Story Development and Execution Part 7: Pacing, Tension, and Suspense

Ciao, SEers. Today is part seven: pacing, tension, and suspense. Craig has written a couple of great posts on tension (one and two), and I have a post on structure that flirts with the concept of pacing. This post will deal with how to use these elements to advance the story. One technique that gets …

The other sister

Hi gang, Craig with you again today. We’re going to talk about something that could really help in your stories. I’m going to use the analogy of two sisters. We all know Suspense. She’s pretty, gets invited to parties, and can carry a story all by herself. Readers are drawn to her like bees to …

Turmoil

Hi gang, Craig here today. One thing good fiction requires is a bit of turmoil. Your main character has to have something unsettling going on in his or her life. I write speculative fiction, so it’s fairly easy to give an example or two. I could dive right into an alien invasion or zombie apocalypse …

Case Study: The Mandalorian

Hi gang! Craig here with you today. Every once in a while I like to pick something apart for the sake of a writing study. I always use film because more people are likely to have seen what I’m discussing. I’ve never done this with a television series before, so we’ll see how it goes …

Expansion Pack: Changing times

https://youtu.be/e7qQ6_RV4VQ Hi gang, Craig here once more with another Expansion Pack. This one has to do with setting, but it's as much a mental setting as a physical one. It's based upon the stress that changing times bring. I've lived long enough to remember bashing the side of the black & white television to make …