tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post8656945432530007513..comments2023-10-15T03:16:44.927-06:00Comments on Suspense Novelist: Writing Concept: Micro-tension in ActionPeg Brantleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-25706784139698625872009-09-28T07:41:28.362-06:002009-09-28T07:41:28.362-06:00It was a big conference. When you get 500+ people ...It was a big conference. When you get 500+ people together who are in workshops and appointments and different classes, it's easy to miss people. And I ducked out on a few things to write down a new idea for a novel and do some serious brainstorming with a girlfriend.<br /><br />Was it everything you'd hoped and more?Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-12824346714644715792009-09-28T07:10:01.220-06:002009-09-28T07:10:01.220-06:00Okay, I haven't actually read your blog post y...Okay, I haven't actually read your blog post yet, but I just needed to say something. WE WERE BOTH AT ACFW CONF AND DIDN'T MEET!!!! I'm astounded. :) I just got back from my sisters and am reviewing everyone's blog posts. I'm a little late!Ralenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07890775905785233298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-33295296235682831742009-09-27T11:26:06.728-06:002009-09-27T11:26:06.728-06:00Excellent suggestions, Jenny!
What I learned fro...Excellent suggestions, Jenny! <br /><br />What I learned from Maass (but man, is it hard to implement) is that there are degrees of tension and conflict. It's not all blood or dark basements or saving the world.<br /><br />Writing suspense is, in many ways, easier than writing in other genres. We're hard-wired for tension. The trick is to find subtle ways to indicate it in every (or almost every) line.<br /><br />Maass suggests that we not only get into the heads of our POV characters, but into the heads of every character in the scene. Not in a surface kind of way, but DEEP. Knowing the backstory of each character in our hearts helps us to understand their motivation. And, if we're doing our job write, their motiviation is in direct conflict with our POV character.<br /><br />Okay. Gonna go buy the Zuckerman now.Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-68069742608217267242009-09-27T06:23:33.139-06:002009-09-27T06:23:33.139-06:00Peg, I love the way you're keeping us up to da...Peg, I love the way you're keeping us up to date with your process. And the little hints make me so intrigued to see your novel!<br /><br />I like the way in para #2 we're more in Bond's head--it's more showing than telling versus #1. I agree with Tara about striking "for emergencies" but then "placing carefully" seems to slow things down a bit (sorry, to disagree, Tara!) Now of course, she can't thrown down a cute little dog...but even something like, "She kept the little dog with her, trying not to squeeze him too hard in her haste, while concentrating on the garage door, now rising as if stuck in mud." (Changed to reflect your own style, of course!) I just feel the urge to have you keep the action ratcheted up in this short section, not let it ebb for a second.<br /><br />Finally, I'd fiddle with "firing" down the driveway. I don't quite get the image--cars don't really fire. Maybe you want to avoid the cliche--"flying"--which is good...but is there some other word that gets at how a Jeep bucks out of the garage, tries to pick up speed?<br /><br />Great job, Peg--did I ever mention Zuckerman's WRITING THE BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL? I learned so much from that book about sentences that sing...jenny milchmanhttp://www.jennymilchman.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-10619689995676245232009-09-25T14:16:02.863-06:002009-09-25T14:16:02.863-06:00I think you're right about that sentence. Love...I think you're right about that sentence. Love your suggestion!Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3878752953637981313.post-48946440520047524652009-09-25T13:47:01.820-06:002009-09-25T13:47:01.820-06:00I think when I'm editing something and I think...I think when I'm editing something and I think it's "finished," then I've just been staring at it for too long. Eventually, it's so stuck in your head that you can't imagine it being any other way. I try to walk away from it and come back later, or have someone else give me their thoughts like you have here. <br /><br />I like the second version of this paragraph a lot better! I love the questioning at the garage door, gives the reader a good sense of the rush in Bond's mind and her actions. <br /><br />Only sentence I might look at is <br /> "Grabbed one of the blankets in her Jeep she always kept for emergencies and swaddled McKenzie." <br /><br />I think it might read better without the middle part. Something like this: <br /> "She grabbed a blanket from the Jeep and swaddled the little dog, placing him carefully in the passenger seat."<br /><br />I think the part about it being for emergencies slows down the pace of the paragraph. However, I like the detail in the first one because I can keep an image of things in my mind. <br /><br />That's just my opinion though. :)<br /><br />~TaraTara Lindsay Hallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00970258984995282462noreply@blogger.com