SECRETS & SUSPENSE (LAURIE FARIA STOLARZ)

Regardless of genre, I think early every work could benefit from a dose of suspense. What else is going to keep us turning pages? One way I like to add suspense is with a secret. 

 

Does your character have a secret? What are – or could they be – hiding from the world? 

 

How would they hide this secret? In what way would this secret motivate your character, influencing their action, dialogue, and desires? 

 

How could the secret raise the stakes? What would happen if key players found out about this secret? 

 

Does your character have to lie to keep the secret? Do they confide in anyone? Does that end up being a mistake? Or how does that decision spin the narrative? 

 

The answers to all of these questions keep the reader turning pages. We’re hooked in the suspense of how this secret will be revealed and what its effects will be. How will this secret impact the present-day action? 

 

As an example, in my Dark House series, the main character, Ivy, has a secret. Six years ago, her parents were murdered in the room next door to hers. The killer got away and Ivy was placed in witness protection. Six years later, she has a new name, a new family (adopted by her foster parents), and she wants nothing more than to put the horror of her past behind her. But she can’t. Because her past haunts her daily life; she’s always looking over her shoulder, afraid the killer might be lurking somewhere, following her somehow. 

 

This is part of her backstory, but it creeps into her present-day action. As a reader, we want to know if she’ll be able to move forward, as a victim to her trauma. So, yes, there is present-day action – obstacles she needs to hurdle in her present-day life – but the action is all the more suspenseful because we, the reader, know her secret is kicking her butt and holding her back.  

 

As you write and get to know your character, look for a secret from their backstory, something that has the potential to haunt them on an emotional level. The secret will likely involve something from their past, and it will have the potential to influence their present-day action and motivation. 

 

Happy writing!!!