The Place For My Writers Notes

Original posting 14 November 2010

Oddly enough, although today has been somewhat restful, I haven't really produced very many words so far. But I did get interested in a series that Darcy Pattison has been writing -- 30 days to a stronger scene -- and she's been putting out one a day in November. If you go over here http://www.darcypattison.com/tag/scene/ I think you can see most of them, or even sign up for her e-mail postings. Something else to keep you writing!

Reading through it, I found it interesting first to be reminded of kind of the key points about scenes. Mostly materials and points that I had seen before, but it's good to be reminded again. One thing that particularly caught my eye was the notion that a scene is both external action and internal change. Oh, I know that's not the first time I've seen this, but for some reason balancing the two seems like something I should pay more attention to.

Maybe it's just that this podcast http://www.writingexcuses.com/2010/10/31/writing-excuses-5-9-character-arcs/ had emphasized character arcs, and then I see Darcy also putting a little bit more attention on the internal side than some writing advice seems to, but it's something I'm going to think about. I also appreciated the advice about listing possible scenes, and then selecting among those -- and taking a scene and developing it through lists of what she calls beats (and I would tend to call bits of action) before writing. Fun!

And over here in the aging Nanowrimo notes http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/144414.html, we have some hints about using beats (where this means little actions among the dialogue).  The kind of interspersed fiddling with the menu, playing with a pen, or whatever that helps to keep your dialogue from being just two or more talking heads.

Scenes. The basic building blocks of a plot. Where a character sets out to do something, runs into obstacles and complications, and most of the time fails. Followed by a short regrouping and reaction, which sets up the next scene. Scene-by-scene, slowly they turned? and the plot grew! Yeah!

Sigh. Why is it that doing the research and thinking to make the writing time productive feels like somehow slacking off? Oh, well, time to hit the wordmills!

Tilting at wordmills, the author felt like Don Quixote, and wondered where Pablo had vanished?

Write!

Writer's Digest, March 2004, page 42 to 49, has a bonus section with the title, "Novel Writing Boot Camp," by Bob Mayer. I'm probably not going to summarize all of the bits and pieces, but let's pick out some of the odds and ends.

The sidebar on page 45 is very short. It points out that at the start of a new chapter or a change of perspective (I think they mean point of view) you need to quickly orient the reader. Four questions that you can use as a checklist at the beginning of every chapter and scene:

1. Where's the locale?
2. When in the timeline does this scene occur, particularly in relation to the preceding scene?
3. What's the point of view, and if it is tied to a character, which one?
4. Who's here?

The beginning of your scene -- the first two paragraphs -- needs to firmly and quickly tell the reader where they are, and when.

Original Posting 16 July 2009

Writer's Digest, December 2006, pages 91 and 92, have an article by James Scott Bell with the title Fiction: Strengthen Your Scenes. They're also a couple of sidebars for us to look at. Bell is talking about ways to add drama and conflict to the scene. Your characters may be colorful, but they need to be doing something. Here's some suggestions about ways to make the scene (yes, I know that's a dated cliche, but it seemed to fit :-)

1. Dialogue flow. Try writing the scene only in dialogue. Let it flow, and then look back and see what the scene is about and what your characters may have said that you didn't expect.
2. Cut or hide exposition. Narrative exposition bloats and chokes good scenes. Put some action into it, let the characters argue, think about other ways to explain things.
3. Flip the obvious. We all automatically use familiar types. The truck driver is almost always a burly, grizzled man, with a beat-up cap. Try making it a woman, or try putting your truck driver in a suit. Break the stereotypes.
4. Closed eyes technique. Rich detail is crucial to a vivid physical setting. Close your eyes and imagine the setting. Then write down what you see is if you were a reporter. You can always pull out extra details later.
5. Hotspot. "Every scene should have that moment or exchange that's the focal point -- the essential part." If it doesn't have a hotspot, can you drop the scene? Usually a hotspot is a line of dialogue or perhaps an action that changes everything or reveals something. To check your hotspot, consider: why is this scene in your story? What does it do for the story? What is the one point in this scene that has to be there? What would you lose if you drop the scene?

Look at the material before and after the hotspot. How much of it can you take out, or can you sharpen it to support the central purpose -- make the hotspot sizzle?

Sidebar number one describes three kinds of scenes.

• set up scenes provide the necessary background information to set up actions by the characters. These scenes provide motivation.
• verifying scenes show your characters living -- establishing skills and abilities. These scenes show that characters can do things.
• flashback scenes take us back and show us past action. Don't overdo it, and make sure the action deserves to be dramatized. Provide adequate transitions into the flashback and back out of it.

Sidebar number two is a table provided by Nancy Kress with quick fixes for weak scenes. Symptom, diagnosis, and cure for six diseases of the scene.

Symptom: scene is too slow getting started
Diagnosis: excess exposition
Cure: get characters on stage and interacting, preferably with conflict

Symptom: scene is too talky
Diagnosis: excess dialogue
Cure: add action tags, gestures, or thoughts. Replace some speech with action.

Symptom: reader can't visualize concrete details
Diagnosis: White room syndrome (blank setting)
Cure: add descriptive details that underscore the mood of the scene

Symptom: boring
Diagnosis: lack of information, no advance in plot
Cure: cut the scene. If necessary, combine some elements in another scene

Symptom: flagging tension
Diagnosis: lack of scene variety, neglected plot
Cure: rearrange scene order [tink suggests you may also want to look at raising the stakes and adding more conflict]

Symptom: scene start strong but fizzles
Diagnosis: misplaced scene climax
Cure: rewrite with emotional high point of scene at end

So there you have it. Some ways to add strength to your scenes, a little bit of classification to help you understand what your scenes are doing for you, and a quick guide to some problems you might have with your scenes.

Exercise? Take your work in progress, and try applying one of the methods that Bell suggests. Or consider your scenes in terms of the three categories, set up, verifying, and flashback. Finally, consider your scenes in terms of the symptoms that Nancy mentions -- do you need to apply first aid?

Write!

Original posting 2 November 2008

Chapter 26: Scene Assessment and Revision

Wrapping up Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld, we take a look at judging your scenes and revising them. Rosenfeld suggests that when you finish with the draft or just even a scene, you should set it aside for a while. Let it cool off. Then after a while you'll be ready to revise it.

The first step is identifying vignettes. Rosenfeld calls these free-floating vignettes -- small, graceful literary sketches that don't necessarily do anything for the plot and are really extraneous. Oh, you may prefer baroque or rococo styles hung about with descriptions of whaling and so forth, but the current mode is more sparse. So how can you tell if something doesn't fit the plot context, or is missing important elements of the scene? Start by considering these questions about the scene:

• Is new plot information introduced?
• does it relate to the significant situation?
• does it build on the last scene?
• is the protagonist involved, informed, or affected?
• does the reader feel smarter and more involved because of it?
• does the clock tick? Does the scene move us forward in time?

Relevant scenes will usually have yes answers for all of these questions. No to any of these means you have a vignette, and you need to decide whether to expand it to fill in the missing element or simply to cut [I suggest cutting to a save file -- you may never actually use it, but at least for me, tucking it away for later use is easier than throwing it in the trash].

Why not keep the vignette? You're building a set of scenes for the reader. Vignettes puzzle the reader, because they don't seem to do anything. The key question is whether the narrative makes sense and flows without the scene. If the answer is yes, save that vignette for later. [Oil and vignette salad, anyone?]

Turning vignettes into healthy scenes often involves filling in one of the following elements:

Character motivation. When characters behave in unrealistic or unrelated ways, it's time to think about the character and figure out what they really want to do and why.

Pertinent dialogue. Dialogue can be lots of fun to write, but you need to make sure it goes somewhere, is interesting and exciting, and pertains. Clean it up, get some conflict into it, and don't let the talking heads take over.

Setting. Sometimes the setting doesn't matter or it is so ill-defined that the characters might as well be in a white room. How important is your setting? Do you need to change it, tell the reader about it, or cut it?

Information. A scene where nothing is revealed probably means nothing happens. What happens next? How can you reveal that?

Action. Every scene doesn't have to be a whirlwind of gunplay and car chases, but readers to get bored with sitting on the porch. "Remember to think in forward motion." What action would get your plot or characters moving in interesting ways? And as someone said, if things are boring, bring a gun in! Sometimes those surprise entrances and offstage explosions can be helpful.

Conflict. Make the conflict real and difficult. Consider the consequences, and up the ante if you need to.

If you decide to cut the vignette, after you cut it, take a minute to go back and reread. If the plot suddenly is missing something, or you feel like you really want that there after all, put it back. Then fix it up so that it belongs there. The good news is that electronic editing makes this kind of revision and undoing a whole lot easier.

You may find that you have stretches of narrative summary that you'd like to cut back on. The guiding questions are:

• Will cutting this narrative hurt the plot or characters? No? Cut.
• can I use dialogue, flashback, or action to reveal the background information or explanations from the narrative summary? Yes? Replace it.
• is this information repeated in another scene? Yes? Cut it.

Scene architecture -- when you're revising, you can look at how the structure of the scenes hangs together, how the scene itself works and how it connects with its neighbors. So you want to check whether each scene:

• has a beginning, middle, and end?
• has a vivid launch that engages the reader immediately?
• has rich subtext, with texture, themes, and imagery?
• makes things harder for the characters and raises the stakes?
• ends with the reader eager to keep reading?
• has a logical ending that still leaves the next scene room for launching?

And then of course, the scene itself deserves a checklist. Are the setting and senses well-established? Do the characters jump off the page? Is there enough tension and suspense to keep readers turning pages? Specifically, for each and every scene:

Visual and Sensual Details

• is there a vivid, effective setting that doesn't overwhelm the story?
• Are the time, place, and culture revealed in details?
• do the background objects reflect plot and character for the reader?
• is there enough sensory detail to make it feel real?

Characters

• do the first two paragraphs include a distinctive protagonist?
• are there useful minor characters stirring the plot as catalysts or antagonists?
• do voice, dialogue, and behavior -- the action -- reveal character? Avoid using narrative summary to reveal character.
• are the points of view consistent?
• does the protagonist get a chance to act or react?
• is the protagonist forced to reevaluate or change?
• is the protagonist engaged in the plot?

Plot

• is there at least one new piece of information introduced?
• is information revealed in the last scenes built on?
• does revealed information say something about the significant situation and its consequences?
• is significant information revealed slowly, creating mystery and suspense? Is there a sense of secrets yet to come?
• are flashback scenes instead of backstory used where needed?

Dramatic Tension

• "employ subtlety over melodrama?" [Although melodrama has its place :-)]
• does the scene create an emotional response in the reader, not just in the characters?
• is there a feeling of potential conflict?
• are the goals and plans of the protagonist thwarted, delaying and sidetracking his satisfaction? [Frustrated protagonists make the best kind]
• are unexpected changes thrown in without immediate explanations?
• does power and understanding shift back and forth?
• is the rug pulled out from under your protagonist? Are pieces of plot information introduced that change or alter the protagonist in some way?
• do setting and senses create a tense atmosphere?

There, you've got it. 26 chapters, all about making a scene, and a lot of information. I recommend buying the book -- I skipped a lot of examples and elaboration that you probably want to read.

A practice exercise for revising? One thing to consider is that story or novel that you liked. Go through and look at how it fits Rosenberg's checklist. Are there vignettes left hanging? What about the narrative summaries -- those infamous infodumps? Does the overall architecture of scenes hang together (or we shall assuredly hang apart? :-) What about each scene? Does Rosenberg's checklist of setting, characters, plot, and tension help to see why this scene does the job?

You can always take your own work and run it through the wringer, too. Right now you could also borrow the Halloween stories.

Nanowrimowers, naturally, are excused from revision at this time -- next month, or maybe in January or February, though, you might very well want to think about these guidelines for revision.

I suppose the other twist that you could use is to consider these as guidelines for writing. After all, taking a checklist and trying to make sure you cover the main points while writing should make it a little easier during revision? Just as long as the checklist doesn't become a barrier to the writing. But some of the reminders about making sure each scene has strong setting, vivid characters, a remorseless plot, and plenty of twists and changes could certainly help fill in some of the edges.

discard a pet hypothesis before breakfast -- you'll feel lighter all day!

Writers Digest, October 2004, pages 45 to 47 had an article by Martha Alderson describing how she organizes her historical novels. The same idea really applies to any kind of novel. Here's how Martha describes it. "Trying to keep track of plots, subplots, characters and themes in a novel you're writing can be difficult. . . . How do you track and interweave all the threads of a successful historical novel -- the dates, history and research; the action plot line; the character development and the thematic significance -- without the whole becoming a tangled mess? The approach I take is to create a visual representation of my story: a historical timeline."

Martha describes using a 6 foot piece of butcher paper with post-it notes, but the same basic approach seems to work with a spreadsheet or even a Word table. One of the nice things about a spreadsheet is that it is designed to allow you to insert new rows or even new columns. However you keep track of it, you might want to start with Martha's columns.

Column 1: Dates/Historical Plot. This is the frame of the story. It needs to start with the date that your story begins. Add events and issues that occur during that time period. Martha points out that even if you aren't basing your story on history, having a background of at least one major and one minor event and maybe a trivial event gives your story a little more richness or depth. What's going on around your story?

Column 2: Summaries. This is where Martha keeps summaries of longer periods that may not even show up in the scenes of the story. That way when a scene starts "seven years later . . ." this column shows what's happened during those seven years.

Column 3: Scene/Action Plot. This is the column for the scenes that actually make up the story. The conflicts, confrontations and turning points show up here. Martha suggests that the notes you put here should focus on the conflict, tension or suspense -- the pivot in the scene.

Column 4: Character Development. Even short stories usually have some growth or change in the characters. You may need to divide this column into several parts, but at the very least you need to record the main character's achievements. You can also keep important character background information in this column.

Column 5: Thematic Details. The theme is why -- what you want readers to realize or take away story. You can use this column to collect plot details that contribute to the theme and meaning , the sights and sounds, smells and tastes, slang  and vocabulary choice, all the little stuff that gives your story texture. This

The trick of course is to fill in the timeline or table working down and across, going back and revising where necessary, and making it a real working document that makes writing the scenes easier.

An exercise you might try is to take a story or working on or story you like and try making up a table like this. Or ask yourself what other column you might like to see to describe your own writing?

In any case, feel free to use the tool to help yourself get organized, but don't forget to write.

How are all the nanowrimowers today? Word count rising?

I thought I'd take a look at a list of "scene sequences" today. I know you may not be thinking at this level right now, but you might need to add some scenes as you're moving along. And our friend Jack Bickham in his book Scene & Structure has some suggestions:

1. scenes move main character further and further from quick attainment of goal
2. scenes develop series of new and unexpected troubles, although not obviously related
3. scenes require character to handle unrelated problem before returning to original action line
4. interleaved subplots
5. plot assumption puts deadline (ticking clock) into action
6. plot arranged so that options dwindle
7. plot arranged so that complications and developments previously hidden are revealed

So let's consider these possibilities.

Move the main character further and further from quick attainment of the goal? These are scenes that move the main character away from that easy goal. He wanted to have breakfast, but the dishes aren't washed. And someone moved the groceries around. And then he notices that they are out of dishwashing soap. And... pretty soon he's in a different county trying to explain that he really wasn't involved in the robbery at the 24 hour store, and he's still hungry. Try-fail cycles -- your hero never gets there the easy way. There are always plenty of things dragging him away from this straightforward accomplishment.

New and unexpected troubles, not obviously related. The ninja come in through the kitchen window, the phone rings to say that Joe hit a deer last night with the hero's car and needs someone to pay for the tow charges, and the lightning bolt hits burning out the electricity in the house -- and the electronic lighter for the gas burner. Anything and everything, from weather, earthquake, fire, flood, and other acts of nature that the characters can't control but must react to through all of the interruptions and tugs and pulls of social life down to the sudden realization that if he doesn't find a bathroom soon, his pajama bottoms are going to be damp -- your characters can expect curveballs around every corner (don't you love mixing metaphors?)

Unrelated problems that have to be solved before getting back to the real thing. The kid at the front door who insists on being paid for newspaper delivery right now. The flat tire that keeps the car from going anywhere. Uncle Bob on the telephone fretting about whether or not to go out with a new girlfriend. Does saving the world have to wait for all those other odds and ends? Well . . .

Interleaved subplots. You may or may not want to mix up the main character with subplots, but remember that many of your other characters will have their own agendas and plots running along. So while the main character is working hard to save the world, his sister may very well be getting ready for her dates and trying hard to talk with your hero about what's happening to the social whirl as the giant tomatoes eat the city. And what about poor Wimpy, trying vainly to borrow money to buy a burger for which he will gladly repay you after the end of the world? Go ahead, introduce their desires (Goals), the reasons behind them (Motivations), and all the stumbling blocks along their way (Conflicts) and lay out those subplots threaded through the main plot.

Deadlines and ticking clocks are often thought about as fodder for suspense or thrillers, but they can be useful almost anywhere. We make appointments, people tell us that they have to have things by a certain date or time, and then life gets in the way. Filling out the form and mailing it should only take a few minutes -- but getting a few minutes, finding an envelope, buying stamps, putting the whole thing together, and actually getting into a mailbox somehow ends up spread over two or three days? And you know if that form isn't in the county office, Harvey is going to have to close down the restaurant. Set the clock, then go ahead and put in the times -- then fill in what's happening against the relentless march of time. Tick, tick, tick.

Dwindling options. The real trick here is to think of it as your character having several possible options, perhaps even feeling that this is so easy, there are plenty of places to get lunch. And then they start trying to do them. The Italian place has the school football team meeting there today, and they have no empty tables. The Chinese place? There's a sign on the door -- it's New Year's Day? In what country? Anyway, they're closed. The Golden Arches on the corner seems to have a fire in the kitchen, and the ambulances and firetrucks are blocking everything. The policeman suggested riding down here, and behind the small woods, where the pet cemetery used to be, there's a strange new restaurant. . . start with a list of possible options and walk through them. As the character tries each one, you have opportunities for flashbacks and memories, interaction with other characters, and some evidence of how our hero deals with confusion, frustration, and change. Lots of fun.

Hidden complications and developments. The secrets behind the characters, their families, their friends, backstory -- slowly it all starts to be revealed, in scene after scene, with the protagonist and other characters reacting and changing and growing. How does the protagonist deal with finding out that his father -- his stepfather, really -- was a brick layer before he went into partnership with the mob. And his real father was gunned down somewhere over the Atlantic? Or once he gets the form filed with the county office, he has to pay the registration fee? There's always another secret, always more things to learn, to be revealed, to change the way that the protagonist and the other characters think about what's happening. Why did the redhaired man cross the street?

More about Scene & Structure right over here http://community.livejournal.com/writercises/54622.html

So there you have it. Seven suggestions about ways to keep the pot boiling as you stack those words into scenes and weave those scenes into a grand stew. Make the main character take the long route, add surprises, mix in puzzles and extra problems, weave subplots, set deadlines, walk down the options, and revel in secrets. And most of all, quite sincerely, keep writing!

(1090 words, more or less)
tink
today is yesterday's dream of tomorrow - are you enjoying it?

From Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld, we're now on Chapter 16: Dialogue Scenes.  And without further ado . . .

Dialogue is a very versatile element in fiction writing, and it's used in most scenes. This chapter talks about scenes that are primarily dialogue. Dialogue scenes usually feel fast to the readers, so they pick up the pace and move the plot forward. You can also use them to build conflict with characters arguing and expressing themselves. You can also build tension with characters struggling for position or caring.

Opening a dialogue scene. Before starting a scene, decide if you're going to use dialogue to convey action or to reveal character, plot, or background information. Don't use dialogue is filler, with characters prattling along. You probably don't want to start in the middle of a conversation, because it's confusing. Instead, use a scenic launch, or narrative, action or character -- then move into dialogue. Try to start by:

• get the reader settled firmly in the setting to begin
• start the conversation in the first couple paragraphs
• make the protagonist an active part of the conversation; don't let them just listen in
• make sure the reader knows who is talking
• build the dialogue around conflict and opposition

Dialogue for big revelations. Use dialogue to give the reader information about the plot or characters. Dialogue can show who characters are, reveal effects on other characters, and introduce new plot information. Reveal characters by:

• show them speaking under pressure or in conflict. Dialogue should not be mundane.
• use conversational style to reveal true nature
• express feelings or thoughts about significant events or situations

Always suit your dialogue to the character. Each of them should talk in their own way.

Reveal plot information by:

• make sure the information is earned. Don't let mysterious strangers reveal important information without a reason. Deus ex machina applies to information, too.
• show the protagonist's emotional reaction to the new information
• the greatest emotional impact is in the middle of the scene or at the end.

Make your revelations important, and build into them. Make sure that the revelation has consequences, that the plot and the protagonist change.

Use tension and subtext to make dialogue scenes rich. Build your dialogue around bartering or negotiation. Rosenfeld calls this tug-of-war dialogue. Think of each character asking for something and withholding something at the same time. Different points of view, dynamics of relationships, exchanges of insults or arguments, attempted manipulations or seductions, attempts to convince another character of something, and fending off accusations -- all of these can use tug-of-war dialogue. Even without actual physical movements, this kind of tug-of-war can help make a dialogue scene feel active.

But if people are just volleying words back and forth, you can lose the sense of a meaningful interaction. To keep that, pay attention to subtext. People don't always say what they mean, they withhold information and feelings, and they use language to manipulate each other. So use flashbacks, body language, setting details and objects, symbolic objects, or even avoiding certain topics.

Ending dialogue scenes. So dialogue scenes give the reader more understanding of the characters or of a plot element. Revelations near the beginning of the scene usually mean that the rest of the scene explorers their feelings and reactions. However, an effective approach is to make the revelation near the end of the scene, so the reader rushes into the next scene to find out what happened. If the next scene turns to something else, the reader is left with a mystery, wondering just how the characters will react. So you want to end your dialogue scene with the protagonist:

• on the final words of a spoken revelation
• shook up in some way
• starting an action in response to the revelation
• starting to reflect on what happened

Rosenfeld suggests that dialogue scenes should:


That's what Rosenfeld had to say about dialogue scenes.

So, let's see. What about an assignment? Perhaps the first might be to consider an existing novel and a scene that is largely dialogue that you remember? Perhaps the final scene in many mysteries, where the great detective explains just who done it? How does the author start the scene, and how do they keep us grounded in the scene in the midst of all that flying dialogue? How do they wrap up the scene?

Or take a scene that you've been working on, and consider doing it as a dialogue scene. Does it fit? How does writing it as a dialogue scene help or hinder? Consider replacing the car chase (action!) scene with a dialogue scene -- how does that change the pacing and approach?

Take a look at your story overall. Does it have a dialogue scene in it? Is there a good place for one? What would it do to the structure? Why would you add one -- or take one out and replace it with plain old fisticuffs and other violence?

Go ahead. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of a dialogue scene. Remember the talking heads of TV, and make sure your chatterboxes have at least a sketch of a setting around them. Then let the voices rise, let tempers flare, let the exchange of conversation show us characters engaged with plot.

And don't forget,
write!

When we write, characters talk.

TECH: Make a Scene #13: Suspense Scenes

[continuing the series on Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld]

What do you think will happen next? That's the real question behind suspense. Rosenfeld suggests that suspense is a state of uncertainty producing anxiety. And you know, it doesn't matter whether we're waiting for something good to happen or something bad to happen, the reader is still hanging on the edge of the precipice. And the longer you as writer delay the outcome of the scene, the more your readers will enjoy it. So which scenes are suspense scenes?


Suspense scenes add emotional zip, raise the emotional ante, and complicate things. They're often used after descriptive, contemplative scenes or dialogue driven scenes that mostly give out plot information. They act as a counter, getting the reader and the protagonist excited and out of their comfort zone. They are also fast scenes that push your reader to keep reading, so they can sometimes be good lead-ins to revelations. Oddly enough, suspense scenes are usually relatively slow paced, focusing on details. The agony of waiting for resolution is what makes it seem fast. Don't rush it, you want to give the reader time to worry.

The opening of the suspense scene should make the reader worry about the protagonist. The protagonist doesn't have to be hanging over the edge yet, but he can certainly be glancing at it. Or you might want to simply have the protagonist picking up some details that aren't quite right -- who left their muddy shoes on the porch?

• introduce a catalyst or antagonist with intentions that the protagonist does not trust
• let a character or event threatened or pressure the protagonist who resists
• let your protagonist under pressure react or do something that causes unexpected conflict

Mood, setting, sensory details -- these are what really build the suspense scene. Don't overdo it (remember the pathetic fallacy, wherein the weather always reflects the protagonists feelings). But select details and words that show the reader that something is wrong.

• dramatic weather can threaten the characters, block their achievements, or simply complicate everything
• decay or other evidence of damage makes readers wonder if the protagonist will end up in the same shape
• color and light -- there is a reason that bad things happen in the dark -- it's scary!
• eerie touches can certainly add to the picture

Raising the stakes. When the character's fate changes or new complications come in, a suspense scene can dramatize the new directions.

Strange or surprising actions that challenge the normality and expectations of the protagonists and the reader can push suspense. The confusion of this unexpected action raises the pressure and anxiety.

Ending a suspense scene. You need to finish the action and give the reader a pause. This might be a reflection by the protagonists, or maybe some other kind of pause. You need to let the reader take a breath. Another way is to run the scene right out into a cliffhanger. If you do this, pick it up in the next scene.

Note that even thrillers usually don't have all suspense scenes. You need to give the reader a break.

Rosenfeld's key points about suspense scenes

So that is Chapter 13. Suspense, getting the hero in trouble and letting them stew.

Incidentally, I think such scenes are a kind of staple for every writer. Thriller, adventure, mystery, romance, science fiction -- maybe if you're writing nonfiction you don't need to write suspense scenes, but I'm not sure about that. So we really need to practice these, setting up the structure and doing it. Can you think of any kind of fiction that doesn't need at least some suspense scenes?

An exercise? Well, these are staples for TV, so how about taking a look at a TV show and picking out a suspense scene? Perhaps the car chase or race somewhere (don't all TV shows have one of those?). Or some other scene that makes you bite your fingernails? How did it start, and what about it makes you worry and fret? Now think about how you might produce similar effects in a written scene. You don't have the background muzak to help, but you have plenty of other tools. So . . .

Write!

The writer's job is to help readers see the invisible -- or at least worry that it's coming.

Original Posting: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 23:05:16 -0500

(Some of you might remember this from holidays past...)

For those who may be enjoying holidays of various sorts, here's some little exercises to work on while you're enjoying the spicy steam rising from the turkey and hot cornbread stuffing, with the smell of thick gravy slathered over it, and the deep red stewed cranberries (supposedly a natural remedy for the fat and grease - I just think they taste good).  When you dig into the mashed potatoes, corn fritters, and green beans, think about these.  And when you take a big mouthful of warm pumpkin pie with whipped cream or icecream on top, or maybe a slice of pecan pie, sweet and crunchy with pastry flaking down home taste, or whatever flavor you like, let your mind drift over these. For that matter, when you find yourself groaning in front of the tube watching the parades and bowl games, trying to decide whether you really want a bite of a crisp, fresh apple, red with the sun and wind, small brown scars signs of the struggle it gave to be ripe for you - well, you could ponder some of these.

(I think I just gained 10 pounds writing that paragraph!:-)

1.  Some people may not have a home to go to, a family to share the holidays with.  Write a scenario for them - either the loner at the restaurant (BAH!  HUMBUG!) learning what holidays are all about OR the family opening their home celebration to the loner, and relearning the meaning of the time themselves in the process.

2.  Pick any of those goodies that are weighting the table down, and use it as a metaphor for the day, your feelings, etc.  Write a short "allegory" making the reader taste that food AND feel its hidden meaning(s).

3.  (SF)  R'gnarl, the Centaurian anthropologist, has decided to observe your family during this ritual.  What questions does it have?  How does your family answer them?  What, if anything, does R'gnarl conclude about the implications of this ritual?  (don't forget that R'gnarl's report will determine whether the exterminators are brought in to clear the planet for another attempt at a sapient race or not...)

4.  (SF) The colonists are down on planet Skylor.  The natives aren't sure whether they want to be friendly or not, but they are willing to talk and listen.  The colonists want to celebrate - with a mixture of old holiday memories, some new customs they developed during the trip, and perhaps some native customs.  Describe that festival - and how the colonists explain what it is.

5.  Kiddy times - we have probably all heard the standard holiday stories.  But suppose your (little sister/brother, cousin, next door neighbor - youngster) wants a story, and you want to tell one, set in the old stories BUT using your own special plot/characters/twists.  What is that story?

6.  Many people in other countries have never experienced the American holiday celebrations, of course, but often they have heard of them.  Imagine that you are asked to describe your favorite holiday for them.  Tell them about the food you had, how you spent the time, and what it means - why do you do this?

7.  Imagine you're a ghost of a person who never lived (member of the family?  friend?  Indian who would have lived here?) and you are watching the revelry.  What do you want to say to those who are there?  Can you, in the very ghostly whispers, tell the reader who you are?  Can you make them feel what you feel watching - the holiday you don't have... (hey, spooks deserve love too, you know!)

8.  (Always a good one)  Dialogue Watching!  You may be seeing people meeting for the first time after a separation, or just spending some time with people in a little different mood.  Watch and listen carefully.  What are they doing with their bodies and language?  When some phrase or joke is especially good, keep track of it.  Why is this so effective?  Listen to the dialogue, the rhythms and patterns, and figure out how you know someone without even looking at them.  (If you're like me, you may not want to take notes at the time, but go ahead and make some notes later.  Try to run back over the time and write down bits and pieces that stood out, plus some that are so completely ordinary that you might have trouble noticing them.)

9.  We've recently heard about "random acts of kindness". Keep your eyes open for situations that might allow such "good Samaritan" acts, and consider what might happen if people carried it out.  You may either write up the story or, where appropriate, try it!  (this is known as empirical writing - do something, watch, then report results...)

10.  Have fun!