Announcing our next Online Lab
The Art of Suspense: How to Keep Your Readers Turning the Pages
Margaret Lucke
About Margaret Lucke
Margaret Lucke flings words around as a writer and editor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She writes tales of love, ghosts, and murder, sometimes all three in one book. She is the author of four novels—House of Desire, House of Whispers, Snow Angel, and A Relative Stranger (an Anthony Award finalist)—and is the editor of Fault Lines, a short story anthology from the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime. She is a former president of Mystery Writers of America NorCal.
Margaret has also published two how-to books on the craft of writing and more than 60 short stories, feature articles, and scripts for mystery weekends. For many years she has taught fiction writing classes for UC Berkeley Extension and other venues. Visit her at www.margaretlucke.com.
Description:
Every great story is a suspense story, no matter what its genre might be. Suspense is the artful balance you create between the readers’ hopes and doubts, between their concern for your characters and their uncertainty about what lies ahead. It is the essential quality that makes your readers ask, “What happens next?” and keeps them turning pages to find out the answer. This workshop reveals the secrets of creating suspense, using techniques like tension and pace effectively, and earning that cherished accolade: “I couldn’t put it down.”
Takeaways:
- How to structure your story to keep your readers at the edge of their seats
- The three key words that define a suspenseful plot
- The difference between suspense and tension, and why a successful story needs both
- Eight techniques for creating intense suspense
- Tools you can use to make any story more suspenseful and compelling to read
Location:
Zoom Online Meeting
To receive a full refund minus a $25 cancellation processing fee, attendees must cancel their registration 5 days before the event. No refunds will be given after that time. To cancel your registration, go to palmspringswritersguild.org and click on the blue icon at the top right of any page. Enter user name and password and click "LOG IN". On the next screen click "My event registrations". Select event and cancel registration.
REGISTER
Unable to attend, no problem, all paid registrants will receive a video replay.
You will receive an invitation to the Zoom online meeting after you have registered and payment is complete.
We may take photos and/or videos at any of our events for promotional purposes.
Ready to become a member of the Palm Springs Writers Guild? Please click here.
Event Contact: Ariella Moon
authorariellamoon@gmail.com
