[Report This]Date: Mar 16, 2015 08:22 pm Title: Case Example - Using Repetition to Increase Suspense
It didn't bug me, but now that I see it... it will LOL.
I don't really have much to say on this topic... I don't have any big suspense stories besides the Bodyguard. Knowing me, you should know I did not take the typical route of exposing his secret.
I can't be argumentative on this one so that doesn't leave very much for me to say lol. Very helpful info!
Author's Response:
No debates? How sad :(
Let it bug you. Let it fester until all you can see is that "c". bwahaha
Girl, you totally toss suspense into your stories. I could think of half a dozen cliffhangers you've done without serious effort.
[Report This]Date: Mar 16, 2015 05:42 pm Title: Case Example - Using Repetition to Increase Suspense
Thank you so much. Now I know better how to apply this to my story. Lol I didn't even realize they had misspelled suspense.
More soon <333
Author's Response:
NP. Thanks for the question :)
'Suspence' doesn't annoy me as much as their error at the bottom of the screen. I facepalm every time.
[Report This]Date: Mar 16, 2015 07:29 am Title: Case Example - Using Repetition to Increase Suspense
Ahhh sorry for the late review(s)! First of all you know how I feel about your last author's note about the CV thing lmao...yep..yep...
Suspense-- I wish I was more strong willed so I could include cliffhangers! I'm an instant gratification person and always find myself wanting to continue the story immediately. Same for playing the long-game...I'm always nervous to include "mystery" tidbits that go unresolved for chapters at a time for fear that a) they'll be a let down and b) the readers will forget/not understand what I'm trying to do. << I think above anything else in my writing, I need to work on suspense! Thanks for bringing this back to the forefront of my mind!
I saw some conversation about the merits of swearing in the review section, and this is something that while I feel strongly about, I'm also self-concious of. I know that I swear a lot. Some of it's intentional, some of it's bad habit (in writing and irl) I do always try to make a point that, in my story specifically, people like Julia and Janelle are the potty mouths and Michael is someone that swears when necessary, not like the college kids that the other characters are. Even still, I'm afraid that it's excesive and I do try to tone it down. I feel like, particularly for Julia, her tone and style of dialogue has beend developed to include a healthy string of explicitives, but I do my best to counterbalance that with insightful dialogue as well.
I'll come back and write more later, gotta run now. Good stuff, good stuff!
Author's Response:
NP. No rush, no obligation, no ....I ran out of words.
You've done cliffhangers - need I remind you of Julia getting kicked out in LA or the car scene?
"potty mouth" I'm dyyyying. I usually hear cursing or swearing. This takes me back to volunteer work that I used to do.
Swearing is an art form. As with slang, it can carry a lot of meaning and can change how one sees interactions/dialogue, without even changing the message of the statement.
TY!
[Report This]Date: Mar 15, 2015 08:17 pm Title: Case Example - Using Repetition to Increase Suspense
Regarding to the cliffhangers I've never really read a story that over did them. I can tolerate them but I hate them more than anything too. It's like I can do it on my story but I wouldn't want the author of my favorite story to do it just because thats my favorite story.
Now, when it comes to suspense I'm not very good at it. Every now and again I get lucky and write a good suspenseful scene, but I am not afraid to admit that I'm not that good at it. I'm a little bad at building up to big suspense scene but the way you make repitition work within suspense is nice!
Wait, now that I think about it the recent dinner chapter in GL was a good suspense moment... or would you not call it suspense? And maybe the chapter where Semaj and Michael were close to doing it and her parents had returned.. that was a nice little moment there and I won't lie when I outlined for that to happen I was tempted to make it a cliffhanger but I thought against it.
I really hate the building of a suspense scene... or a big climax for the simple fact that authors enjoy to use cliffhangers right in that moment. So when I feel the rise of a big scene I'll stop reading for a good four chapters and then I'll come back to it so that way I can read straight through it.
Author's Response:
I love the double standard ;)
I think the biggest key to suspense is to not allude too much to what will happen. Just follow the KISS strategy. A few repetitions can do that beautifully.
I'd call the dinner a suspenseful scene.
I think you hit the nail on the head. That's definitely a factor in my decision to delay starting most stories until they are a fair bit developed.
Date: Mar 15, 2015 07:31 pm Title: Case Example - Using Repetition to Increase Suspense
ooo! and for the vampire bit also that he is becoming increasingly thirsty for blood..or is that revealing too much? or never sleeps in the night..
Author's Response:
I think the increasing thirst for blood also works. Again, repetition can't be used for everything, but spread out and used sparingly, it is a powerful tool.
One excellent way to use it is to have seemingly unrelated factors start to escalate at the same time, then to tie them together at the apex of the tension. The key there, though, is that the readers don't necessarily know they are all linked.