It’s time to set up Act 2 of your Suspense novel, and I’m going to show you how by moving onto Act 2 of Limelight, our MBT Romantic Suspense novel today.
In Act 1, we’ve set up the foundation for the suspense – the players, what’s at stake, where the game will be played (the Cherokee forest). I’ve also set up sympathy, competence and greatest fears – those things that we’ll start manipulating in Act 2.
As I begin chapter 4, and the start of the Second Act, I need to balance a number of threads and ignite the story to keep it flowing into what I call the Fun and Games of Act 2.
Suspense Thread: First, I need to keep the suspense thread running by bringing the threat to Tennessee. Right now, Kenzie feels like she’s safe. So, in Act 2, I’ll be adding in sense that she is not, as well as starting the ticking time bomb – the deadline that will bring the suspense to a showdown. I often start the bomb ticking in Act 1 but because she escaped to Tennessee, I have to re-establish the threat and start the countdown.
As you are building your suspense, you must always consider whether your character (and reader) feels the threat. They might not, initially, because the villain is simply too far away to threaten them. However, by the end of Act 2, they should not only feel the threat, but be within grasp of the villain, or the big event that looms over them.
Romance Thread: I am also going to balance the suspense with the romantic thread. I need to weave in the essential scenes of a romance and help my characters connect on a deep emotional level (I sound like E-harmony, but they’re right!). I’ll be looking toward writing those scenes where they share values, where they complete each other, and where they help each other become better people. (For a full outline on how to write a romance, check out my newest workbook – Kiss and Tell !)
Inner Journey: Finally, in Act 2, I want to start looking inward, at the spiritual journey. Even if you are not writing an inspirational book, your character will have a spiritual journey that touches his belief system, who he is at the core. His/her journey is about changing that core belief to become a better, stronger, wiser person who can finally find/live their happily ever after. In Act 1, I set up what we call at MBT the “lie they believe” – that negative belief that holds them back from HEA. Now, in Act 2, I’ll be working dropping “truthlets” (my word, but think of them as conversation or actions that help build the proof for a change of their beliefs) that they will gather and finally embrace at the epiphany in Act 3.
Character Change Journey: In Act 1, I also established the foundation for the character change –the idea that during the course of a story, the character takes steps to change. The Character change journey is about using road-markers to help us make their change believable.
You can find a series about Character change here
So, as I move onto Chapter 4, I’ll be focusing on:
1. Re-establishing the Suspense thread.
2. Deepening the romance with an essential romance scene.
3. Dropping in a piece of truth to contribute to the inner journey
4. Drawing them to the next road marker on their character journey.
Tomorrow I’ll post my application notes on how I’ll craft the actual scene, as well as the scene itself. I know thinking through all these threads it feels like a lot, but really it can be very organic once you get these thoughts into your head. And, frankly, sometimes I just sit down, write the scene, and groom these elements into the scene after it’s written.
Yes, it’s hard work. But that’s what writing a great novel is.
That, and a bowl of popcorn. Maybe some chocolate…
Stay tuned!
Susie May