https://againsttheirwill.wordpress.com/2024/03/26/the-future-is-in-the-past
Tag Archives: writing suspense
Web Conspiracies Everywhere? –
Just because a building looks official or imposing, does that mean everyone it represents is honest and trustworthy?
If you’ve read my book, Against Their Will, you know I’m into conspiracy stories. When the first stirrings of ideas for the book formed in my brain, it was still a bit inconceivable that normal, everyday citizens should ever have to worry about any type of conspiracy, much less ones government induced.
Now after the advent of Edward Snowden, the NSA, WikiLeaks, Drone spying, claims that vaccines harm us and that Wal-Mart is closing stores in the Southwest to make room for Chinese troops to come train on US soil and more, it is much more conceivable that things might be going on that we don’t really want to know are going on.
Granted there are all sorts of ideas floating on the web about who did what to whom. I will admit, some make a lot of sense. Others are discredited almost immediately when I see a lack substantiation or proof as to what the writer is claiming. Merely “preaching an idea” does not necessarily make that idea true. Nor does a credible looking website that states something is true without facts or references to back it up really mean that what is said is true.
Jazzy web-designs, easily obtained today in numerous places, can make a site credible looking. Formats that appear to be news-worthy can draw in visitors quite easily, and if the content is presented in the right manner, can even deceive the reader into believing all that is said is true.
This just emphasizes the ease with which a modern day web-surfer can be misled or down-right lied to. Fiction belongs in a book that is labeled as fiction and not pushed on the public in ways that deceive the reader into believing they are true, or fact.
Have I been stung by truthful-looking web-sites? Maybe. . . But, despite what I think about what I read on the web, I will say, there is an abundance of material out there that churns up a pot-full of ideas for plotting my next novel. No doubt, there is probably enough truth mixed in with the screaming headlines and provocative intros that even those ideas that are not true, may certainly seem true.
What’s good about all this? Well, this makes the beauty of fiction writing all the more alluring. It doesn’t matter! A fiction writer can craft just about any story, and given a few exceptions, never have to prove its merit or truthfulness!
But, as with all things, moderation is key. It all depends on the story being told and the audience to which it is pitched. Still, the internet makes for one huge world of interest just waiting to be manipulated into a best-seller. Thriller style!
Are Your Bad Guys Bad Enough?
Most people don’t like bad guys. After all, they spend their real or fictional lives antagonizing others or themselves!
The epitome of a “bad guy” stage!
Bad guys make us sit on the edges of our seats, get sweaty palms, or even raise our heart rates. But are they really necessary for a good story?
YES! It’s been stated many times that conflict makes a story engaging or engrossing. What better way to create conflict than to have a bad guy antagonizing our hero. The greatest thrillers use this model and even dramatic stories successfully incorporate the bad guys into the plot line.
I’m a fan of Diana Galbadon (The Outlander Series and Starz Network Show). She has successfully created a number of bad guys that really set my teeth on edge and make my fingernails grow a couple of inches; all the better to claw their eyes out with! I hate the bad guys. I want them dead, gone, kaput! But, if they left the scene right away, what consequences would ensue? Sure, the protagonist would be “okay” but, would the story be as interesting if there was nothing to fear or be angry about? Would the reader really want to continue reading?
Not all stories use human characters to facilitate the bad guy persona. While many do, many authors are quite adept at using events and inanimate objects to antagonize the protagonists. A hurricane, health scare or disease outbreak, or financial crisis are just a few situations that are “bad” and can do much to facilitate character development and story interest. Situations a reader can relate to also help to grow interest and empathy from a reader. An author is not limited to human, breathing bad guys, but objects and events can be drafted to do the job.
I must admit I love “pulling the chains” of my “bad” characters. It is fulfilling, at times, to inflict emotional and/or physical distress on them. No, I’m not a sadist! But, writing in this manner is a great release of frustrations in my own life. I find it very cathartic and liberating. However, it is also rewarding to let some bad guys find redemption and become someone who is forgiven, loved, or even a savior of the protagonist. Either scenario, letting the bad guy stay bad and resolve the issues encountered with tragedy or letting him or her change and resolve the story in a more positive note make for writing that is captivating.
And if it makes for a best seller, all the better!
Until next time . . .
How Not to Write a Book
Off chasing yet another tangent
From time to time I am asked where did I get the inspiration for and how did I plot Against Their Will. The answer is one that often surprises people, especially those who are preparing to write their own books. I simply started with a couple of people I could visualize, adapted a real life event in my own life and inserted them into it. After that event concluded, I had no idea where the book was going next or where it would end up. I just had two characters who had experienced a cataclysmic event in their lives. For those organized and perhaps anal writers, this is not the way to start! But, I will admit, I am a free-thinker, and being creative, I don’t want to be “boxed in” by parameters, especially those set by others. My husband often accuses me of deliberately doing the opposite of what I am told to do, just because I can. And, I do! It drives him crazy, but I’m happy.
When I started on my first novel (long since buried in the trash can), I wrote what I liked to read. I still do. Reading a variety of other works, and a good dose of those that fall into the same genre as what I am writing in, helps me to develop my own voice and style. This initially didn’t help me with the plotting conundrum, but as I have learned to step back and analyze my work, what I learn from other writers makes a big contribution to my own development. I’m not advocating any kind of plagiarism, but rather the studying the styles and methods of successful writers is a way, especially for new writers but also more experienced ones, to see the types of things that work and those that don’t work. .
Because I love thrillers and suspense novels and those are the books I want to write, I asked myself what could I do next to surprise the reader. Nineteen chapters and one prologue later, my novel was born.
Despite the challenge and fun of creating a story in this manner, I would never suggest to another author to use this method. Using an outline as a skeleton and then adding “meat” to it would be my preferred method. However, I am the kind of author that gets “lost” in the created world I am developing and it is just more fun to let the tangents rule and follow their trails in unknown directions. A pre-defined story map is often limiting to those of us who let their creative sides trump the more structured side of their writing minds.
One big set-back to the tangent writing style is the fact that it can get complicated keeping the story straight. This caused a lot of re-writes and edits in my case. It also necessitated a content edit to be sure all the dangling events were tied together and resolved.
Although I still utilize the Tangent Style of writing in my other books, I have incorporated a new method to help me focus. That is, I write the ending just as soon as I have the opening scene completed. This gives me a “finish line” or goal to achieve and helps to keep my wandering ways in check. It also helps when I get “stuck” or blocked. I re-read the ending and visualize what the characters would have had to do to get to that point. Soon after, the creative juices get flowing again and my fingers are tapping away on the keyboard.
Against Their Will 