Today, guest blogger Dorothy Ann Skarles shares an idea that is fermenting in her mind about a suspense novel she is thinking about writing. Welcome Dorothy.
Idea for a Novel
My publisher, Twilight Times Books, has a book out titled, How I Wrote My First Book, told by 20 authors, including me, about what went into writing their first book.
A Scent Of Diamonds was my first suspense/mystery, followed by Enchanted Hunt and then the non-fiction book Learning To Write The Easy Way.
However, today I have another book in mind called SILENT DECEPTIONS
My idea for suspense in a novel is to create tension, that bad feeling that trouble is on the way. A bad situation generates suspense along with efforts made by the protagonist to solve the problem: Will she or won’t she?
This conflict can be personal or psychological. Man against man/woman. Man against himself/herself. Man against nature. A story begins when the conflict begins, and ends when the conflict is resolved. The more conflict you have, the more suspense you have.
Here is a sample draft of an idea I have for a novel.
Silent Deceptions
A chill ran down Tiffany’s spine as she scanned the room. It was getting more crowded by the minute. People were full of Christmas cheer, all laughing, talking and having a jolly good time. How she hated it! Hated it all! If only she were more skilled at lip reading. For that matter, if only she didn’t need to wear the damn hearing aids, those modern devices that carried frequencies and tones. But in this crowd, even the best hearing aids wouldn’t let her hear the way she wanted to. There were too many sounds, and too much music being funneled into peoples’ ears, as if they, too, were deaf.
She searched the room and spotted her husband, Spencer, talking to another man in full Santa regalia. Instead of a black belt around his waist like the other Santa’s in the room, this particular Santa wore a white one. He kept pulling down on his beard as if he were having trouble talking through the bunched-up hair strands. Tiffany smiled to herself. Spencer had refused to wear a white beard. He said the hairy thing got in his mouth.
She leaned her body against a tall pillar and tried to concentrate on reading peoples lips. It was the only way for her to know what was going on.
She saw Spencer’s lips move. “Kill!”
Tiffany dropped the black belt she’d been holding in her hand.
Words formed on the inside of the mouth were hard to read. She might have mistaken the letter K for a T.
But no! The word her husband had used was kill; she was sure of it.
My question to you is: Do the first few lines catch your interest to read more? Please tell me what you think.
Dorothy.
Here’s your chance to help a writer decide if she should spend months developing an idea for a novel, and then possibly years revising it until it’s ready for publication.
Would you read more?
Any suggestions?
As always, thanks for stopping by,
Intrigued? Yes…I can see something like this going from a novel to movie. Maybe the wife could be the intended target. Perhaps the husband has a huge insurance policy on her. Yeah, that's been done before, but there's the motive. Naturally, the wife has to be savvy enough to out wit the husband and survive the ill fate he has planned. Good-luck!
~Cathy Kennedy, Children's Author
The Tale of Ole Green Eyes
Hi Dorothy. I like the story angle that the woman is deaf. Not only does it add to the suspense, but also gives you an opportunity to open the reader to a world they may not be familiar with–the world of the deaf. It would take some research on your part, but it would also add a whole new dimension to your story. I've heard that when people lose the use of one of their senses, they compensate by increased awareness by another. In this case, it sounds like the protagonist may have fine-tuned her sense of sight and her ability to read lips. That's two votes for "go for it."
Absolutely…It sounds great, especially since Tiffany is doing something so ordinary and her husband is saying something no so ordinary.
Thank you Cathy, Margaret, L.A., for your answers. I knew two people who were deaf and one read lips. And Cathy, my plot line, I am sorry to say, never came up with the thought of the insurance, Thanks for giving me another angle to think about.
Yes, definately I would read further. I also liked the deaf angle. Are you planning to include some references to signing? That might be difficult to describe in words. A wonderful challange. Go for it! bernadine
I find this an intriguing opening. The idea of a deaf woman being in danger ramps up the tension nicely. The only problem I have is that she only sees the one word — kill — and that isn't enough for me to signal danger. Things have kill switches, people kill time, etc. I think she needs to see at least a phrase that links the word kill with something that would really be a threat. Good luck.
I would read further, I think you have a story on your hands.
Thanks Rosi for your suggestion, I think I will do that (add a few words) I didn't think of all the kill words you did, but I think I know where I can use them. You have been helpful.
Judy, I also think I have a story and now I am trying to think of what I should do next, where do I want the plot to go, and what kind of scenes I should have. Oh my, now that sounds like work, but I am at least thinking.
Thanks Bernadine for your encouragement, Not sure of where I am going, but I am trying to do a little plotting.