Don’t you love uncovering a secret?  Unlocking the truth, and seeing the light?  So does your reader! And that’s the final key to a powerful Act 2.

A powerful ACT 2 includes the growing relationship between the Hero and Heroine, the Unexpected Twists and Turns, dropping of Truth Tidbits and finally the uncovering Secrets. The secrets of the suspense plot are uncovered through the Act 2 scenes. You want each decision, each action to reveal more of the plot and cause the villain or element to up the stakes, to make it harder, to increase the pressure, to add more tension. 

Here’s a trick:  Often when I plot, I start with the Antagonist, and his goals. I ask:  What does the villain want?  What choices does he have?  I don’t have to worry about his romantic thread, or his lies. I can make his goals pure and evil.  Then I move the hero through the story, foiling the villain’s plan. I constantly go back to the Antagonist and say – what do you want to do now?  Whether you give the Antagonist a pov or not, a pro-active Antagonist or villain is a scary Antagonist.  A great suspense reveals the secrets of the story one scene at a time.

Act 2, or the GUTS of the story is designed to move your terrified reader from scene to scene, exhilarated that they faced and conquered, keeping them motivated to stay the course, learning something about themselves that they didn’t know before and giving them the courage to face their deepest fears. 

If you’ve like to go back over the last four months of suspense blogs, check out the suspense archives…

Next week we’ll dive into Act 3:  The Glow!

Susie May