In Benjamin Percy’s essay “Designing Suspense” from Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction, he writes about the power of imagining the worst-case scenario for your story. Not a bad scenario, but the worst scenario. Why? Because you cannot write a truly suspenseful, thrilling story until you’ve identified this scenario. Every choice your protagonist makes, every twist your plot takes, must move your story toward this truly awful, seemingly impossible situation. We’ll look at effective examples of worst-case scenarios from books and movies, and we’ll do a series of exercises to identify the worst-case scenario for your characters and your story. Then, we’ll explore strategies to use this worst-case scenario as a tool for escalating tension and sustaining suspense from the first page to the last. Writers should come prepared to write.
This course is a part of Thrills and Chills Fest, a weekend celebration of thriller, mystery, crime, and suspense taking place on March 15 and 16, with the opportunity to engage in craft seminars, panels, happy hours, and fun evening events. Learn more here.
