Tension

Good Wednesday, lovely people of the blogosphere!! I'm running late because of some technical issues I've experienced this morning. Cleared out all the junk though and here I am!

Today we're gonna talk about tension. More specifically, tension in a novel. I suppose this could also be classified as construction of chapters leading to a whole book.

Let's get started!

First and foremost, you should know your main character must undergo some type of change from the beginning of your novel to the end. They must walk through the proverbial doorway which, once passed through, they can never recover from. Life can never ever be the same after they take that step. They should doubt, question, and have reservations about taking that step. This provides much needed tension.

The basic construction of a novel is thus:

• Introduction to the character
• Moment of change (or some like to call this introduction of conflict I don't, because conflict can come later) This should happen in the first 1/3 of the novel (unless a series)
• Path to resolution
• Conclusion (this should happen in the last 1/4)

Some novelists enjoy flipping this construct around and beginning with the end. As an example, I gave the major turning point in my book Yassa in the prologue from a different character's POV. That was different from my main character's moment of change (when he murdered his half-brother).

Every chapter must have some sort of tension as well. You don't necessarily have to bring the same amount of tension in each chapter, but you need something to keep your reader engaged and turning the page.

Let's rate tension on a scale of 1-5. Some people prefer 1-10 but I think that's too big a range and adds confusion. We'll say 1 is the least amount of tension and 5 is the most.

Your first chapter should hit at least a 3, no matter the length of your novel. Subsequent chapters can be spread out but you should be sure to hit a 5 at least twice during your tale. If you have more than one chapter that only reaches a 1, change it to add tension. Read your book and assign ratings. Change what needs changing.

This can be done by introducing an antagonist or throwing a monkey wrench into your character's path (that link takes you to a page in my blog where you can get some ideas on how to add tension).

If you want a great example of a novel that manages to hit a 5 in damned near every chapter, check out Dean Koontz's Intensity. There's a reason this book flew off the shelves. I'm not much of a Koontz fan, but that was one hell of a book.

Find it here.

Readers get bored easily. If you inundate them with back-story or long, descriptive paragraphs, they'll put your book down and walk away. Sometimes they come back but why risk it?

Remember, tension is key to engagement!

When you put all the chapters you've written together, make sure your transitions are smooth between each and read for tension!

What book have you read lately that had great tension?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Biting and Chewing

We write like we eat: plan the book (idea), write an outline, write chapter-by-chapter, plan the meal, cook the meal, eat the meal bite-by-bite.

We can't really get to the last part unless we do the first two parts. Even if we eat a lot of fast food, we still have to decide where to go and what to order. You can't skip parts.

Seasonings are the feelings and settings you put into your book. I could write a lovely few lines like this:

I walked to the fridge and pulled out hot dogs. I popped one into the microwave and heated it for a minute, then added ketchup and sat down to eat. When I was done, I cleaned my place and headed to get out of my pajamas so I could go to the store.

You get the idea of what I'm doing but I certainly seem like I'm a zombie and have zero emotion, right? Let's try again:

I felt hunger pangs for the first time since the incident occurred so I shuffled over to the old fridge that looked like something from 1972 (much like the kitchen it was in) and jerked the door open to peer inside. I scanned the contents and let out a heavy sigh before I settled on hot dogs. I slammed them down on the counter and slit open the package with a knife from the block nearby. Digging out one of the dogs, I grabbed a paper towel and wrapped it up like a caterpillar in a cocoon before popping it into the microwave and pressing the button that would get me thirty seconds of nuke time.

While the appliance whirred, I stuffed the remaining hot dogs into a bag, zipped it closed, and reached for a paper plate. Tears filled my eyes again as I thought about what happened and my head screamed How could this happen to me? Haven't I endured enough? I got a less-than-satisfying ding, opened the microwave, and grabbed my breakfast. After I plopped it on the plate, I stuffed the leftovers back into the fridge and grabbed the ketchup. I squirted a squiggly line next to my dog and popped the bottle back into the still open fridge; slamming the door.

Shuffling to the two-person table that was situated under the naked bulb in my sparse dining room made me feel like all my energy was suddenly being drained from my body. I sat down and ate my meal while fat tears rolled down my face and plopped into my already-watery ketchup. Sighing, I stood and took my small mess to the over-full trash can before heading to change out of my pajamas for the first time in a week so I could go to the store.

Now, even though you have no idea why I feel the way I feel, you have more emotional response than with the first section, right? You know something is troubling the poor soul that's being spoken about, right? Would you read on to find out what's wrong?

I'm building suspense to my plight by letting you into my thoughts and emotions before telling you what's going on. It's a useful trick to pickup and also useful to see the opposite way and realize how you can pare down and remove emotion and scenery. All I did was add a few spices to your meal.

If you haven't picked one up yet, go get a copy of one of my books. There's something for everyone there!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Chapter Outline

Well, I got my chapter outline done today. I wasn't sure how quickly the plot would progress until I got chapters 1-10 out of the way but I have a pretty good grasp of the story now and how it has decided to breathe. Here are all of the chapter titles and they tell a bit about what happens by name.

I am not listing summaries because, in my FIRM opinion, summaries are spoilers and you do not want to miss the upcoming action in this book! So, without further ado:

Prologue
Chapter 1 – The Business of Wives:
Chapter 2 – Of Plots and Abandonment:
Chapter 3 – Metamorphosis
Chapter 4 – I Run, I Hide, I Die
Chapter 5 – Slaves
Chapter 6 – Escape
Chapter 7 – It’s Me Again
Chapter 8 – Training
Chapter 9 – Marriage
Chapter 10 – Bloodlust
Chapter 11 – To War
Chapter 12 – Revenge and Recovery
Chapter 13 – My Love
Chapter 14 – Goings and Comings
Chapter 15 – A Son is Born
Chapter 16 – The Tatars
Chapter 17 – Homecoming
Chapter 18 – Domination
Chapter 19 – Assassination
Chapter 20 – Rivalry
Chapter 21 – Ultimate Betrayal
Chapter 22 – Friends and Foes
Chapter 23 – Hunter
Chapter 24 – Borte
Chapter 25 – Fire Burns a Mighty Path
Chapter 26 – Seizure
Chapter 27 – Friendship
Chapter 28 – Genghis Khan

And, there you have it!!

I hope this puts some excitement into you for the upcoming excerpts!!

Until next time, Write ON!

Jo