Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Let’s hope your new year doesn’t bring you doom and gloom, but much happiness, joy, and great writing.
Last clichés:
The conventional wisdom – What the majority act upon and believe. This term started with American economist John Kenneth Gailbraith in The Affluent Society (1958), in which he described economic views that are familiar, predictable and generally accepted. Soon it transferred to other areas in which public opinion plays an important role in influencing events. It’s replaced the now virtually obsolete cliché, climate of opinion.
On the Razor’s edge—In a dangerous or critical crisis. This dates from Homer’s time (Iliad, c. 850 B.C.): “To all it stands on a razor’s edge, either woeful ruin or life for the Achaeans.” W. Somerset Maugham used it as the title of a philosophical novel, The Razor’s Edge, (1944), exploring the meaning of life. This cliché is dying out.
Lend your Ear—Pay attention, to listen. This appears in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (3:2) in Mark Antony’s famous speech, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” It’s heard less often today.
How many clichés did you get?
Now, I’ll continue the rest of the 8 of How to build suspense.
- The Cliffhanger – The rule of thumb is at this point you delay gratification – go back and forth/ good and bad with your character.
- My Hands are Tied – The character might see what’s happening, but can’t stop it. A good example of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s The Rear Window.
- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back – The minute a character receives an answer, two more questions arise. And on, and on.
Forewarned is forearmed and the last building suspense is:
- Foreshadowing – this will give the reader a hint something bad will happen. For example, if you mention character is afraid of fire, the reader anticipates a fire scene of some sort. If you focus on ingredients; the character will continue into peril.
Next time, I’ll explain why you don’t cheat the reader.
Since no one commented on my blog, hopefully I can include an excerpt from my next book in another blog post. Just comment on this blog and you’ll get a taste of Enemy at Home.
Until then, Keep Writing!
Julie
