Wordpreneur.com

BY MARK BARNES

Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense novels require a simple formula, which will make your work truly suspenseful. Follow this basic recipe, and you’re well on your way to building a whole library of successful suspense novels.

Suspense novels formula step 1: Decide your topic. Many people who wish to craft best-selling suspense novels struggle with this first step. The biggest problem is they get too wound up in trying to come up with something that’s never been done, assuming that they’ll land a number one best seller. Forget trying so hard to do something that hasn’t been done, and just settle on something you know, even if the subject has been done. Then work on an interesting twist.

Suspense novels formula step 2: Start your suspense novels at the end, rather than at the beginning. As is the case with any good project, successful suspense novels are crafted with the ending in mind first. Then the artist can return to the beginning and begin building to that end. This is how quality suspense novels are created.

Suspense novels formula step 3: If your suspense novels have killers or conspirators, wait as long as possible to reveal the perpetrators. In my first suspense novel, The League, my editor noticed that I revealed the perpetrator about six chapters and 90 pages before the end. He loved the story but said that it would be vastly improved if I could keep the readers in suspense a bit longer.

So, if you hope to make a fortune with suspense novels, use this basic formula, and you’re well on your way.

Mark Barnes has published several how-to books on real estate finance, Internet business, and self-publishing. Recently, he has expanded his horizons into the fiction world, with his suspense-thriller, The League. Mark is currently working on his second novel, another sports-related suspense thriller. He resides in a suburb of Cleveland with his wife, Mollie and two small children.

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