Novel Middles: Suspense

In this class, students have the opportunity to learn how to avoid a "sagging middle" of their novels through creating enough complications that rise logically from the circumstances set up in the beginning chapters, building as the plot progresses, and leading inevitably to the climax and resolution.
Topics covered are careful plotting and outlining, complications that relate organically to the characters, story goal, and plot, and building scenes that in turn build the chapters and novel. Other topics covered that relate to middle chapters of a novel are the building of backstory and foreshadowing, developing narrative voice, and introducing supporting characters and subplots, symbols and theme, and finally building the story "universe," the story's specific perspective on the world the protagonist inhabits.
The focus of this class is on the suspense novel; therefore, specific attention will be paid to building complications, subplots, supporting characters, and increasing tension.

Week 1: Where to go from here? Revisiting your story outline and beginning. Outline the middle.
Reading: Overview of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," a model suspense novel: read/review the outline/notes and the novel's beginning chapters, 1-3.
Notice how the story is built through a combination of scenes, narration, and internal dialogue. Notice the building of suspense and the plot and subplot "threads," their connections of complications, and how they tighten. Also notice the introduction of major and supporting characters. Finally, notice the development of the story "universe."

Writing: Outline your novel middle: sketch it out in scenes, or by chapter, "acts," summarize, or whatever works best for you in outlining. Identity, tentatively at least, your protagonist, major plot thread, at least one subplot thread, and two or more major and supporting characters. Decide on your climax arising out of the complications of the plot and subplot threads, and characters.

Week 2:
Reading: Read chapters 4, 5, and 6 of "The Talented Mr. Ripley," and note the heightening of tension and its affect on the major and subplot threads as the story moves into its middle chapters.
Writing: write your first pages/chapters of your novel middle. Include at least two scenes that show complications that connect to each other and build at least one plot/subplot thread. Continue developing story universe, backstory, foreshadowing, narrative voice, etc.
Week 3: Heightening the tension and building steadily to the climax.
Reading: Chapters 7-8 Ripley. Note how the complications grow increasingly more serious while the major plot thread along with subplot threads begin to reach a crisis level.
Writing: write your next pages/chapters. Show the increasingly dire circumstances of your protagonist, building the plot/subplots threads to crisis.
Week 4: Crisis. All the complications of the plot and subplot threads lead inevitably to the climax.
Reading: Study chapters 9 and 10 of "Ripley." Identify the build to climax, the climax itself, and how the connecting and tying of subplots/threads are pulled tight to crisis level.
Writing: Next pages/chapters of your novel. Build the major plot and subplot threads toward the climax



Instructor: Stacia Ann

About The Instructor: Stacia Ann is an Linguistics Lecturer and Writing Instructor at the University of California. She has a doctorate of Education, Master's of Art in English/TESOL. This instructor has taught writing classes for over ten years. She also teaches academic writing and English as a Second Language at the University of the Pacific. A published author including works of short fiction and academic nonfiction including contest winning stories.