How To Commit It
by Lillian Duncan
Darkness. She craved the darkness. Without it, she couldn’t complete her task and that was the only thing that mattered. Complete the task and live. Fail and...no, she wouldn’t even think the words.
Failure was not an option.
Footsteps. Finally.
Her fingers tightened around the weapon as she stepped out of the shadows...
As I’m sure you know, all stories have a beginning, a middle, and end. If you want to get published you need to write the BEST BEGINNINGS, MARVELOUS MIDDLES, and EXPLOSIVE ENDINGS. Succeed and you’ll have a contract before you know it!
The writer’s first task is to hook the reader. Starting with a murder is always good, but it’s not the only way. The key is to arouse the reader’s curiosity so they will want to turn the page to see what happens next.
Looking back at the intro, my objective was to introduce just enough information to make the reader ask questions. What is her task? What’s she going to do with the weapon? Is she a good guy or a bad guy? Will she succeed or won’t she? What happens if she doesn’t?
Best beginnings for any novel, but especially mystery/suspense starts with action—action—and more action! Today’s mystery/suspense readers don’t have time or patience for characters sitting and pondering life’s heavy questions. They want action!
The important thing is someone must be doing something interesting and it can’t be a dream or a nightmare.
Why not? Two reasons—first, it’s tricking the reader into believing something is happening that’s not. And more importantly, many editors list novels starting with a dream as one of their pet peeves. Why risk irritating them on the very first page?
Once you’ve written your best beginning, it’s time to tackle the hard part—avoiding the sagging middle syndrome. But how? Here are a few ways:
1. Introduce a new character. If they have a secret—even better!
2. Blow something up (or have another murder).
3. Add a ticking time bomb to the original problem.
4. Add a red herring, give the reader several choices for the murderer.
5. Keep the tension high.
6. Avoid all that back story you are dying to write. No matter how much you love it—it doesn’t move the story forward.
Whew! Now you’ve got your best beginning and a marvelous middle, so on to that explosive ending that will wow that editor and have them clamoring for your manuscript.
One of the keys to creating an explosive ending is to resolve all the story plots, not only the major one. Readers have invested time and emotion in your story. Don’t cheat them by not giving them the resolution they want and need to enjoy it.
A famous quote from Mickey Spillane says it all. The first chapter sells the book. The last chapter sells the next book. Your ending will either give you a satisfied reader who will recommend it to others or one who won’t read another book you write—ever.
Many books actually have two endings. Often the crucial resolution scene (stopping the murderer—rescuing the damsel in distress) happens in the next to the last chapter and the final chapter is used to tie up all the other story lines in a happy little bow. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a good plan.
And there you have it—the perfect formula for the perfect murder mystery/suspense novel. Best Beginnings + Marvelous Middles + Explosive Endings = Great Story (and very likely a book contract). Now, get busy writing!
Next time: Hannibal Lector—the wicked stepmother—Norman Bates? We’ll take a closer look at the bad guys we love to hate.
Want to have some fun? Using the intro, write what happens next and share it with us in a blog comment (blog tab, far right on the header bar). ~BE
Lillian Duncan lives with her husband, four parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She’s been a Speech Pathologist for over thirty years. She writes the types of books she loves to read, suspense with a touch of romance.To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Her most recent releases are PURSUED and DECEPTION.
