elements of suspense – Almost An Author

Your Goldilocks Moment

Whether you are writing your first mystery/thriller or have become a seasoned veteran, one thing remains true. Writing in this genre is hard! It’s work. That’s also why it so satisfying. According to the old adage, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Statistics tell us that many people have a desire to write a novel but doing it can be more elusive. Mysteries and thrillers can be doubly hard to write.

Here’s a look at why.

A story without a mystery element can go any direction based on the character’s choices. A mystery/thriller, however, enters the world of deceiving, convincing, and fooling, running parallel with the story. As the author, you must both engage and outsmart your worthy opponent. No, it’s not the villain. It’s the reader! Too easy, and you’re judged as not challenging for the discerning sleuth who bought the book. Too hard or not plausible, and you’re deemed as esoteric and unrealistic. You have to find your Goldilocks moment and get it “just right.”

More hard work?

You are tasked with becoming an expert about things you probably know very little about. Speak in the voice of a medical specialist? Sure. A government bureaucrat, a judge, a forensic pathologist? All on your plate. Temptations abound. You may be tempted to overshare based on your research simply to impress your readers. Your brain is muddled with anguish, wondering if that red herring is too obvious or oblivious. Will no one figure it out?

Will everyone figure it out?

If your book turns into a series, even more is asked of this world you have created as a basis for mystery, suspense, and thrills. Your characters start to have expectations beyond what you’ve envisioned—instead, your readers call for actions based on their interpretation of the characters. The challenge grows while giving enough background information for a newbie to your series while not boring your existing readers. Because of boredom and a desire to do something outrageous, you can be tempted to cause things to happen. Your readers aren’t having it! They demand your people stay “in character,” or you have to good a darn good reason why this or that was allowed to happen.

While every novelist’s goal is to move a story forward, mystery/thriller/suspense writers know that each scene is a piece of a maze of detection in addition to the baseline story. Bottom line? You’ve chosen to write in a genre that often asks you for double duty.

So, yes. Writing a mystery/thriller/suspense novel is hard. But really, why does anyone do it? If it’s your thing, you already have an answer. There’s that moment when reader feedback lets you know they didn’t see that twist or turn coming, they couldn’t put the book down, and they were surprised by the ending. Getting it just right is a very satisfying goal. Those Goldilocks moments are priceless—enough to make you go out and do it again.

Michele Olson writes stories set on Mackinac Island in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan filled with suspense, romance, friendship, faith, and quirky characters. A top seller in Mackinac Island Fiction to the million people who make a trip to the island every year to experience life with no cars, amazing scenery, and the glorious Grand Hotel, she enjoys opening up this incredible island to even more visitors. Incorporating her work as an artist and a voice professional into her writing whenever she can, she enjoys creative endeavors of all genres and fueling faith with fiction.

Michele lives in the shadow of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI with her husband and thoroughly enjoys being a wife, mom, and “Gee Gee” to two adorable grandsons.

Visit her:

Website: www.LakeGirlPublishing.com
Facebook: facebook.com/lakegirlpublishing.com
Twitter: @modawnwriter
Instagram: Instagram.com/lakegirlpublishing
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/lakegirlpublishing

Elements of Suspense: The Cliffhanger

Once upon a time writers actually left their characters hanging from cliffs. In the early days of movies, when theaters ran serialized episodes of a story, a cliffhanger ending was a good way to ensure viewers would make the effort to come back next week. The same was true for serialized novels run in newspapers and magazines. Writers intentionally left characters hanging (not necessarily from a cliff) to entice readers to purchase the next installment.

Today’s readers and moviegoers may roll their eyes at Pauline hanging by her fingertips from a cliff, but the cliffhanger technique is still very much in use. If we change the definition of cliffhanger from:

a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of an episode of a serialized film

to the broader concept of:

a moment of unresolved danger or conflict

then a cliffhanger can happen anywhere a writer needs to crank up the tension. The key here is unresolved. Something is left hanging.

Consider the commercial breaks in a typical detective show. When do the breaks happen? Just after some new evidence is discovered that threatens to take the investigation in a whole new direction. Viewers are left hanging during the commercial, wondering what the hero will do with the new information.

In a similar vein, writers use the cliffhanger technique at the end of a chapter, scene, or beat to keep readers turning pages.

How to use the unresolved tension of a cliffhanger to increase suspense in your manuscript

End a scene in the middle of danger. The tried and true cliffhanger ending—a bad thing has happened and the character is left some kind of danger at the end of a scene. You might switch to a different set of characters in the next scene and leave the poor hero hanging for a scene or two, or you might continue the action in the next scene. Either way, the reader must keep reading to find out how the situation is resolved.
End a scene by hinting that a bad thing is about to happen. The doorknob turns… A shadowy figure appears in the window… The heroine hears the voice she’s been dreading for pages… This is similar to number one, except the danger is only implied, leaving the reader to imagine all sorts of horrible things that are about to ensue.
End a scene by hinting that a bad thing might be about to happen. A subtler variation of number two. Instead of the heroine hearing a voice she recognizes and dreads, what if she hears a voice she doesn’t recognize? Is it a friend or a foe? The reader doesn’t know until they read on.
End a scene on an ambiguous note. Instead of making it clear exactly what happened and how that affects the main character, try leaving things a little less clear. Sometimes a writer can accomplish this simply by backing up a few sentences. Instead of ending the scene with the sleuth deciding she needs to question the shop clerk, back up a few sentences and end with the information that could be interpreted to mean the clerk was guilty.

The cliffhanger technique isn’t just for the end of chapters or episodes, however. You can use subtle touches of cliffhanger anywhere in your story.

End a conversation with a tantalizing bit of information. Imagine the sleuth is talking with an informant who tells him about a new clue that’s come to light. But instead of giving all the details right away, the informant says, “I found something in the wall of the garage. You’d better come take a look.” The sleuth will naturally ask for details, but the if informant refuses to give them, both sleuth and reader will be dying to find out what’s been unearthed. Ratchet up the tension further by forcing the sleuth to finish his current task before he can go take a look.
Leave a character in a high emotional state. Tension is not only created by external danger. Sometimes the conflict is within a character. Examples: The hero gets word his wife has cancer while in the middle of a meeting, or the heroine has an argument with her fiancé but has to break it off to interview a key suspect. These bits of unresolved life issues can add tension even when they have nothing to do with the main plot.

Bottom line: Look for places in your story where you can leave a situation unresolved, however briefly. Closure is important at the end of story, but unresolved tension is what keeps the reader turning page after page to get there.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz