“How is your writing going? Do you feel ready to dive into crafting the Black Moment and Epiphany?” I asked Sally as she came to the table with a chai latte.
“Not yet. I want to write a suspense into my romance.” Sally sat down and pulled out her notebook. Outside, the sun shrank the snow banks, spring in the air. “I watched Eagle Eye on FX over the weekend, and I realized how much I love suspense.”
“I love suspense too,” I said. “A romantic suspense combines the fun of falling in love with that edge-of-your-seat-fear that the people we care about could get killed.
“Let’s take a look at what that would mean for your story. Writing a romantic suspense means adding another story structure/plot to your novel. You’ll have to learn to weave the romantic beats in with the big suspense elements in the right rhythm. The good news is that you can often combine some of the big moments of a romance or suspense so they merge. For example, the heroine or hero might meet at the onset of the suspense. And the final battle/grand gesture or sacrifice can be combined in the final sequence. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about the structure of a suspense.
“First, know the difference between a mystery, suspense and thriller. A mystery has a dead body at the beginning. The suspense has the dead bodies along the way. And the thriller has the threat of dead bodies at the end. Of course, there after often dead bodies throughout all of these, but the threat is emphasized at different points in the plot. Eagle Eye is part thriller, because the Big Event is at the end, and part suspense, because we are driven through the story in one suspenseful scene after another.
“The Big Event in Eagle Eye is the assassination of the President,” Sally said.
“Yes. But that’s only one part of a suspense structure. You might also have Big Event in the middle, but that lead to something bigger as a result. For example, War of the Worlds, an alien invasion movie with Tom Cruise has the Big Event happen at the end of the first act, and yet the terror continues as the aliens chase after and eliminate the Americans. So, figuring out the Big Event is crucial. Once you figure this out you must set up the suspense.”
“How do I do that?”
“First, early in the First Act, you have to set up the hero and heroine as the likely players in the suspense plot – and you have to give them a good reason for being there. For example, in Eagle Eye, the hero and heroine are picked in what seems like a random act, but they are also the only ones who figure out what is going on (and only Jerry, because he is a twin) and can stop it.
“Then, you have to set up a villain, or an antagonist that is causing the threat, or keeping them from saving the day. And you’ll have to give him a reason for being there, as well as work him into the plot.
“You’ll also have to plot external conflict related to the suspense that will keep them away from their goals of saving the day. Some of the conflict in Eagle Eye is the hero and heroine’s mutual distrust of each other, then the impossible odds of them accomplishing their tasks, and then the reality of taking on a computer/villain that controls everything.
“Finally, you’ll have to give them the ability and motivation in every scene to overcome the obstacles and save the day. This is where I use what is called the “Push Pull motivation.” But you have to make sure your scenes contain the right motivations for both threads.”
“Do I need to plot the suspense plot thread from the romance?” Sally made a face as she looked up from her notes.
“It helps initially to plot it separately, just to make sure you have all the key plot points for your suspense. But then you can weave the plot into the emotional and romantic journey. One thing to remember is that the word count for your novel doesn’t increase with the addition of the suspense thread – you have to write tighter to get it all in. But, romantic suspense continues to be a strong seller in the market, so it’s something to consider.”
Sally took a deep breath. “Maybe I should just finish the romance, and then think about the suspense.”
“Or, write this one, and we’ll work on a romantic suspense next. It might help to get one technique mastered at a time.”
“So the truth is, I’m not quite ready for a romantic suspense?” She gave me a wry grin.
“I’m not saying that. I am saying it might take starting over with a new plot, or at least extensive rewriting. It’s up to you, but writing a romantic suspense isn’t about just inserting a guy with a gun – it takes an overhaul of the plot.”
She tapped her pen on her paper, looked outside at the thaw, back at me with a smile. “So what’s my homework?”
“Come next week with your hero and heroine’s Greatest Fears, and Lies, and we’ll create the perfect Black Moment.”
Truth: A romantic suspense novel has equal part romance and suspense plot intertwined. Both plots must be fully fleshed out and then combined to create the right balance.
Dare: Read a romantic suspense novel and see if you can find the big Event, the motivation and special abilities of the players, the villain, and the places where the suspense and romance threads intersect.
Tomorrow in Quick Skills we’ll dissect the Big Event of a Suspense!
Happy Writing,
Susie May
Happy Writing!
Susie May
P.S. By the way, if you sign up for the daily Flashblog reminder in your email box, you receive the 5 Elements of a Best-Selling
Novel. A quick class on those foundational elements ever editor is looking for! Sign up HERE!
P.P.S. As you might already know, MBT is now offering an advanced membership with access to our full library, advanced teaching through webinars and video talk shows and a monthly advanced class. For more info click here! Hope to see you at practice!
Oh, and if you’re interesting in knowing how to create a fabulous first scene for the MBT Frasier contest, attend our FREE BLEACHERS CHAT tonight, 7pm CST, with our Skills Coach Beth Vogt. www.mybooktherapy.ning.com