How to Unlock Suspense in Your Story
The Novelry on Writing
Clarify Your Novel's Central Question
Sorcha advises making the reader's question clear early and bringing stakes forward within the first chapters.
What is your reader reading to find out? No matter your genre, readers love a bit of mystery and tension on the page. Unlock your suspenseful story with five key insights from The Novelry author and writing coach Amanda Reynolds and editor Sorcha Rose. Learn how to pull in the reader, keep up the pace, create engaging characters, and leave your readers with a satisfying end.
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Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:22 - Tip #1: Pull in the reader
05:15 - Tip #2: Keep up the pace
09:35 - Tip #3: Create characters to root for
15:13 - Tip #4: Breadcrumb trail
20:10 - Tip #5: Satisfying endings
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Guest Bios
Amanda Reynolds is the bestselling author of psychological suspense novels, with six published to date. Her number one ebook bestseller, Close to Me, was adapted in 2021 into a major TV series starring Connie Nielsen and Christopher Eccleston. Close to Me, described as ‘dramatic psychological suspense for fans of Liane Moriarty,’ was published by Headline in 2017. Lying to You followed in 2018 and The Hidden Wife in 2019. Amanda’s psychological thrillers have been translated into multiple languages and been praised for their gripping, unsettling and twisty plots. Amanda’s fourth novel, The Assistant, was published by Boldwood Books in April 2023 with The Wife’s Secret and Her Husband’s Lie following in 2024.
Before joining The Novelry, Sorcha Rose edited and acquired manuscripts at Hodder & Stoughton, a division of Hachette, home to authors including John Grisham, Stephen King, Sophie Hannah, Erin Kelly, Will Dean, B.A. Paris, Vaseem Khan and Lucy Score.
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Resources
Check out these blog posts for more insight on how to unlock suspense in your writing:
5 Tips for Writing a Detective Novel Series
C.L. Taylor on Standing Out in a Crowded Genre
The Inciting Incident (and How to Crack It)
How To Raise the Stakes in Your Story
Read the full episode transcript here!
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Show description
Learn how novels work from publishing’s top experts at The Novelry, the world’s #1 school for writers. Hosted by our bestselling writing coaches and publishing editors, this podcast is a practical, helpful guide to writing novels for every genre. Enjoy inside tips and tricks to make your writing a joyful experience while building your expertise in writing craft.
With new topics every week, there is always something to learn at The Novelry, the world’s top-rated fiction writing school with more 5* reviews from writers than any other creative writing course.
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