Leading with Suspense: writing the unputdownable story

“I couldn’t put it down”: these are words every writer wants to hear. The best stories—whether they be literary fiction, genre fiction, memoir or reportage—all employ suspense to engage their audience from the outset.

Creating suspense means posing questions. The adept storyteller frames a central question in the opening pages. In addition to that central question, the author must also present corollary questions and progressively answer them in fresh but satisfying ways. In this way, the author promises the reader that the central question will be similarly resolved by the story’s conclusion. Writing an unputdownable story means composing a symphony of tension and release that starts on page one.

In this eight-week workshop, we will focus on leading with suspense to evoke curiosity and engagement. In our first class, we’ll discuss the craft of making big and little promises to the reader and fulfilling them in fresh but satisfying ways. Sterling examples of engaging openings from the canon will provide fodder for our discussion of how to captivate a reader.

In our subsequent classes, we’ll workshop two student submissions per each class.

After eight weeks, each student will leave this class with a fresh perspective on the balance of tension and release in their work-in-progress. Together, we’ll build a clearer understanding of what it takes to lay the foundation of a riveting story. We will also discuss other aspects of each other’s writing in the traditional workshop format. This class is appropriate for authors working in any narrative form—fiction or nonfiction, long or short—who are interested in a granular analysis of story and suspense in their opening pages.

Access Program
We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.

Apply here for the liaison position.