A Workable Plan for Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue

By Jodie Renner, fiction editor, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Keeping the reader glued to the pages of our novel is a goal for every writer. Jodie Renner returns to the lecture hall today, to share tips on adding tension and intrigue to the story. 

We all know that thrillers and other fast-paced popular fiction need lots of tension, suspense, and intrigue to keep readers riveted to the story. But so do all the other genres, to varying degrees. No matter what type of fiction you write, it’s all about hooking your readers in, engaging them emotionally, and keeping their interest to the end.

Tension, conflict, and complications are what drive all fiction forward and keep readers engrossed.

A happy scene is a boring scene. If the character has no cares or the problem is minor or easily solved, readers will lose interest and look for another book. And intrigue is what piques readers’ curiosity and keeps them turning the pages of your story, no matter what the genre. And of course, you’ll need to ratchet up the tension and suspense a lot more if you’re writing a fast-paced, nail-biting page-turner. Go through your manuscript with the list below to see if there are some ways you and amp up your story to make it more engaging.

Tricks & Tips for Catching All Those Little Typos in Your Own Work

By Jodie Renner,  @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Authors Series

Whether you’re writing a novel, a nonfiction book, a blog post, a magazine article, a short story, or an assignment, it’s important to go over your work several times before submitting, to make sure it’s error-free and flows well. No matter what your you’re writing, you’re your credibility will be eroded if readers find mispelled misspelled words, misused words, missing or extra words, or other typos.

Over the years, I’ve presented workshops and written several articles on tips for approaching the whole editing and revising process, starting with macro issues like logistics, characterization, plot, and pacing, and working your way through awkward phrasing and wordiness down to micro errors like spelling and punctuation. And of course Janice has done a stellar job of guiding writers through the process, to result in a polished story before querying or publishing.

How to Save a Bundle on Editing Costs – Without Sacrificing Quality

By Jodie Renner, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Author Series

We indie authors need all the help we can get to produce a polished product worthy of competing well in the market place. Once you’ve revised your novel or short story a few times and have incorporated any input from trusted beta readers, it’s a good idea (essential, really) to get your manuscript edited by a respected freelance fiction editor, preferably one who reads and edits your genre.

Below you’ll find lots of advice for significantly reducing your editing costs, with additional links at the end to concrete tips for approaching the revision process and for reducing your word count without losing any of the good stuff.

Questions for Your Beta Readers – and To Focus Your Own Revisions

By Jodie Renner, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Author Series

So you’ve completed the first draft of your novel? Congratulations! Now it’s time to start the all-important revision process. Be sure not to shoot yourself in the foot by sending it off or self-publishing it too soon. That’s the biggest mistake of unsuccessful novelists – being in too much of a hurry to get their book out, when it still needs (major or minor) revisions and final polishing.

To start, put it aside for a week or more, then change the font and print it up and read it in a different location, where you don’t write. Or, to save paper, put it on your e-reader or tablet and take it outside to a park or a (different) coffee shop to read. That way, you can approach it with fresh eyes and a bit of distance, as a reader, rather than in too close as the writer.

Grammarly’s Editing Software – How Helpful Is It?

By Jodie Renner, editor and author, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Authors Series

I recently decided to test out some editing software to help with a final polish of my latest writing guide, Captivate Your Readers. Since I’m a professional editor and former English teacher, I know my spelling and grammar inside out, so I was mainly looking for help with flagging lazy errors like overused or repetitive words, typos, and awkward or overly long sentences.

So far, I have checked out several editing programs, including PerfectIt, SmartEdit, and Grammarly. For today, I’ll just share my experiences with Grammarly’s editing software.

Book Giveaway Promos Compared: Goodreads, Rafflecopter, and the New Amazon Giveaway

By Jodie Renner, editor & author, @JodieRennerEd

Part of the Indie Authors Series

We indie authors are always on the lookout for effective ways to market and promote our books to create buzz and attract new readers.

I’ve just released a new craft-of-writing guide, Captivate Your Readers, so I decided to host a few giveaways of this title, both in e-book and print form, to increase awareness of it. I recently ran a group giveaway of 15 e-books on my blog through Rafflecopter, included my three writing guides and one of Janice’s. It turned out really well and generated lots of traffic and entries, as well as new subscriptions to my newsletter. I’m also considering running a Goodreads Giveaway, as I haven’t done one of those in over a year.

Avoid Overwriting – Subtle is More Sophisticated

By Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker

Part of the How They Do It Series

Please help me welcome our newest Fiction University Faculty member, Jodie Renner. She joins us today to share some tips on how to avoid overwriting. Look for her regular monthly articles with the Indie Author Series on Thursdays. (And don't forget to check out the contest on her blog for one of 15 writing and marketing books)


Jodie Renner is a freelance editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Fire up Your Fiction, Writing a Killer Thriller, and Captivate Your Readers. She has also published two clickable time-saving e-resources to date: Quick Clicks: Spelling List and Quick Clicks: Word Usage. When she’s not reading or editing compelling fiction, Jodie enjoys combining her two other passions, photography and traveling.

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Take it away Jodie...

How to Slash Your Word Count by 20-40% – and tighten your story without losing any of the good stuff!

By Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker

Part of the Indie Author Series

Have you been told your story looks promising or even intriguing, but your novel is way too long? Are you cringing at the potential cost of getting your long manuscript edited?

Today’s readers have shorter attention spans and smaller reading devices, so sales are increasing for shorter fiction. Also, freelance editors charge by the word, page, or hour, so of course you’ll be paying a lot more to have your longer manuscript edited – especially if it’s rambling and needs a lot of tightening, so a lot of editing input.