Activity

WOOT! You made it alllll the way to our 4th lesson! *hands out lembas* Good job. Now we’ll be looking at our beautiful little vectors. Those points that your readers have their attention drawn to. That thing that keeps being mentioned. It doesn’t have to be huge, but the mystery around it does. You need to keep feeling yourself get drawn into it.

Sometimes the reader will get into your book, purely because there is an interesting…thing. That person keeps touching their pocket. Everyone drops their voices when they see that clock. Surely that flower can’t be that important…it’s just grown a meter tall in the middle of the desert and everyone keeps treating it reverently.

You get the picture.

So…Gueeeeeeess what my task is today? *covers ears as you all yell the answer* Yep yep yep. Let us finish off our mini thing on Choice of Information June with one more little 100-500 word snippet.

Some tips:

• You can make it something small, not super mysterious, but why does everyone keep looking at the bracelet? Why do they wince when they look at it? Why does the wearer keep twisting it around?
• Think of the emotions. Describe the emotions attached with the object.
• Make the characters somewhat in suspense as well.
• Remember not to tell too much, but do tell a little.
• Have fun.

Heeeeeere is my handy dandy example for you:

My heart thuds against my ribs—pounding as though I had run for hours even though I’m merely sitting at a table. Waiting.

I glance down at my watch, barely concealing a shudder at the sight of the glassy face staring back at me with all of the faintly glowing numbers reading nine. Why nine? What was the point of it? My tongue runs quickly over my dry lips, recoiling at the faint taste of blood. My gaze slowly drops back to the watch before I snap it up as the door opens and an icy wind forces its way in before the new comer can close the door.

The woman stands still at the door, her head turning slowly as she surveys the people. Or, rather, the table tops.

Or the wrists on the table tops.

Her eyes narrow as she reaches mine and I nod slightly, turning the watch her direction and my gaze to glare at the wooden table. Don’t look at the watch. The grains of the wood are straight and shoot away from me, not moving one inch to either side in their course. Something that’s perfect and even.

A pair of hands with perfectly manicured nails interrupt the equally perfect grains and I flinch backward—my gaze jolting up to meet her steely one. “You certain about it?”

I swallow. Right. No idle conversation then. My eyes dart away from her unwavering gaze and rest on the watch. White numbers stare back at me, harsher than the woman’s glare. My stomach churns. Why didn’t I hand it in before? I could have stopped it all from happening. Stopped the—

The hand moves from the table and grabs my chin, pulling it around to face her again. “I said,” her voice—though quiet—seems to be echoing in the room, “Are you certain?”

My head moves on its own accord, nodding slowly. “Yes,” I whisper, blocking out the voices screaming at me, “I am.”

Once more I look down at it, the numbers’ hatred glaring right back.

 

So, your turn! How would you build suspense and mystery through an object?

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