Sitting on the Edge of My Bar Stool
My Best Book Giveaway in a Looong Time
Welcome to everyone who has discovered Research for Writers and Other Curious People. I’m excited to have you here. This issue features a page-turning psychological suspense book giveaway, Blind Spot by Maggie Smith. You can enter for a chance to win at the bottom. Thanks!
Have a Seat
I was recently in a bar in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware chatting with the locals while enjoying a grapefruit Crush.
The Crush is Delaware’s official state cocktail, and a tasty summer drink. Maryland and Delaware have a debate over where the cocktail came from. That’s another newsletter, but follow the fun link.
FYI: Orange is the original flavor
While sitting and sipping, I was talking to a couple (a man and a woman), and I noticed the woman had an accent I couldn’t place. I asked her where she was from. She said Europe. My curiosity pinged, and I speculated why she was guarded. I wanted to know.
Like reading a book, I was turning pages with the questions I was asking. And like a good story, I was rewarded. I had guessed based on her accent and conversational clues she was Russian and perhaps due to the war, she didn’t want to say so for fear of raising that political mess. In the end, I was close. She was Ukrainian and yes, she wasn’t sharing. However, her path to the United States happened in the 1990s. Her story included a move to Delhi, India, her first husband’s tragic death, a four-year immigration wait, paying bribes to leave Ukraine, family heartbreak after heartbreak, and an adrenaline and emotionally charged triumph of resilience and survival that has allowed her to find a new love and a retirement on the beach. WOW! Talk about an evening of suspense.
Suspense, Like Conflict, is Exciting
Cocktails aside, I had a fascinating evening. I had escaped to the beach to break up my routine and kickstart the push to finish my latest work in progress. I was ready but…
One of the sticking points I’m having is how to add suspense to entice you dear readers to want to turn the next page. My story has conflict, good pacing, interesting characters, a fresh conflict, but I want more.
Often when a story element stalls, I reach to my incredible writing community to brainstorm solutions. Luckily one of my favorite suspense authors is also one of my writing peeps who I know through the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA).
Domestic Suspense Author (and expert) Maggie Smith
Maggie is the author of the acclaimed, Truth and Other Lies, and has just released her second novel, Blind Spot.
Blind Spot kept me awake well past my bedtime one night as I needed to finish it for fear I would be dreaming about the characters. This new book is a psychological suspense. It helps that Maggie has a background as a psychologist.
Maggie and I talked through the elements of suspense, and I learned a lot about adding these to my novel. Happily, I saw that I had a good plan for the plot, what I was missing was the how to execute it.
The How To’s of The Reader’s Racing Heart
Maggie explained that every scene needs to be chockablock full of tension. The reader should experience what the characters are experiencing, fear, unease, dread, etc.
Maggie’s Suspense Checklist for Building Scenes
Include small details
Build in unanswered questions
Create contrast
Include Tension through sub-plot
Hint at things to come
Raise the stakes and the conflict
Include internal conflict
Include micro-tension:
Make sure you have a ticking clock
As we discussed these story building blocks, I recognized I needed to add more micro-tension to several of my draft scenes. If this is a new term to you, here is a good explanation.
I also decided to add a more compelling ticking clock to ensure that my story pacing didn’t lag. I wrote a newsletter about story clocks here.
And of course, the best way to learn how to build suspense is to read widely. If you’d like a chance to win a free copy of Blind Spot. Visit this link here for a chance to win by Sunday 9/15. Of course if you miss the giveaway deadline, you can still pick up your own copy!
Come See Me
I’ll be speaking at the following events over the next few months across the country. I’d love to see you!
Thanks for sitting and having a drink with me!
Thanks for sharing Maggie Smith’s scene building list, Sharon. I’m 75% done with a first draft of my second novel and will be checking the tension on those ropes!