How To Write Attention Grabbing Fiction

Have a question? Agree, disagree, with me?
Leave me your opinion.

There exists more than one factor to writing interesting
fiction. Fiction leans toward the imaginary, invented,
made-up, and inspired. Of course, writers want to
entertain, and invoke the reader's emotions. Hopefully,
the reader becomes involved, and puts the story
down after the last page has been read.

A key to writing fiction well, in my opinion, is plenty
of suspense.

Suspense is indecision, doubt, knowing something
is going to happen, awaiting, and anxiety.

It doesn't matter if you're writing a mystery,
romance, or science fiction. Suspense pulls the
reader in the story. Begin suspense with
paragraph one.

Start the story in the middle of a crisis, problem.
This is where the reader's attention is grabbed.
He/she has something to be concerned about,
wants to know how a character(s) will resolve the
issue. Perhaps, the reader identifies with a
character, knows someone in a similar situation,
is cheering for the protagonist, and/or is gripped
by the plot.

Plot is the problem in the story, and how it unfolds.

The pages of a story should have something new,
exciting, or, even, a threat of an approaching doom.

"Do you ever pause?" Someone asked.

Yes, there are brief pauses. The idea is to keep
the reader buried in suspense.

Take a look at my example.

I opened the front door, heard my cousin
arguing.

"Pete!" I shouted. "What's goin' on?"

"Call..." He fell on the cement steps before
finishing.

The strange man started toward me...

************************************************

How would you have started the first
sentence? Could it be laced with more
suspense? Would you continue to read
the story?

In short fiction, there's a concern for space,
word count. Publishers adhere to a
specific number of words, and so should
you.

One problem is enough for short fiction.
In longer fiction, more than one issue is
addressed.

Make every word earn its place. Every,
suspenseful, word should move the story
forward, not just take up space. Words
holding up valuable space must be
deleted.

It's been my practice to keep cut lines,
paragraphs. They can be re-worked,
placed somewhere else, spark a new
idea, and a tool against writer's block.

The more you write, the easier it will be
to include that major factor, suspense.

Take a look at the following.

"'Member our dare?" Barb asked.

"Don't think it's a good idea." Tish
dropped her hand.

"Ya shoulda thought 'bout that before
sayin' crap 'bout bein' as tough as me."

"Was a joke."

"Be there, or..."

"You'll harass me?" Tish interrupted Barb.

"Tell everyone ya're a punk.

"I'll be there."
****************************************************

Do you get the feeling the dare isn't something
positive, upbeat? Could be dangerous? Are
you curious about it? Are you pulled in the story?

Fiction is written well when its smeared with
suspense, on practically every page. A grammatically
correct story is boring without suspense. Suspense
is the, must include, factor a story can't do without.

How To Write What You Know

Have a question? Agree, disagree, with me?
Leave me your opinion.

You looked at the title, eyes rolled around
the room. "What?"

Settle on a topic that really cranks up
your creative side. It should have mass
appeal.

"Yeah, I've been there, not goin' back."
A few confirmed.

"This puts a new light on writing for
me." Someone mentioned.

How do you write what you know? Listen
to what friends, relatives, are saying.
Tap on information learned at forums.

The ideas can shape-up into fiction or
non-fiction. It depends on what you
decide to create.

First, you have to enjoy writing it.

Now, I'll discuss the fiction idea.

Start the action on page one. Two
characters, for example, share a
misconception. Each feel their way
is right. Conflict invites itself
with thinking like that. How the
situation is solved forms plot.

Story people hold the reader's
attention, to the end.

Throw in obstacles, confusion, on
practically every page. The main
character faces a hindrance, which
keeps him/her from agreeing, seeing,
the opposing point of view.

Give the impression that circumstances
are going to explode. Build it up.
Allow the tension to escalate, and
then the main character almost succeeds.
He/she falls prey to unforeseen event(s).
Happiness is snatched away.

As with any failure, a lesson is learned.
So, too, the character grows from not
reaching his/her goal. Also, the reader's
interest heightens.

The following example is off the top
of my head.

Weird Bill's neighbor found fault with
everything he did, and tried to start
trouble for him. She thought it horrible
how he yelled at his mother.

One day, the shouting stopped. His mother
disappeared. Weird Bill claimed his
mother was on, a much needed, vacation.

The neighbor gave her opinion.

"I didn't sleep well, up off and on,
during the night." She shifted her
weight on the porch chair. "I'm lookin'
out the winda all the time, neva saw
Gail leave." Mrs. Stout explained to
Mrs. Garry.

"Neva trusted him," Mrs Garry said.

"His girl-friend been there eva since
Gail been gone." Mrs. Stout pointed
next door.

Weird Bill headed up his porch steps.

"Old biddies need to mind their business."
He stabbed his eyes at them.

"Ain't nobody scared." Mrs. Stout made
clear.

"An accident can happen to nosy, old,
buddies."

The two ladies scurried inside of Mrs.
Stout's house.

Screaming was heard from Weird Bill's
house, late that night.

Neighbors concluded, it was his girl-
friend, and ignored the cries for help.

Still, they were concerned about his
mother. Or, if, in fact, she was among
the living.

Mrs. Stout lightly knocked on Weird Bill's
front door.

The door slowly opened. Weird Bill's
girl-friend stood behind it. Her eyes
were black.

"Oh, child," Mrs. Stout said. "Ya should
see a doctor."

"I'll be all 'ight. Whatcha want?"

"Just wanted to see if Martha was back."

"Nope. I gotta clean."

Mrs. Stout left.

A couple days passed.

Mrs. Stout saw Gail at the market.

"Where did Martha go?" Mrs. Stout asked.

"Don't know." She hurried away.

Mrs. Stout baked a cake, took it to
Weird Bill's house. She knew he would
be at work.

Gail opened the door.

"Feel like eating, my special recipe,
cake with me?" Mrs. Stout asked.
"You're eyes look better."

"I hate him."

"Why do you stay here?" Mrs. Stout
sat on the couch with the cake.

"He tricked me, Miss Martha, and everybody."
Gail stood at the door.

"What do you mean?"

"Bill told me he ran his own
business. His mother isn't on vacation,
but in the basement."

"Let's get her help."

"Too late.

"I'll call the police from my house."
Mrs. Stout opened the door.

Weird Bill rushed in.

"Whatcha doin' here?"

"Wanted to share my cake
with Gail." Mrs. Stout coughed.

"Yeah, right." Weird Bill grabbed
for Mrs. Stout's neck.

The cake rolled one way, and they
toppled to the floor.

"Stop it." Gail tried to pull him
away from Mrs. Stout. "Not again!"

"Shut up." Weird Bill jumped-off
Mrs. Stout to smack Gail.

Mrs. Stout eased over to the cake,
grabbed a chunk, and smashed it in
Weird Bill's face.

It further angered him. He reached
for her throat, again.

Gail pushed him. His head rammed
through the window, and he landed
on the porch.

Mrs. Stout crawled over to the
telephone, dialed nine-one-one.

It simply, takes imagination to
curve fiction out of what you
know.