Want More Readers? Write SUSPENSE, not ACTION, Scenes

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I don’t want to harm anyone’s health, but everyone needs a jolt of literary CPR now and then. How to do it?

SUSPENSE. No matter what genre, no matter what age group you’re writing for, it’s suspense that make your readers’ hearts race and their anxiety ratchet up to high as they worry what will happen to the beloved characters they’ve been rooting for.

Yes, action scenes are important to add in occasionally because readers want to watch your characters ACT in some way, but to me, prolonged action gets dull. (That’s how I felt watching 90 minutes of Mad Max racing across the desert and back….zzzz). When the tension never lets up, the suspense goes down. One of the keys to writing suspenseful tales is to rev up the suspicion and then make the character move on to something “normal,” only to have the anxiety reappear. Think ebb and flow.

 https://www.fbi.gov

In Wanted: Dead or In Love, an impulsive teen girl breaks into her father’s gangster memorabilia case and accidentally cuts herself with a bullet extracted from Clyde Barrow (impulsive character trait /stealing/consequences/outlaws all create suspense). As a result she awakens the spirit of Bonnie Parker in her own body, and then later that night, infects a guy she meets at a party with the spirit of Clyde Barrow (a pissed-off and unwilling companion adds suspense). They have a twenty-four hour deadline (a ticking clock) to figure out how to rid the outlaws from their bodies, or they’ll face changing places forever (possibility of death/crimes to be committed against their will). The reader feels compelled to continue reading to find out which of the four are successful and how all the problems will be resolved (multiple solutions / lots of questions). Whew! Hopefully the reader is breathless and their heart rate increases as the tension builds to the final scene.

HOW TO MAKE A SCENE COME ALIVE? MAKE US WORRY....

Here are a few tips:

• SHOW, don’t TELL us that your character is anxious about something, have them sweat, bite their lips, swallow a lot, look at their watch. In fact, the next time you’re worried about something, check out how you feel inside, notice what you do (drink water, check for texts, pace around your kitchen) and incorporate it into your character’s actions). 

• LET US HEAR YOUR MC’S THOUGHTS. We’re scared if your character is scared. Let us know specifically what he or she doesn’t want to happen (if we don’t get to Louisiana in time, we’ll be in their graves and Bonnie & Clyde will take over our bodies!) You’ll need to set these worries up earlier in the book and give the readers small reminders building up to the scene where “it” might actually happen, and then of course, make the worst possible thing happen. Oh no….not that!! Yes, that. Now the reader has to find out what your poor MC will do.

• SET LOTS OF POSSIBLE TRAPS and SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES. And then, have your character dismiss them as things that could possibly never happen, but then make it happen anyway. For example, Mr. Nice would NEVER do that to his wife, who happens to be your best friend (oh, but he did) and your character saw it. Now what? Tell his wife, keep it a secret, confront him? Let your character worry and mull over the right thing to do over the course of the next chapter or two before deciding. Make her squirm when she sees her friend and she brags about Mr. Nice and how great he is.
  
  Good luck!
  
  'Til next time,
  KYM

A BONNIE & CLYDE VALENTINE - Signed Giveaway - WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wanted

by Kym Brunner

Giveaway ends February 14, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

CREATE A PLAN TO BUILD A PUBLISHING CAREER - Taking Agent Laura Rennert's Advice

At the SCBWI-LA conference earlier this month, executive agent Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency wowed us with her knowledge about how authors should build successful careers.

She suggested that we view ourselves as being the CEO of our own company, which would make your agent your COO. After reviewing who her authors are, she develops very systematic plans for each of her clients and says we should do the same for ourselves.

Basically, you need to think about who you are as a person, who your readers are, and what your books are about, then build your brand and marketing efforts upon those ideas. So here are my thoughts on each of those topics:

Who am I as a person?

• teacher/ author
• outgoing
• always striving to be humorous
• am intrigued by things unique and unusual 
• laid back and easygoing

Who are my readers?

• teens
• smart adults who dig YA
• librarians? reviewers? teachers?

What are my books about?

• everyday teens on the brink of something new
• often suspense & plot driven
• falling in love
• humor + heart
• something unusual or quirky such as:
• Bonnie & Clyde, Polish superstitions, falconry, space camp.

So based on those bullet points...what's my plan?
I'm going to try and formulate one now:

I'll focus on writing blog posts, running contests, and appearing at events hoping to showcase my sense of humor, my knowledge of suspenseful writing, and showing my love for things that are quirky.


Hmm....I think I like it. At least for now.

Laura Rennert did mention restructuring now and then as you go along. Figure out what's working and continue doing those things, while at the same time, weed out the strategies that weren't so successful. What works for one author might not work for another, so don't lose hope. It may take years to develop, but keep working and hopefully you'll see sales rise and offers increase. (*see me grinning with sparks of hope in my eyes)


Now it's your turn to be the CEO of your book company. Write down the three categories listed in bold above, along with your bulleted lists that represent you, and then come up with a one-line plan. I'd love to hear what it is, so please share in the comments....

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Choose Titles for Your Blog Articles Wisely....Or You May Anger Readers

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos/Stuart Miles

I was blessed with the opportunity to write an article for Chuck Sambuchino's "Guide to Literary Agents" column for Writer's Digest. Considering how many hits Chuck's blog posts get, I was in debut author heaven. After being given the okay for a guest column with the freedom to choose the topic, I excitedly detailed how I came about writing multiple POVs for Wanted:  Dead or In Love, my YA novel about Bonnie & Clyde taking over the bodies of two modern day teens (which resulted in four POVs interspersed in the story). I figured readers might wonder how and why I chose to write it in alternating POVs, and so I gave (what I hoped was) the interesting background about my thought process.

Before it appeared online however, someone at WD changed the title of my article from "Cracking Down on Multiple POVs:  Surrender and Nobody Gets Hurt," to "You Should Write From Multiple POVs if Your Story Demands It." Perhaps mine was too long or they felt it wasn't catchy enough. Although I thought my title with the criminal undertones was clever and fit my article, I wasn't upset.

No biggie, right?

I didn't think so....until I saw the list of comments on the Writer's Digest Facebook Page that linked to my article (which has since been taken down). People were writing angry comments that my post was nothing but a promo for my book and didn't give advice about whether or not to write from multiple POVs. The thing is...I hadn't intended to do that.

I left one short polite reply on the Writer's Digest Facebook page explaining that my original title had been changed and basically, sorry for the misconception. (I'm not sure if my comment caused them to take down the post or if the fury of the commentators did, but either way, it's probably a blessing for both of us).***Editing to say that on the webpage itself, there were lots and lots of wonderful comments by readers. Definitely the lovely outweighed the grumblers. Thank you, positive readers! :)

Here's the thing:  the title gave readers a different expectation. And I guess, looking at it from their perspective, I can see why they might have had some sour feelings. They wanted a checklist or guidelines of when you should use multiple POVs in your story and when you should stick with a single POV. I'm not sure there's a right/wrong answer to that question, except to say that uh (ahem) you should do it if your story demands it.

That said, I guess I learned that blog post titles have more significance than I knew. With that in mind, I decided to create a few guidelines for choosing blog post titles:

1) CRAFT A CATCHY TITLE - it's important that you make readers curious to see what your article is about. If you're tweeting a link to your article, you only have a split-second to catch a reader's attention. "Write a Title That Fits" wouldn't have been as interesting as the one I chose for this blog post, although it would have reflected the content.

2) DELIVER WHAT YOU PROMISE - the title should reflect the content. No one likes bait and switch. Yes, it should be catchy, but it can't promise something that you don't deliver. Make sure the reader gets what he's coming to your blog for, or they might not come again.

3) REFRAIN FROM GENERIC "GRABBER" TITLES - there are many tweets that say, "Check this out!" or "You won't believe what you'll see by clicking HERE." Yes, we are curious by nature, but when you've seen enough of those, you stop following the link. No one likes surprises THAT much.

Those are all the rules I can think of at the moment (except maybe if you host someone as a guest on your blog, don't change their title without running it past them first.) :)

If Chuck Sambuchino or anyone from Writer's Digest reads this article, I want to reiterate how grateful I am for the opportunity to post an article for your organization. Hopefully the readers that left those angry comments will surrender their feelings and no one will get hurt. :)

Care to share any other guidelines that I missed?

'Til next time...xoxo, KYM

Holy Hot Press, Batman! I was interviewed by THE BIG THRILL MAGAZINE!

WOW!

I'm sooo excited and feeling blessed and mighty thankful for all good things that come my way. It really does take a village to raise a writer, and I have to give a shout out to publicist Bethany Carland-Adams at Adams Media/F+W Media (https://twitter.com/bethanyc_adams) for setting me up with really cool promotional opportunities!

Thanks for asking great questions, Stacy Mantle https://twitter.com/stacymantle  *roar of applause for these two ladies

Source

CHECK OUT THE BIG THRILL INTERVIEW HERE:

http://www.thebigthrill.org/2014/05/wanted-dead-or-in-love-by-kym-brunner/

WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE book baby BORN TODAY!

After 36 months of labor, I'm finally out of the ER, the nurses and doctors have gone home, and they've allowed me to view my virtual ebook baby.

She's a beauty all right. *sighs loudly, brimming with joy

BEHOLD, for the very first time in public, WANTED:  DEAD OR IN LOVE!

A Month Before My Double Debuts Release...What's It Like?

In a word.....MIND-BLOWING.

Wonderful and crazy and busy and exciting and scary and unbelievably cool...and maybe a smidge stressful, too. Kinda like this:

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Don't get me wrong––it's off-the-charts even better than I'd even dreamed about. Was it worth the wait? YES. Even if my books don't sell as fast as say.....these French Bulldog teacup pups....I'm happy.




Happier even than Pharrell Williams!


Nothing beats the feeling from having accomplished a HUGE personal goal. Kinda like this bird - just bursting with pride.

Source

But if you're wondering a little bit more about the specifics, here you go. In the past two weeks, I've:

• received final chapters to approve and/or revise of One Smart Cookie
• after sending them back, had my final look at the final edits
• been contacted by both publishers to answer questions
• been interviewed by three different groups (Sun City News, ThrillerZine, and International Thriller Writers organization) 
• received requests to have books sent, contests begun, and articles written
• arranged for two book signings 
• written what feels like 1,000 emails

Hope you get a chance to experience this feeling once (or maybe twenty) times in your life, too. What has been your proudest moment?

My Writing Process - Blog Tour Stop

Thanks so much to my friend, Kelly Hashway for inviting me to participate in this blog tour! Be sure to check out her website HERE where she talks about her writing process. So interesting to see all the different ways we work. :) 

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

So you want to know about my writing process? Toot! Toot! First stop on the crazy train... 

FIRST OFF, when I'm not at work or out watching movies, you'll usually find me in my home office (read: LaZ Boy chair in living room even though I have a lovely home office.)


1) What am I working on?

Two books actually! (I'm sort of jumping between them) When I get stuck on one, I switch to the other. First time I've done this, but it's working to unlock my story issues that I seem to get hung up on. They're very different, but both suspenseful and have (what I think are) cool, unique topics. Hope you do, too!


2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Hmm...good question. I *think* it differs because I'm all about coming up with a great PLOT first, characters second. I know. I'm not supposed to say that aloud, but the truth is, the premise has to grab me around the throat and threaten to kill me before I'll spend a year writing the story down.

Here are the topics in some of my novels:

*I NEED MY SPACE: space camp, Mars exploration, twins, crushes

*FLIP THE BIRD: falconry, animal rights protestors, first love, loyalty

*INSOMNIAC: sleep disorders, online bullying, court case



WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE (June, 2014, Merit Press): Bonnie & Clyde, falling for bad boys, deadlines, criminal records (*AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE)

ONE SMART COOKIE (July, 2014 Omnific Press): Polish bakery goods/legends/ falling for two boys at same time, family business

 *The first three are not yet published, but if you're an editor and you're interested in seeing one of the first three, email me or my agent, Eric Myers of The Spieler Agency. :)

3) Why do I write what I do? BECAUSE....

I love exploring all the changes/challenges/heartbreaks/triumphs teenagers go through. 

I love researching unfamiliar topics and putting teens in places they might want to go...and places they don't...and seeing how they'd react. 

I love when books make me think about them long after I've stopped reading them. 

I love when a book is soooo good, I want to tell everyone I know to read them.

I love when I can't wait to get back into the story when I'm in the middle of reading it.

I love when books make me think about my own life and how it can be different or better or makes me realize I already have lots of things to be thankful for.

 
I want to write those kinds of books––heart-stoppers, page turners, make you want to be there or try something new books.



4) How does my writing process work?

Not quite sure I can call what I do a "process" or claim that it "works," but it sort of happens like this for me:

• See interesting news articles/life events/ social media blurbs that makes me say "Whoa! What if..." with a twist.
• Add thoughts to the file called "Cool Story Ideas" that is on my laptop.
• When ready for new story, visit the file and let ideas percolate - brainstorm lots of storylines, usually based on multiple cool things in the file.
• Research s the topics involved in new story.
• Keep thinking, plotting, coming up with more twists, characters, and conflicts. Have a decent idea of beginning, middle, and climax.
• After one month, start writing.
• Bring chapters to critique groups and keep twisting, revising, rethinking.
• Viola! After approximately 9 months, I'll have a (crappy) first draft that I'll hope to revise into something I really love (and hope readers will too).

UP NEXT WEEK:

Beth Fehlbaum: A longtime English teacher, speaker, advocate for abuse survivors, and founder of the gritty YA fiction website UncommonYA,  Beth is the author of Hope in Patience, a 2011 Young Adult Library Services Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Big Fat Disaster grew out of her own struggle with an eating disorder. Visit her on the web at www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com, www.uncommonya.com, and the Merit Press Facebook page. She lives in Texas.

Beth will be posting her writing process here: http://bethfehlbaumbooks.com/bloggity-blog.html

WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CLYDE BARROW....

I wrote a post for DARKLY DELICIOUS YA called The Not-So-Dark Side of Clyde Barrow.

CHECK IT OUT: 
http://darklydeliciousya.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-not-so-dark-side-of-clyde-barrow-in.html

Want to see the original book cover for WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE?

Authors need to create lots of original content for blogs.

It wouldn't be right if I copied my blog post from Uncommon YA here, so click HERE to see my old versus my new book cover.

YOU JUST WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!

Clyde Barrow Talks to You From the Grave (seriously!)

In my dual MC (main character for you non-writers out there), Clyde alternates chapters with Monroe Baker, a teen waiting tables at her dad's 1920's style, speakeasy dinner theater. Clyde Barrow was one of the most bizarre/unique characters I've ever (re)created in my writing career thus far. I  have to admit that I had a blast imagining his dialogue and would often linger over my words, disturbed (okay, and sometimes delighted) at what I made him say––which may mean I have a criminal mind lying deep inside of me. Be scared, people. (Mom, don't worry. I don't blame you.)
Here is a peek from Chapter Two from Wanted:  Dead or In Love (in which Clyde Barrow first awakens in his coffin). Strange, I know, but I swear it'll make sense if you read the book.

A drum roll please...

Oh - and make sure you read with a Texan twang in your head. That's how I imagined him anyway.

*Excerpt from Chapter Two

* Clyde *

A sudden jolt runs through my bones, swift as lightning and strong as a Texas twister in May. I blink twice, three times, but I can’t see nothing. I must be in the bottom of a mineshaft on a moonless night because it’s dark and I’m cold. Real cold. I concentrate hard as I can to move my body, one finger even, and finally, after what seems like forever, I give up.

I search my brain trying to figure how I got trapped down here. Last thing I remember was me and Bonnie heading down Potter Lane to go pick up Henry at his pa’s house in the middle of nowhere. We’d all visited our kin for two days but we needed to get back on the lam. I slowed down to drive around a fool truck driver who lost his load, when––Christ. It’s all coming back.

As I veered past the crates, rounds of gunfire blasted through my head, my neck, my arms and legs–-jolting me right outta my seat. Bonnie’s spine-chillin’ scream was the last thing I heard before blackness came. It’s obvious to me looking back now that the sheriff’s posse brought along enough ammo to shoot a herd of buffalo. Cold-hearted bastards never even offered us a chance to surrender.

Not that I would, but they dint know that. At least I coulda taken down a few of the laws before me and Bonnie got smoked.

I realize then that I ain’t in any mineshaft––I’m in my final resting place.

LIVE! From Chicago...It's My Very First Snippet of WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE

*Deep breath and...


Every day since signing the contract with Merit Press to publish my debut YA novel, Wanted:  Dead or In Love has brought new "firsts."  Today on Darkly Delicious YA is the first sneak peek I'm sending out into the world. Nervously excited for people to check it out. *bites nails.

CLICK THIS LINK to read the Tuesday Teaser on Darkly Delicious YA of WANTED:  DEAD OR IN LOVE:  http://darklydeliciousya.blogspot.com/2014/01/exclusive-first-look-at-kym-brunners.html

OK for Writers to Depict Criminals in a Positive Light in YA?

Good question. 

My short answer is:  it's fiction. Fiction is written to amuse, entertain, and possibly make the reader question things in his or her own life. That's my job as an author…making the reader feel something––rage, happiness, regret, or maybe joy.

I expect there will be some (maybe even a lot) of readers who will get bent out of shape over the depiction of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in my YA novel. After all, Bonnie & Clyde were downright nasty criminals from the 1930’s who were in love. In WANTED:  DEAD OR IN LOVE, they come back to life, and they’re not necessarily typecast as “the bad guys.” No doubt about it, Bonnie and Clyde did a lot of horrific things in their day and were eventually gunned down for it by a posse of tough crime fighters called The Texas Rangers. I’m not making excuses for Bonnie and Clyde––they deserved to have been stopped. 

I think what I tried to show is that most of us––Bonnie and Clyde included––are not solidly “all good” or “all bad.” Many of us make decisions that seem like a good idea at the time that later turn out to be not-so-great. My main character, a teen girl named Monroe, has always lived by the motto, “You Only Live Once,” but when she faces the counterpart to that, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time,” she starts to reconsider.

If she could do it all over again, she might say, “Yes, you are in charge of your own destiny. Just make sure it’s the destiny you really want.”

Actual footage taken from Bonnie & Clyde’s death scene in 1934.

Aside from telling what I hope is a unique, suspenseful tale, maybe it'll make someone stop and think before making stupid mistakes that can follow them their whole lives. Or maybe not––it's their choice. Take it from me––I've made plenty. :) 

'Til next time,

KYM

Meet Monroe, infected by Bonnie Parker, in Wanted: Dead or In Love

I'm so thrilled to be featured in Cherie Colyer's blog today! Thanks, Cherie.

Monroe Baker, my main character featured on my book cover (left), pops in to  talk about what it was like being infected by the famous female outlaw, Bonnie Parker. 

Check it out here:

YA author Kym Brunner: Friday Feature on Cherie Colyer's Blog

The Day YA Author Kym Brunner Blasts Onto Blogger Scene (gasp!)

HELLO BLOGGER WORLD !

First day, first post.

As a Blogger blogger anyway.... switching up from being a Live Journal gal. Everyone tells me the Kool-Aid is better over here, so I'm going to taste a sip and see if I want to join the cult. ;)

I'll be posting information about everything connected to my books, the writing process in general, YA news, and anything that relates to the world of writing in general. Also weird things that interest me because, let's face it, only reading about me would bore the pants off of you. (Which could be interesting in and of itself I suppose, but let's not go there.)

I'm a member of two fantastic groups of YA writers who blog:
 
UNCOMMON YA  - featuring tough, gritty novels that won't take any BS from others. Meet my Main Character, Clyde Barrow was featured there yesterday in fact. Check it out here:

Love Bad Boys? Meet the Ultimate Bad Boy...CLYDE BARROW (of Bonnie & Clyde fame)


 and a member (and co-founder) of:

DARKLY DELICIOUS YA - dark, suspenseful novels (many with a hint of romance). I did a holiday post there titled:  Ho, Ho, Huh? Kym Brunner's Top 5 Rules for Surviving the Holidays with Weird Relatives


Come on back soon - hoping to try and post something every week - haven't decided which day yet, but as soon as I know, I'll give you a buzz. (Since it's winter, it might be a fruit fly instead of a bee who passes the word - sorry to do that to you b/c you know how those suckers multiply!)

Til next time,

KYM