Stretching the Tension in Writing

To all of my fellow writers out there, how many times have you heard from writing instructors and the like, that you should stretch out the tension point in your writing. How many of you have heard that you can’t give the reader what they want right away. For example, a novice might write a sentence like so:


    The cow jumped over the moon and as it streaked back to earth, landed in the shoot of a meat processing plant.


Whereas an expert would stretch this sentence out more and make the reader wait for the “punch-line” at the end when the cow meets its fate. For example:


    The cow streaked into the air, looking left and right while wearing goggles for eye protection. The cow marveled at its surrounding while the earth grew smaller below its hooves. Birds casually flew through the air and doing a double take at the sight of a cow in their territory. It was such an odd sight that the flying creatures began to circle the cow as it flew through the air. The birds flew until they could fly no longer. The cow ascended further and further, up in and through the earth’s atmosphere until the bovine creature found itself looking down on the moon which was far underneath its rudders and nipples. Terror did not reach the cows eyes until it found itself falling like a rock back down to earth. As the cow neared the earth and what was directly underneath it, the cow began flapping its four legs frantically in an attempt to avoid its eventual fate. Alas, the cow’s desperate act at salvation were unrewarded. The cow plopped down into the shoot of a meat processing plant. Before the grinding blades took the creatures life, the cow had smiled at the thought that it had seem something no other cows could ever imagine.


As you can see, my example runs a little long but I think you get the idea: to build up the tension as much as possible before you give the reader their payoff for continuing to read. The age old adage that I have heard from many a published writer is that, if you show a gun on the dresser in act one, the gun should be fired by act three.
While I do like this rule and understand the meaning behind it, I also try not to overuse it. I guess its like they say: everything in moderation, including moderation. At the same time, while I do utilize this rule, I also feel as though this technique can be utterly frustrating, especially as the reader. Sometimes, with certain writers, it can get to the point where the writer describes every little detail from how the wind feels blowing against the grass to every piece of food on a table, its origins and down to how it was cooked, by who and even what that person was wearing with in depth detail down to the underwear. Okay, I admit that I am exaggerating a bit but you get the idea. The practice of delaying the gratitude in order to squeeze more tension out of a scene and keep a reader on the edge of their seat until they fall off can be overdone. It is possible to fill a scene with so much detail that it bogs down the paragraph or chapter. I feel as though this technique, if overused, can put off a reader and force them to put down your book which is the last thing any writer wants.

Book Review - Heaven's Fate

Thame Elliot's one objective in life is to avenge his father's death and he is consumed in his quest for the truth. But his life is not that simple. His aunt is the new Empress of Eoida and is always meddling in his life. Being connected with her also brings him enough fame to make his quest problematic and as if this is not enough, soon he will know that sometimes things are not always as they seem.

Can he find his father's killer?

Heaven's Fate is the classic fantasy story of a boy whose father was killed and claimed a traitor. Now he is determined to clear his name and also avenge his death. The first thing that struck me about the book was the whole planning and conception of Thame's world. The author has meticulously planned each detail of his fantasy world and it shows.

The story changes pace as per the demand of the story which is a good thing. Fantasy book lovers will love this book. I am not that a big fan of fantasy books but was still pulled into the action. I did though feel a bit crammed which so many new things in the book.

All in all, a very promising book and very admirably executed by Andre Alan. I give Heaven's Fate a 4 out of 5 and recommend that you read it. A book with loads of action which will thrill you and excite you. I look forward to reading more of Andre's work.  :)

I was provided the book by the author for my review of it and I am very thankful to him. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.

Post originally appeared on NjKinny's World of Books - http://njkinny.blogspot.in/2013/12/bookreview-heavens-fate-by-andre-alan.html

Heaven's Fate - Book Review

http://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Fate-Andre-Alan-ebook/dp/B00AUGS9M0/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1385136935&sr=8-10&keywords=heaven%27s+fate

Rating:  3 stars

I received a copy of Heaven's Fate from the author for an honest review.  The first thing that grabbed me, on the Kindle copy, was the formatting issue.  I know, being an author myself, that there can be some difficulties in converting a paper copy to kindle format.  That being said, though, the format made it a little difficult to read.  I tend not to give descriptions of my books on an amazon review; you know the description, which is why you're reading it, right?  The writing style itself was a little disjointed and strange, and I felt the story was rushed.  Instead of trying to do so much in the first book, I think the author could have done much more justice by putting more into the backstory and focusing more on the conflict between his father's killer and himself.  As it was, I felt I knew the characters less at the end of the novel than I did at the beginning.

As the story unfolded, I became intrigued with the story created with Thame, his "aunt", and the other characters that began to make their appearance.  They were well-rounded, all with their own flaws and circumstantial strengths and weaknesses.  For that, I commend the author.  It made for a much more enjoyable read.  The storyline was an interesting one, and the blending of two genres that are related, but traditionally separate from each other, made this book a unique one to read.

The fusion between fantasy and sci-fi for me, though, began to pull away from the story.  In my own mind, and as a fantasy writer and avid reader, to blend the two genres is a taboo, and a risky thing to try unless it's done right.  I thought that the fusion took away from the story; the las-pistols mixed with the magical incantations, the technology vs the prophecy and magical swords, all twisted into a confusing blend.  I think the story would have been much more fantastic if the author had stuck to one genre, either placing the novel entirely into the realm of fantasy or entirely into the realm of science fiction.

Overall, I think that Andre did very well on this novel.  It is a read I would probably pick up again, and I am looking forward to seeing his next book, to see what mischief Thame can get up to, and to hopefully get to know more about the characters and the drama that is unfolding within.


Review by Ashley Teixeira
Originally posted on her blog: http://allcrazyherebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/heavens-fate.html 

Character Profile – Thame, Heaven’s Fate

Taken from the glossary of the sequel to Heaven’s Fate, the highly anticipated second book in the Heaven Trilogy: Winter’s Legacy; the definition of Thame Elliot aka Snow:

His mother died giving birth. His father, Alex Elliot was murdered when he was twelve. He was raised by his father’s childhood classmate, Autumn Augustus. After learning who murdered his father, Thame carried out a savage revenge. In his wake, an evil twin emerged that now threatens to cover the world in darkness. Thame will do whatever it takes to track down Miles Xavier and bring him to justice.

The second novel is due to be released in the fall of 2013. When I first came up with the idea for Heaven’s Fate I was a sophomore in college. Back then I was convinced this title would turn into a comic book or maybe a cartoon; since at the time I drew heavy influences from the anime Dragon Ball Z. As the idea for the story continued to develop and the characters were fleshed out, it took almost a decade for all of the pieces to fall together properly in order to form the 90k word debut fantasy epic that is currently available. Not to mention the countless amount of time spent learning how to construct a proper novel, the hours upon hours spent reading and re-reading the finished product, only to send it off to my editor and go through the process all over.

Ideas go through several stages before the finished product reaches the customer. I don’t think readers realize how much actually goes on behind the scenes to put a work of fiction entertainment together; hell, I did not even know all of the work and strenuous hours that would be required of me before undertaking this process. I never really understood the mantra of being a ‘starving artist’ until I actually became a starving artist (and let me tell you, after nights on end of eating ramen noodles I have the high blood pressure to show that I have earned that title) because when you are younger, (and growing up I was always an artist, drawing this or that and doodling in class) you think that you are a starving artist and you think that it is so cool to be out in the world and pursuing your dreams. Those cold and lonely nights when you only have your ideas to keep you warm and fuel you to keep going, the term sinks in and has more weight to it. It means a lot more when you are actually going through it. But I guess that is with anything right, in order to understand something fully you have to go out and actually experience it, participate in the things that were wispy yet grand ideas in the days of your childhood.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy the book.

For those of you who missed your chance to win a free, signed copy of Heaven's Fate you just might be in luck. Be sure to check in with Indie Author News (http://www.indieauthornews.com/) on March 4, 2013 for my new exclusive interview and your chance to get a copy of Heaven's Fate which will be the Book of the Day and stop by for your chance to win.

Brief Breather But Back Below

I am currently reading Dune by Frank Herbert
The magnificent world building techniques used in this series are second to none
And remind me of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series
Delving into works of fiction such as this inspire me to work on my own titles
And with that being said, I think I will return to editing and most importantly writing

Andre Alan

New and Old Books

Just picked up 'By Heresies Distressed' by David Weber.
It has a quote from R.A. Salvatore on the back.
Salvatore is another one of my favorite writers.
Which reminds me to check in with my favorite dark elf, Drizzt Do'urden or Drizzit.

By Andre Alan

Star-Child

I have just finished another read through of, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke and I have to say that it will forever be one of my favorite books. The chapters are crisp, to the point and leave you turning the page even if it is two in the morning and you have to go to work in five hours. As I read it, my inner thoughts of creativity are sparked and my mind envisions the wonderful sights painted by Mr. Clarke, seen through the eyes of Dave Bowman. The concepts put forth in this science fiction novel will propel mankind forward towards a future where, hopefully we realize our full potential. Who knows, maybe one day each of us will become a Star-Child.

Writing Sci Fi

Why is that when I actually have the time to write and sit down to do so I find any excuse not to write? Whether it's twitter, facebook or going off on an irrelevant tangent of research that has nothing to do with the story I'm working on. It's almost to the point where I need to take my laptop off into the woods somewhere with no wifi and disconnect in order to get something done. But then I need to come back to the world, re-connect and start promoting myself through these various mediums that are causing so much distraction.

What will happen in the future when there are interactive 3D environments imprinted on our contact lenses and sun glasses; computer chips installed in our brains so no matter where we go, we are connected to wifi? Will the human race eventually assimilate with our technology to the point where we all have a shared consciousness? Taking youtube, facebook and twitter to the next level.

At this point in time I would like to send a shout out to Alastair Reynolds since I am reading his science fiction novel Redemption Ark which touches on some of these subjects.