by Terry Ambrose, @suspense_writer
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| Purchase here |
The
epiphany, the “aha” moment, the smack on the side of the head. No matter what
we call it, that moment when the last piece of the puzzle snaps into place is
an amazing moment. In this case, that moment had to do with writing a
compelling story.
Let’s face it, some writers are just masters at
creating a story that readers can’t put down. For me, that’s the ultimate
compliment and the holy grail of writing mysteries and suspense. I’ve studied
and practiced the craft of writing for many years and became a fan of Jack M.
Bickham’s scene and sequel writing theory for some time back. In my opinion,
most fiction writers would benefit just by learning Bickham’s theories about
how to structure a novel.
Scenes and
sequels
When I read Bickham’s “Elements of Fiction
Writing: Scene and Structure,” I realized that my writing had subconsciously
been moving in that direction for years. Bickham’s guidance was what I needed
at precisely the right moment. It gave me questions to ask before I started
laboring over any new scene. In short, it gave my writing structure.
•
Everything
that happens in a story is based on a stimulus and for every stimulus, there
will be a character response.
•
Scenes
advance the story through establishing character goals, generating conflict,
and taking characters one step forward, two steps back with major and minor
disasters.
•
Sequels
provide the reader an opportunity to get closer to the characters by showing
why they took an action and what emotions they felt. The sequel also sets up
the next action in the story.
The “next”
paragraph, from structure to compelling
My second “aha” moment was pure serendipity. I’d
just attended a meeting where bestselling author Kelley Armstrong talked about
plotting. She gave a number of tips to help writers move their plots forward
more quickly. That, as the saying goes, “primed the pump.” The real smack on
the side of the head came when my wife brought home an old Greg Isles book that
she came across while working at the Friends of the Library bookstore.
“Black Cross” hooked me with the first sentence.
So far, good job Mr. Isles, you made me want to finish the paragraph. At the
end of the first paragraph, I had to read the second. Then the third. By the
end of the second page, there was no question that this was what a compelling
read was all about—the next paragraph. The epiphany—it’s all about playing
dirty.
Playing
dirty
Whether I’m writing a funny Hawaiian mystery
like PHOTO FINISH or a suspense novel like my upcoming release, my goal is to
get the reader to the next paragraph. If I write each paragraph with a
mini-hook at the end, I’ll have done my part. Perhaps someday I’ll have another
moment like “the next paragraph” moment. Will it be days? Months? Years? I have
no idea. What I do know is that instead of using a hook at the end of each
chapter, as I did before, I’m now taking that concept to the paragraph level
and treating each paragraph as though it might be a chance for the reader to
put down the book. Sorry, readers, but I’m determined to play dirty and not give
you that chance.
About the
author
Terry Ambrose started out skip tracing and
collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that liars come from all
walks of life. He never actually stole a car, but sometimes hired big guys with
tow trucks and a penchant for working in the dark when “negotiations” failed.
In his debut novel PHOTO FINISH, a former skip
tracer meets a beautiful con artist in Honolulu and finds trouble almost too
hot to handle. Terry’s next novel, LICENSE TO LIE, will be released in mid
December. It’s about a $5 million con gone bad and the harshest lesson of
all—never trust a soul…even your own.
Learn more about Terry on his website at terryambrose.com
or on his Facebook author page at facebook.com/suspense.writer.
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