Mastering Suspense, Structure, and Plot: How to Write Gripping Stories That Keep Readers on the Edge of Their Seats

Jane Cleland

Mar 2016 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Enthrall Your Readers!

Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers--but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner.

Inside, Cleland will show you how to:


   • Implement thirteen no-fail techniques to construct an effective plot and structure for your story
   • Use Cleland's Plotting Road Map to add elements of suspense like twists, reversals, and moments of danger
   • Write subplots with purpose
   • Improve your descriptions, character development, sentence structure, and more
Packed with case studies, exercises, and dozens of examples from best-selling authors, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is the key to writing suspenseful, engaging stories that leave your readers wanting more.

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"Indispensable! For newbie authors and veterans alike, this terrific how-to is your new go-to. Don't write your book without it--it's a treasure." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author

About the author

Jane K. Cleland (New York, NY) is the author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery series. She chairs the Black Orchid Novella Award, is a past chapter president of the Mystery Writers of America, and the host of the interview series the Writer's Room. She has an MFA (professional and creative writing) and an MBA (marketing and management) and teaches at Lehman College, where she is also the Director of the Program for Professional Communications.