  For example, Rain wants to find out what happened to Brandy because Brandy was her best friend, her terminally ill mother needs closure, and Rain is haunted with guilt--but the mystery is now five years old, and while Brandy's spirit seems to want help, there are barriers to communication.

A simpler, internal GMC would be: Jason wants a romantic relationship with Rain, because she's still the one he loves, but she wounded him once before, and he currently has a girlfriend.

I've bolded things within the charts that add urgency to the dynamic. 

RAIN	External	Internal
GOAL	1.      Find out what happened to Brandy	1.       Earn Jason’s forgiveness 2.       Maybe earn his love again? 3.       Renew old friendships
MOTIVATION	1.      A)  Brandy’s mom is dying and has asked for help=Closure B)  Brandy was Rain’s best friend C)  Guilt over the missed phone call D)  Disturbing dreams seemingly sent from Brandy – she’s being haunted E)  Help her friend’s spirit rest in peace	1.       She still feels guilty over the choice she made – she hurt him badly 2.       She’s still attracted to him 3.       She’s recently divorced and extremely isolated…misses her old friends
CONFLICT	1.      A)  The unsolved mystery is now 5 years old – few clues B)  Brandy is a ghost – seems she wants to communicate, but is unable	1.     Heartbreak leaves deep scars 2.       It’s unlikely he’d make the same mistake twice 3.       There are still secrets and suspicions lingering between them…and they’re not the exact same people they were in high school

JASON	External	Internal
GOAL	1.      Keep Rain Safe 2.      Spend time at the lake	1.       A romantic relationship with Rain (even though he does not want to admit it to himself)
MOTIVATION	1.      A)  He’s a black belt in Karate; owns a studio; it’s what he does=KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE B)  He still has feelings for Rain 2.      A)  He’s done nothing but work 24/7 since starting his own business after college B)  Brandy’s mother asked them all to participate in the reunion C)  He wants time away from his girlfriend	1.       He loves her – she’s still the one.
CONFLICT	1.      A)  He’s up against supernatural forces – how to fight a ghost? B)  He can’t stay at the lake house all summer – work 2.      Reuniting with former friends—especially Rain—will bring up difficult emotions	1.      A)  Pride B)  His current live-in girlfriend C)  Fear of another rejection

BRANDY	External	Internal
GOAL	1.       Be found	1.       Expose the truth of what happened
MOTIVATION	1.      A)   Allow her spirit to rest in peace B)   End her mother’s suffering before she dies	1.       A)  People can finally heal B)  Brandy can let go and move on
CONFLICT	1.       She’s a ghost; barriers to communication	1.      Her friends need to be together to provide energy for her spirit to draw from and summer is almost over

I hope these charts help demonstrate the importance of GMC when developing characters.  Even Brandy, the ghost, has a goal with valid motivation and frustrating conflicts.  Of course, Allie and A.J., the other two friends at the lake house reunion, have charts as well, but in the interest of space, I left them out.  However, you can find their GMCs within the pages of the book--plus, you can experience the additional conflicts Rain and Jason must face as they struggle against their attraction and face the danger of a ghost willing to put her friends at risk to expose the truth. SILVER LAKE is now available electronically for only $3.99 on Kindle exclusively, as this title is now an Amazon Encore Imprint.  Print copies are available from the original publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and also on Amazon as well.

Now that I'm used to analyzing characters and plots within this paradigm, I see GMC everywhere.  Not surprisingly, if I don't see it, I'm not usually interested in continuing reading or watching.

I love comments, so please feel free to chat about this topic...Happy writing!