Comments on: Tension fix: Boring but true—keeping the suspense while we give info http://jordanmccollum.com/2010/02/keeping-suspense-information/ mysteries to fall in love with, romance to keep you in suspense Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:09:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jordan http://jordanmccollum.com/2010/02/keeping-suspense-information/#comment-2267 Jordan Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:34:21 +0000 http://jordanmccollum.com/?p=1926#comment-2267 Hey Victoria! I was hoping MM's column was a regular feature. Great advice—thanks for stopping by! Hey Victoria! I was hoping MM’s column was a regular feature. Great advice—thanks for stopping by!

]]> By: Victoria Mixon http://jordanmccollum.com/2010/02/keeping-suspense-information/#comment-2266 Victoria Mixon Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:18:24 +0000 http://jordanmccollum.com/?p=1926#comment-2266 Hi Jordan--Thanks for the link! Mystery Man's great, isn't he? He has a column now at the Story Department, too. The thing about short stories, Andrew, is that they're so short they actually need <em>more</em> explanations than novels, where you can lead the reader through the actual scenes that show the essential information. I wrote about this on my magazine a week or so ago, ranting about "Brokeback Mountain." So the problem becomes <em>not only</em> to make every word count, but to do it with a certain inescapable amount of exposition. When you have a lot of backstory, sometimes the best thing to do is a flashback. Or more than one. And if you're doing this in a short story, it turns into two overlapping stories, so it's essential that you plan out the structure very carefully to make sure you give your main story---the one you're writing this for---top billing. It can be really exciting and effective to do this kind of story. You get a fantastic one-two punch climax if you line them up just right. Good luck! Hi Jordan–Thanks for the link!

Mystery Man’s great, isn’t he? He has a column now at the Story Department, too.

The thing about short stories, Andrew, is that they’re so short they actually need more explanations than novels, where you can lead the reader through the actual scenes that show the essential information. I wrote about this on my magazine a week or so ago, ranting about “Brokeback Mountain.” So the problem becomes not only to make every word count, but to do it with a certain inescapable amount of exposition.

When you have a lot of backstory, sometimes the best thing to do is a flashback. Or more than one. And if you’re doing this in a short story, it turns into two overlapping stories, so it’s essential that you plan out the structure very carefully to make sure you give your main story—the one you’re writing this for—top billing. It can be really exciting and effective to do this kind of story. You get a fantastic one-two punch climax if you line them up just right.

Good luck!

]]> By: Iapetus999 http://jordanmccollum.com/2010/02/keeping-suspense-information/#comment-2260 Iapetus999 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:11:01 +0000 http://jordanmccollum.com/?p=1926#comment-2260 Read this boring inscription or die! Never thought of it that way. In the short story I'm working on there's a ton of backstory that's critical to the story. But in a short story, obviously every word counts, so I want to make it more important. Read this boring inscription or die!
Never thought of it that way.
In the short story I’m working on there’s a ton of backstory that’s critical to the story. But in a short story, obviously every word counts, so I want to make it more important.

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