Joanne Harris Profile picture
Aug 4, 2018 11 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Today#s #TenTweets, by request, are on the subject of SUSPENSE. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutSuspense
1. Suspense is basically the art of keeping the reader turning the page through the correct management of TENSION. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
2. It is not necessarily an action-thriller technique, although it is a component in action thrillers; but it can also be used in far quieter, less obvious ways. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
3. Creating suspense involves making the reader ask a question, then withholding the answer for as long as possible, without losing their interest. That means creating false leads, going on side quests, creating diversions, whilst maintaining the tension. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
4. Tension has to escalate, or it will be lost. Start small, and get bigger; not the other way around. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
5. Tension works best when it is occasionally broken, for instance with a quiet or comic scene, before it racks up again. Otherwise even the most action-packed story can start feeling samey and dull. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
6. Suspense only really works when the reader is properly invested in the characters - otherwise, why would they care what happens next? #TenThingsAboutSuspense
7. Suspense doesn't always have to be a matter of life or death. All that matters is that the character should care deeply about the outcome - and if the character is well-drawn, the reader will, too. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
8. The more there is at stake for your characters, the more chance you have of building suspense. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
9. Foreshadowing and misdirection are both useful tools in the building of suspense, hinting at what's to come in a way that keeps the reader guessing. #TenThingsAboutSuspense
10. Modifying your sentence length is an easy way to manage tension in your narrative. Long sentences tend to slow down the pace, thereby building up suspense; short ones speed it up again. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

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More from @Joannechocolat

Oct 9, 2018
It's a long train journey, so let's do this one, too. Follow #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen to collect them all!
1. This one is for the many men who have asked my advice on this. First, kudos for asking. Second, the fact that you needed to ask at all may be the root of your problem. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
2. Look at the way you interact with women in real life. If you're problematic, sexist or prejudiced in life, then you don't have much of a chance of avoiding it in your fiction. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
Read 12 tweets
Sep 18, 2018
This one sounds interesting. Let's extend it to writing about EMOTIONS. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutEmotions
1. To write convincingly about emotions - whether that's love, grief, anger, joy - you have to be acutely aware of your *own* emotions, and how they come across to other people. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
2. It's probably the only instance where the "write what you know" rule really applies. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
Read 11 tweets
Sep 16, 2018
Margareta von Ascheberg (1671 – 1753) was a Swedish land owner, noble and acting regiment colonel during the Great Northern War. #CelebratingWomen
She was the youngest child of Field Marshal Rutger von Ascheberg and Magdalena Eleonora Busseck. In 1691, she married colonel count Kjell Christopher Barnekow in Malmö.
As was the custom of the Swedish nobility as that time, she kept her name after marriage and style herself »Grevinnan Ascheberg» (Countess Ascheberg). The couple had four children.
Read 8 tweets
Sep 15, 2018
Queen Nanny or Nanny (c. 1686 – c. 1755), was an 18th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. Much of what is known about her comes from oral history, as little textual evidence exists. #CelebratingWomen
She was born into the Asante people in what is today Ghana, and escaped from slavery after being transported to Jamaica.
Historical documents refer to her as the "rebels' old 'obeah' woman." Following some armed confrontations, colonial officials reached a settlement for peace.
Read 4 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
1. Writer's block is a psychological disorder, and is far, far less common than most people think. It's linked to depression, so if you really think you're suffering from this, get professional help. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
2. Many people use the term loosely, to mean "lacking the will or the inspiration to write." If this is you, try to identify the reason. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
Read 11 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
Na Hangbe was the ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, for a brief period before Agaja came to power in 1718. #CelebratingWomen
Little is known about her because her rule was largely erased from the official Dahomey history and much that is known is brought together by various different oral histories.
However, it is believed that she became the ruler of Dahomey upon the sudden death of King Akaba because his oldest son, Agbo Sassa, was not yet of age.
Read 4 tweets

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