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Hi Marianna, according to book coach Peter Selgin, "It’s the kind of suspense that raises the question, “What’s going to happen next?” and that arises organically and authentically from characters and their actions as conveyed to us through a firmly established, consistent viewpoint." Sorry I don't have an example at this point, but I'd venture to say it's any story where suspense is created when a character faces a credible, dangerous challenge viewed through the character's point of view. What comes to mind are excellent mysteries, especially the superb TV series "Bosch." Based on your reading/viewing can you think of any? Thanks for reaching out. Chip
I can think of 2 very different examples off the top of my head. One is Alice Munroe's short story, I can't remember the title now, but it begins with a description of the young female narrator's discomfort around a certain neighbor, another young girl, but someone who is sheltered in her home, an only child, and she doesn't participate in any of the "normal" childhood activities that the protagonist does. This girl becomes obsessed with the narrator. The reader enters the mind of the narrator and feels the dread and discomfort she feels whenever around this other girl. They end up at a summer camp together, and the ending is shocking, but not melodramatic. The reader is kept wondering the entire time, from the very first paragraphs, what is going to happen to the neighbor girl, the narrator, both of them? I can't find the book right now, but Munroe must use certain words and images and actions to show that feeling of dread, of discomfort, of guilt, that the reader knows is leading somewhere.
The other example is Henry James' Portrait of a Lady. This is a long novel, but from the beginning, with the introduction of the main character, Isabel, the reader wants to know what will happen to her. Will she choose to marry? Who will she marry? What will she do with an unexpected inheritance? Who is really the Prince Charming, who is the Wolf? Will she be able to realize her aspirations and her dreams that have to do with much more than wifedom of motherhood? There is even a character, Ralph, who stands in for the reader but with very high personal stakes, who also wonders explicitly what will happen to her. We take on those stakes as we read, and it compels us to continue reading to the very end, to see the choices she makes and to understand why she makes them.
I have a collection of Alice Munro stories, somewhere in my messy shelves. I hope to track it down and find the fascinating story you describe within. That piece and "Portrait of a Lady" are compelling examples of "true" suspense. Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Marianna.
What's an example of "organic" suspense?
Hi Marianna, according to book coach Peter Selgin, "It’s the kind of suspense that raises the question, “What’s going to happen next?” and that arises organically and authentically from characters and their actions as conveyed to us through a firmly established, consistent viewpoint." Sorry I don't have an example at this point, but I'd venture to say it's any story where suspense is created when a character faces a credible, dangerous challenge viewed through the character's point of view. What comes to mind are excellent mysteries, especially the superb TV series "Bosch." Based on your reading/viewing can you think of any? Thanks for reaching out. Chip
I can think of 2 very different examples off the top of my head. One is Alice Munroe's short story, I can't remember the title now, but it begins with a description of the young female narrator's discomfort around a certain neighbor, another young girl, but someone who is sheltered in her home, an only child, and she doesn't participate in any of the "normal" childhood activities that the protagonist does. This girl becomes obsessed with the narrator. The reader enters the mind of the narrator and feels the dread and discomfort she feels whenever around this other girl. They end up at a summer camp together, and the ending is shocking, but not melodramatic. The reader is kept wondering the entire time, from the very first paragraphs, what is going to happen to the neighbor girl, the narrator, both of them? I can't find the book right now, but Munroe must use certain words and images and actions to show that feeling of dread, of discomfort, of guilt, that the reader knows is leading somewhere.
The other example is Henry James' Portrait of a Lady. This is a long novel, but from the beginning, with the introduction of the main character, Isabel, the reader wants to know what will happen to her. Will she choose to marry? Who will she marry? What will she do with an unexpected inheritance? Who is really the Prince Charming, who is the Wolf? Will she be able to realize her aspirations and her dreams that have to do with much more than wifedom of motherhood? There is even a character, Ralph, who stands in for the reader but with very high personal stakes, who also wonders explicitly what will happen to her. We take on those stakes as we read, and it compels us to continue reading to the very end, to see the choices she makes and to understand why she makes them.
I have a collection of Alice Munro stories, somewhere in my messy shelves. I hope to track it down and find the fascinating story you describe within. That piece and "Portrait of a Lady" are compelling examples of "true" suspense. Thanks so much for sharing your insights, Marianna.