Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hello everyone and welcome to our new class of
creative writing. This class we'll focus
on suspense writing. This is the next
class of our course. I have previously posted my
first class on Skillshare. We will have a
comprehensive course on creative writing
tips and techniques. We will upload other classes on this topic in the coming weeks. My most recent class was the first in a creative
writing course, and it was about writing
jokes and comedy. Please watch it if
you haven't already. This session, on the other hand, will focus on suspense, writing tips and approaches. First, we'll define suspense and go through the fundamentals
of crafting suspense.
2. Suspense Writing: How and Why?: The short answer to
the how part is to create a character who is
caught up in the mass? The long answer to
this question is that you must first
create a character. It makes little difference to
the reader whether you have a good character or a
horrible character. As long as you give him a
significant challenge to solve. After you've created a character and placed him in a predicament. The rest of the story
is about showing your audience how he strives to get out
of this situation. The most crucial thing
in this case is to construct a character who is dealing with a
serious problem, preferably a really serious one. Plotting refers to
the many tactics he employs to escape the
current predicament. Plotting is just as vital as
the characters predicament. If the challenge
that the character is dealing with is a unique one. But if the planning is poor than the readers
will lose interest. You've all experienced what occurs when a reader
loses interest? It indicates he will entirely disregard your work and
go on to the next rider, completely forgetting
about you and your work. As a result, it is critical to engrossed your readers
in your narrative so that they will
become a fan of yours and eagerly await
your next story. Now, we get to our
next question. Why? Why should we write
suspend the stories? The short response to
the question is that it is all about thrill
and entertainment. The lengthy answer
is that you want people to be touched by
your suspense narrative. You also want them to be
amused and didn't like. Your readers want
to become engrossed and immersed in the universe
you built for them. The universe you've
built is full of interesting characters
and interesting stories. These are the elements that will keep your readers in
your universe for a longer period of time so that they can enjoy
and appreciate it. This satisfaction is what keeps them from
leaving your universe. This strategy is applicable not just to the suspense genre, but also to all other genres. Whatever genre you write in. The most essential
thing is to build a great universe
for your readers to immerse into and enjoy, while also developing
a deep time connection with the characters
of your universe. This is known as
the magical link because it ties your imaginary
world to the actual one. As a result, all you have to
do is work a little magic. Of course, it's simple to
learn and create this magic. Most components of
suspense writing may be readily acquired with the
assistance of a skilled tutor. You may simply put such
abilities to work for you. Practice them every day and
put in the time and effort. There are many writers out there who had no experience
in suspense writing, but with the assistance of a competent tutor and hard work. They've become well-known
authors in their field. Additionally, many
individuals read suspense novels as if
they were holy texts. In addition, many people
attempt to things they've read about to see whether they
can ride like that as well. There are just a few
things in life that cannot In such as your talent, your professional experience, and your dedication
to your craft. However, even if you are really brilliant and
experienced writer, it is useless if you do
not put a gift to use. In other words, if
you don't write down your ideas and put
them on paper, it won't work for a year. Because one of the most essential
things to remember when creating suspense is to write a good story that
people can relate to. As a result. In this class, we will
show you how to write a strong suspense story that your readers can connect with it and become immersed in it. So the question is, what is it about your story
that draws readers in? It all boils down to one thing. Characters who were
in danger and are doing everything they
can to get out of it. It makes no difference what
kind of difficulty he's in. The only thing that
matters is that the problem is important to
the characters in the story. If a reader claims he
got lost in a narrative, it suggests that something
bad is occurring to a character and the reader wants to know what happens next. If you construct a scenario
that is free of problems, it will be adult. And an interesting
element of the story. Trouble is the only element that draws the reader
into the novel. If your character is not
caught up in trials, finds himself in risky
circumstances or encounters herbals
while attempting to achieve this target. Then near narrative is just another
uninteresting narration. It also doesn't matter
who the character is. Even a witty, colorful persona does not hold the
reader's attention for long unless he is in a desperate situation
or is in grave danger. As a result, the ideal technique to
write a good suspense novel is to generate conflicts and difficulties for
your characters, which will keep the
readers glued to their seats until the
end of your story.
3. What is Suspense?: It implies that you are unable to foretell
what would occur next. All of our senses will be
stimulated at the same time. And we attempt to grasp what
is going on in the story. Since we don't know
how it will end. It indicates that suspense as a genre in which
you put pressure on the reader by including various difficulties and
barriers into the plot. The pressure and
tension should be comparable to the boiling
point of a water pot. And applying
additional pressure to the pot will cause it
to shatter and burst. As a result, when writing
a suspense story, you must constantly create pressure and tension
to your story by employing a variety
of strategies in order to keep the reader
on the edge of his seat. So what does suspense
provide the reader? It gives the reader
a lofty perspective. It implies that when you
write a suspense story, you provide your readers
with a perspectives of both the hero and the villain. It implies you provide the
reader with the heroes point of view and the things he accomplishes from
his point of view. At the same time, you provide the readers
with villains point of view and the actions he does
from that point of view. The most crucial point, though, is that we do not tell the
reader what will happen next. We keep the suspense going. By keeping the reader guessing. We keep dropping hints
and clues so that the reader may keep guessing
until the end of the story. We're creating a situation in which the tension builds up, but we're not telling the audience what's
going to happen. Let's have a look at
different kinds of suspense and some
ways for creating pressure and tension in a story in order to make us
successful suspense thriller.
4. What Is Going to Happen Next : You should strive to
write an excellent, if not outstanding story. You should write as if you were in charge of a film festival. You are the director, producer, writer, and performer
of your own story. You should attempt to produce a narrative that
makes people exclaim, I've never read such a beautiful and
intriguing story before. If you are creating
a screenplay, people should flock to cinemas
and theaters to see it. Alternatively, if
you're writing a book, it should be sold out
before it's pre-sale. If you are creating
a screenplay, the film should be electrifying
and full of anticipation. When it is shown in cinemas. When people see your great
writing, they should scream. You should write films in which the audience is unable to
hear themselves screen. They should be so
engrossed in the film that they don't feel anything
else than their pulse. Your suspense writing
should have them engaged. It should seem like they've been transported to a
wonderful fantasy world. You should build up the anticipation for
your characters to the point where
people will shout out loud when they see
them on screen. This is how your characters
should make their entrance. Your characters should cause the viewer to jump
out of their seats. The sound of their shouts
should shatters the walls. This level of excitement
and anticipation, election should keep
your viewers hooked to their seeds until the
very end of your film. That is the emotion
you should strive for. Even if you can't create a scream out loud
suspense narrative, you should be able to
craft one that will keep your audience Rip
to their seeds. The one that enslaved your viewers and
refuses to let them go. And this type of writing
is known as anticipation. It's exactly what
the readers want. It is what will happen next. This is known as
suspense rioting. And every engrossing
narrative should include one. Suspense. According to many great writers, is vital when creating
a successful story. It does not have to be a
terrifying type of suspense. However, it should
be embedded in your story in such a manner that it compels your readers to flip the page and read it
all the way through. In the opening page
of your novel, you should strive to pose
a question to the reader. It should not be a
blatant question, but rather subconscious one. The solution to that
question should not be revealed until the very
final page of your work. However, you should sprinkle
a few hints here and there, so that the readers are left guessing till the very
end of the story. Nonetheless, additional
questions develop along the way. As the story progresses. These questions should be
answered progressively. But the most essential thing
to remember when writing a good story is to answer
the primary question, the overarching
topic in the climax. This is because the answer to this question was the central
theme of your whole story. This question, major
story fantastic. Thus it should be answered
at the conclusion. In the climax. When creating a
suspenseful fiction story, you must generate a sense
of enjoyment that is accompanied with ambiguity
and unpredictability. This suggests that their readers like the stories
on predictability. They'll be motivated to read
your novel till the end, to discover out
what happens next, because they enjoy not knowing
what will happen next. This type of mood is essential
in suspense fiction. The mystery and thrillers genres share the same sensation. This type of feeling, however, is required
for suspense fiction. If the reader's not enjoy
the stories ambiguity, it is likely that the story is uninteresting and dragging. The subliminal question posed at the beginning of the story
should remain unanswered. And the readers should
keep reading to find out when the unanswered
question will be resolved. If you want to create more
suspense in your writing, you must emotionally
engage your readers with the unanswered question in
the early pages of the story. If you can effectively arouse your audience's concern
for your characters, you will have accomplished
your suspense story. For example, let's say your character is looking
for his night close. What happened to them? Where are they? This question is flooding
about in the air. However, this question
will not pick the reader's interest unless, of course, the night. Whereas the key to unlocking the mysteries last
piece of the puzzle, the goal is to build an emotional connection between the characters and the readers. This bond is formed in a scenario where the
stakes are extremely high. Readers, we'll stick
with the story to the conclusion because they
wanted to know the outcome. As a result, you must ensure that this bond lasts until
the end of the story.
5. Creating a Dilemma: It means that you must introduce confusion
into your story. For example, will it be possible or will it
not be possible? You should create this
type of situation. Don't provide a definite
answer to your audience. This adds to the suspense and makes the whole thing
more unpredictable. There is no suspense. If the reader can guess
it before the climax. As a result, you must create a dilemma to increase
the tension. It may cause the reader to
make additional guesses, such as, is it possible or not? Let's say the story's hero is working at his
office one afternoon. He gets a call from his wife telling him
he needs to be home by six in the evening to celebrate their
wedding anniversary. However, the hero will have
to work additional hours today in order to complete his work and deliver
it to his client. Now the hero is in a dilemma. His wife will be upset
if he does not arrive at is AS before six to celebrate
his wedding anniversary. If he returns home and fails to work extra and
complete his work, the boss and the client
will be furious. Readers will keep
reading your novel with bated breath to find out what decision that
hero will make. Will he go home or stay at the workplace to
finish his work? You can make your story
more intriguing and engaging by including
this sort of dilemma.
6. Making The Odds Very Low: It means that the assignment is nearly impossible for
the hero to complete. It signifies that there are several stumbling blocks
in the route of the hero, making it hard for him to
complete the objective. As a result, as a writer, you must impose pressure
after pressure on the hero, lowering his chances of
completing the task. Let's say the heroes wife is pregnant and
ready to give birth. However, the hospital is a long distance away
from his home. As a writer, you should
put obstacles in the route of the heroes pathway to that hospital building. For example, let's say there
is a roadblock on his path forcing him to take a longer route to reach
the hospital building. You may also create severe rain, which would obstruct his path
to the hospital building. Or you can create some
people who will try to prevent the hero from
reaching the hospital building. This is how you may
increase the suspense of the story by putting strain
and anxiety on the hero. Will the hero make it
to the hospital in time for the delivery or not? This is how you may
include suspense in your story and write
a strong suspense book. Making the chances against
the hero extremely low, makes the story more
suspenseful and interesting.
7. Time Constraint : In this technique, we must inform the readers that the hero has a limited amount of time and that the mission is
impossible to complete. It signifies that the hero must complete the task in a very
limited amount of time. The tasks continue to
become more difficult while the time allotted
to do the task decreases. So if I am posing
a time constraint, you may generate tension. Let's assume a man has to be to the airport at seven AM
to catch his flight. But alas, he was quite
late in waking up. He awoke around 630 AM. He now has less than a half
hour to go to the airport. He is now rushing
to the airport. But there's another issue. The airport is two hours
distant from his home. How will he get to the airport? By seven AM? This is known as a
time constraint. Now, the readers will continue
reading your story to find out whether or not he will make it to the
airport on time. Will he be able to catch his
flight or will he miss it? This is how you write
a suspenseful story. Their readers are
unable to foresee exactly what will occur
next in the story. Will he be able to reach the airport or he will
regret waking up late? This is the question that keeps the reader riveted
to their seeds. And by dropping hints
here and there, you may keep them wandering
until the very end. As a result, adopting the time constraint
technique can help you write a
strong suspense story.
8. Raise The Stakes: In this technique, you
need to put the hero in a scenario where the
stakes are really high. It's signifies that if
the hero is unable to complete the assignments
successfully than the outcome
would be tragic. Let's say man needs to go to his office to give an
important presentation. If he is able to give his
presentation successfully, then it has the potential to significantly improve his life. He will, however, lose his job. If he is unable to deliver the
presentation successfully, he will lose his job, even if the people at his company do not
like his presentation. If he loses his job, he will be devastated. He will be disappointed. As you can see, the stakes in this
scenario are quite high. His job is at stake. The reader's interest in the story will be
peaked by the question of whether or not he will be able to make his presentation
in successfully. This is how you write
a suspenseful story, because readers have no
idea what will happen next. As a result, by raising
the states and the plot, you can write an
excellent suspense story.
9. Complicate The Matter: It entails presenting The Hero
with a series of problems. It implies that you must provide the hero with one
obstacle after another. The hero will thereafter be
unable to complete the task. This is how you may make
things more difficult. Let's say a father wishes to get his son are present
for his birthday. You may make things more difficult by shutting
this single shop where the hero gets his supplies to ease some of the
tension in the story. Let's say that the hero
encounters one open shop. However, make the
situation even more complicated by causing
him to lose his wallet. He lost his wallet when
he discovered the shop. Readers will be
keen to know how he plans to buy a birthday
present for his son. Will he be able
to buy it or not? This question will pick the curiosity of your
readers in your story. This sad suspense to the plot and makes
it more intriguing. As a result, you must
complicate the situation for the hero such that he is
unable to perform the task, which will create an
excellent suspenseful story for the readers.
Mohammed Shamash
