Suspense, In Short
from Jody Feldman
Short. Quick. Heart. Breaths. Go. Forward. Stop! No! Yes!
No one really taught me the value of using words to mimic the beating of the heart and the panting of breaths in suspenseful situations. It was probably more like osmosis, absorbed through all those mysteries I read and all the quick-cut scenes I viewed in action-packed movies and TV. I’ve worked with that technique a lot. Sentences that start and stop and huff and puff and turn at the—
Wait! What? Who? Help!
And yet, with my latest published book, The Gollywhopper Games: Friend or Foe, I needed a little reminder. It took my editor suggesting that I could do the same with intercutting (in a literary way) chapters. I loved how it worked so much, I’m employing a similar version in my work-in-progress. What’s that book about? I don’t want to leave you in suspense so it’s about these kids and this huge...
Love that about using words to mimic the beating of a pounding heart!
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