A Suspense Writer’sTechnique for Adding New Layers to your Storyby Sandra Orchard
While reading a straight romance recently, I noted manyincidental details that, in the end, served no other purpose than to convey apicture of the setting or a visual of the character. Yet as a suspense writerreading about the “blue satin throw pillow” on the sofa, for example, my mindimmediately concluded this has got to be significant.
Someone is going to get smothered by that pillow!
Okay, this is romance, I reminded myself. No one dies.
But as I read further, I realized that non-suspense writers missout on a playground full of opportunities to layer more depth into theirstories.
For me, one of the most fun parts of writing a mystery/suspenseis dreaming up ways to plant clues that will divert my readers’ suspicions inmultiple directions.
But way more cool than that is finding the tidbits that mysubconscious planted, and playing with them.
Your subconsciousis doing this, too, whether you realize it or not.
A mystery reader—because she’s attuned to looking for cluesand spying out red herrings—will stumble over many toys the non-suspense writerunwittingly leaves lying around her story. Toys that, if she noticed them, andplayed with them, could add interesting new layers to the plot, or give addeddepth to a character, or perhaps even give the story an intriguing twist.
Let me give a simple example from the movie The Pacifier, in which a disgraced NavySeal must babysit a family of undisciplined children to protect them from badguys hunting for the secret their father took to his grave. This story had alot of fun details. Things like the young girl crossing her eyes to make thebaby cry and annoy Mr. Navy Seal. Or Mr. Navy Seal having to do a silly pandadance that the dad had made up to get the young boy to sleep. The kind ofthings that might randomly pop into your head as you’re writing. But what makesthem even better is that, in the end, the screenwriter drew them, and manyother, apparently incidental details together to defeat the bad guys andrecover the secret.
Just about every writer has had that serendipitousexperience at some point in a story when they come up with an ingenious elementand realize that they’d unconsciously laid the groundwork for it all along.
Today I want to help you recreate that experience every timeyou sit down to write.
Here’s what you do: First read what you wrote yesterday andnote every specific detail you included for which you don’t already have aplan.
Ask yourself questions about this detail, the most importantbeing how could I use this in the story.What hooks readers is a specific detail that doesn’t quite fit. It suggestspossibilities or raises questions that can help you layer greater depth intoyour characters or plot.
Then play with ways to include the ideas that seem the mostpromising.
Clear as mud?
Let’s go back to the bluesatin pillow. It must have some significance to the pov character, sinceshe took note of it as she walked into the room. Right?
Why? Why blue? Why satin? Is this an heirloom pillow passeddown from her grandmother? Does it hold special memories for her? Was it a giftfrom her first love?
Did she have a parent or spouse or child who was criticallyill and used to lie on the sofa with his or her head on the pillow? Did someonesew it for her? Did she sew it? Was it a shower gift for a wedding that neverhappened, but she could never bear to part with it?
Is it the only “rich” item in a room full of shabby belongings?A remnant of a life she left behind? A life she was pushed from? Is this theonly throw pillow in the room, or one of many? Is it a pillow that wasn’t therethe last time she was in the room and doesn’t know how it got there? Did shehave pillow fights with a beloved sibling as a kid? A sibling who has sincedied?
Hopefully you can see how any one of these questions couldspawn some interesting depth to the character or a twist in the plot that theauthor hadn’t considered. It’s a great technique to use when you’re feelingblocked or feel like your story is slowing.
I like to write the ideas that come to me in a cluster map.Circling each one as it pops into my head, exploring the answers with lines andmore circles, noting how a new idea might connect with other things going on inthe story. The exercise is the writer’s equivalent of tipping over the toy boxand playing. Have fun with it and see where it leads.
What techniques doyou use to add additional dimensions to your story?
I'll be giving away a book to each of two winners- your choice of one of the three books in my Undercover Cops series, or an ARC of my Revell release to be mailed in spring 2013. Please say you'd like to be entered in the comments section. Winners will be announced in the Weekend Edition!
Sandra Orchard is the award winning authorof several romantic suspense novels, including the RT’s Reviewer’s Choice award nominee, Critical Condition.She writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line, and has a newmystery/rs series debuting with Revell in June 2013. A member of ACFW, RWA andThe Word Guild (Canada), Sandra loves to encourage other writers in theirjourney. She graduated from McMaster University and taught high school math forseveral semesters before starting her own family, which she homeschooled. Shenow writes full time…when not doting on her first grandchild. She lives inNiagara, Canada with her husband and the two children that are still at home.You can learn more about Sandra’s books and fun extras at www.SandraOrchard.com or connect at www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard
Critical Condition (from Love Inspired Suspense)
Recently nominated by Romantic Times Magazine for aReviewer’s Choice award, CriticalCondition is the third book in Sandra’s series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—andhearts—on the line.
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