Long Absence

As I predicted, the frequency of my initial postings have been a bit sporadic. This time, I have a good reason for my absence. I returned to school. I am now an English major. Beginning in Fall 2010, I will be an English-Creative Writing major. My first foray was Introduction to Fiction. The class took a great deal of my time, but it was well worth it.



And so now, I find myself months later with no posts, but a new appreciation for academic literary theories.



Again, I plan to return to regular posts. I swear!

The Page Turner

All books have a sense of suspense, whether it be a life and death struggle or a romantic tryst about to be uncovered. Suspense is that something that keeps the reader up hours past their bed time reading just one more page.

But how to write it?

I'm reminded of when I started to play soccer. There were so many things to think about. It's hard to remember all of them at first, so you do your best. The more you play the easier those things come. Before you know it, you're able to run and cut and shoot without much thought.

The same is true for writing good character driven prose. Suspense is one of those things that will fall into place when you've learned to develop characters the readers care about, plots that keep the reader intrigued, and a writing style that flows in an enjoyable rhythm.

Of course there are tricks that you can pick up, such as, short sentences. But these tricks can't fix bad prose or a weak plot. Perhaps the only worthwhile trick is to keep the story arch in mind while writing. Each scene should add to the suspense of the overarching story line. The scene escalation should culminate at the novel's climax.

Writing Genre Fiction

The rules for fiction writing varies depending on the genre. Romance, mystery, science fiction... they all require different approaches. Most of the time, you can select a passage and within a few lines, you can tell which genre it is.

"He was clearly furious, and her lack of comprehension only seemed to make him angrier. He bore down on her like a hawk on a field mouse, until she had to bow her back to look up at him. The summer sun was behind him, casting him in silhouette." - Sandra Brown in Long Time Coming.

"Her name was Emily Anne. She was nine years old, with black ringlets, long lashes, and caramel colored skin. Her ears were pierced with tiny gold loops. Her forehead was pierced by two slugs from a Cobra 9-mm semiautomatic." Kathy Reichs in Deadly Decisions.

"The factory recommended ammunition was depleted uranium coated with a carbon-based witches' brew and charged with a tiny droplet of antimatter." - John Ringo & Michael Z. Williamson in The Hero (Posleen Wars Series #6).

There are clear indicators for the different genres. We spot most of them without realizing their significance. "Bore down on her" & "bow her back" are romance indicators. They set a mood. The same is true for any genre fiction. Mysteries require a murder - which means a body. Many scenes will relate to the murder and the clues. Science obviously plays a big part of science fiction stories.

That's not to say that all you need do is including these key elements. Like with any fiction, characters, plot, and setting all must come together to form a compelling story, all the while keeping the genre elements in mind.

Where to Begin?

It is sometimes difficult to pin point the best opening for your story. It is easy to unload back story or narrative dumps in the first few chapters. This is because often the story isn't finalized or clear and it takes a few chapters to clarify everything in your mind. This is perfectly fine. Just keep it in mind when you revise and don't be afraid to hit the delete button. Page one of a final draft is rarely similar to page one of a first draft.

For a first draft, pick a spot and begin to write. As you do, you'll get a better feel for the story. By the end, you should be able to recognize the appropriate opening for your story.