Mystery versus Suspense. A writing Tip.

 Mystery versus suspense.

 Let’s differentiate the two in simple terms.

 Mystery concerns the past. There’s a body. Whodunit? This is a prime mystery example.

Suspense, on the other hand, concerns the future. What will happen? Who will be hurt?

 Your major character is about to lift a lid on a box.

 Is this mystery? Yes, if the box contains a clue.

Is this suspense? Yes, if the box has a poisonous snake ready to bite. But, and here’s the crucial point about suspense, the character must have an inkling a peril lurks.

How does that happen? Well, the writer could say the character faces death. But come on. That’s sophomoric, at best. There needs to be a build-up. The character’s boss may deal in poisonous snakes and this box returned from Egypt when the boss did. While the box may not say a poisonous snake is enclosed, perhaps the stamp of A.S.P. Co could be a foreshadowing? Maybe if the boss returned from the western USA, the character hears a rattle inside the box.

 The point for writers is: even if the character does not suspect to be hurt, the reader must be aware of potential adverse consequences for suspense to be created.

The reader must envision the possibilities. If the hero stands on the edge of a cliff, there’s no significant possibility he may fall, even die. If the hero stands there and a villain rushes towards him, the reader can assume the villain may push the hero. And, if that happens? The hero is in danger.

 As it has not yet happened, suspense can build. Add in a few other details, like the villain’s shout “you’ve breathed your last” or the hero’s foot slipping on a loose rock that cascades to the canyon floor below and there’s suspense.

 If you skip all that and a park ranger comes across a dead body on the floor of the canyon, well, we’re now dealing with mystery.

 Choose your approach. Yes, an unidentified villain can cause suspense by creating the death of a hapless individual and allow the story to migrate into a mystery.

This is a conscious choice. An author may choose. Yet, mystery and suspense live separate lives.

Visit Author Donan Berg at Award winning books .

Independent Website Honors Author Donan Berg with Firsts

 Independent website www.authorsden.com honored Author Donan Berg on May 12, 2021 with four top most popular ratings for four of his novels.

More than a week later on May 20, 2021, the most popular novels, yes, the top six in reader appeal at www.authorsden.com are written by Author Donan Berg.  They include the below listed four.  Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel, has been a top pick since April 16. A Body To Bones, his debut paperback novel that recently joined the e-book ranks, like cream, has risen to the top. 

Top fantasy - Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel

Top mystery/suspense - Into the Dark

Top action/thriller - Aria's Bayou Child

Top romance - Alexa's Gold (Author Berg's Abbey Burning Love earned a second.)

Click here to Find Donan Berg novels .

In a statement, Author Donan Berg said he couldn't be prouder of his readers. "They are the most important persons," he said.  "Honors are fantastic, but the underpinning is to write for the enjoyment of readers. That, in all humility, is best. To be a part in a win/win spurs my passion to write even better."

After his statement, word was received that a new five-star review has been issued into the literature world. Read a review of Aria's Bayou Child, A Thriller at www.featheredquill.com.

Donan Berg's novel Alexa's Gold achieves 89 days as most popular.

It makes one humble.

Alexa's Gold, a romantic thriller, has achieved a record eighty-nine (89) consecutive days at the most popular novel on the Authorsden.com website. Click here to access Donan Berg's page: Authorsden.com .

In fact, four Author Donan Berg novels occupy four of the five top most popular novel spots. (December 27, 2018 Update: novels  Alexa's Gold, A Body To Bones, Abbey Burning Love, One Paper Heart. All are romances, except the mystery novel A Body To Bones.)

Alexa's Gold becomes the second Author Donan Berg novel to reach the highest pinnacle of popularity at Authorsden.com . As of December 27, Donan Berg novels are four of the top five.

The first was A Body To Bones. After rising to number one in July, 2018, A Body To Bones has in the past month challenged Alexa's Gold, rising as high as a runnerup.  Today, December 27, 2018, the former number one still ranks number two.

Both novels have free excerpts and signed copy availability at Authorsden.com .

Joining Alexa's Gold and A Body To Bones as top most popular books, all genres, are romances Abbey Burning Love and One Paper Heart.  The three romances are the top romances at Authorsden.com. Adolph's Gold, a police procedural mystery has ranked as high as number nine this December. (On December 27, it's number 12.) One Paper Heart was a 2016 Feathered Quill Gold Award First Place romance.

To all who have read either excerpts, entire stories or accessed any one of the five novels, thank you.

If you wish to enjoy these novels, there's an easy remedy.

Two Donan Berg Novels Top Popularity

Breaking News

As of  Thursday, October 18, 2018, two Donan Berg novels continue their
string of consecutive days ranked most popular. Now at twenty-one (21).

Alexa's Gold, a romantic thriller, ranks No. 1 most popular at
Authorsden.com, a literary website.

A Body To Bones, a mystery, ranks No. 2 most popular at Authorsden.com.

Both novels have maintained their top literary ranking since September 28.
Joining them October 17 at #6 is Author Berg's romance/mystery Abbey Burning Love.

Thank you all and keep up your visits to the below links.

To find more information and the rankings click here:  AuthorsDen.com .

Donan Berg's AuthorsDen.com author page is here: Donan Berg Author .

Thank you all.

For reviews of Alexa's Gold and A Body To Bones, check out prior blog posts.

Real Life Character Building

Fiction novel writers never ignore characters. Characters live and
breathe as the heart and soul of every potential masterpiece.

How does the novelist get there?

Consider this perspective; they blend in the physical attributes of hair color, body build,
eye color etcetera, but, more important, they interview their characters to gain a
deeper understanding.

They ask each character in turn, digging to get as much information as possible:

1. What life experiences have you enjoyed?

2.  What physical things have you enjoyed, even loved?

3.  What experience or physical object liberated you?

4.  What ideas and held beliefs have you outgrown?

5.  What spiritual concepts have controlled your life?

6.  What secular ideas have guided your life?

7.  What physical or emotional risks have you taken?

8.  What dangers have you avoided or courted?

9.  What sufferings have helped you grow?

10. What people shaped or influenced you life? To what degree?

Donan Berg is the author of entertaining mystery and heartwarming romance. His 2016 romance,
One Paper Heart, won the Feathered Quill Gold Award First Place for Romance. His latest is a
romantic thriller, Alexa's Gold. Ask for both at your favorite book retailer.

Alexa's Gold Book Club Discussion Topics

Alexa’s Gold

Reading Group Questions

and Topics for Discussion

1.     Do you agree with Alexa’s response to her traumatic work-related assault? Has she tried to envision what lies ahead in her life or acted with an unhealthy disregard for reality? Is her attempt at societal isolation healthy or a character frailty? Is she courageous, foolhardy, naïve, or a complicated mixture of these and other human attributes?

2.     Belinda, Alexa’s work and social friend, is definitely a secondary character. Why is Belinda’s character integral to Alexa’s journey? Does the character of Belinda represent a personality trait or traits that may be absent or conspicuously missing from Alexa’s character?

3.     What significant conflicts exist between Alexa, her mother, or her grandparents that need resolution? Does Alexa recognize the different influences on her life? Does Alexa navigate her circumstances with aplomb or defeatism? When considering her mother and grandmother, is there a spiritual influence and, if so, how significant is it?

4.     Alexa’s Gold is in some ways a typical journey story in which a person travels to a new land, has adventures, and ends up with a new perspective. There is a search for grandpa’s hidden gold. Can “gold” be defined as something other than monetary coins? What new experience or perspective enlightens Alexa?

5.     Novels generally rely on four typical archetypes, to wit, protagonist or hero; monster as either a villainous person or evil force; Anima figure which is the opposite personality the protagonist must strive to be in alignment with; and helper who aids the protagonist or listens to the protagonist and in so doing lets us understand the protagonist. Alexa is obviously the protagonist. Where do the other characters fit in?

6.     Alexa often bemoans the fact that Attorney Brad Haberkorn doesn’t tell her everything or anything, especially when it comes to her grandmother’s will. Does Alexa have a legitimate gripe? How does this relationship tug-of-war speed or slow Alexa’s and Brad’s romance? How does her son Samuel fit in? What influence does grandma exert in selecting Brad to be her attorney or grandma’s earlier life advice to Alexa?

7.     Although cooks use recipes to reach the goal of successful creations, many psychologists differ on detailing guaranteed instructions on how to live life. Is Alexa’s chore to find grandma’s recipe clue to the stashed gold coins more than a practical treasure hunt? Is the recipe symbolic? Of what? Are there any symbols in Alexa’s story?

8.     In life, people often muddle along. Are there any lessons the characters in Alexa’s Gold did not learn, but should have?

9.     If we assume Alexa did not want to become a clone of her mother, what aspect of her mother did Alexa object to? Is either materialism or crude language an inherited or cultural influence?

10.  Alexa’s journey is both emotional and physical. Where does it end? Are there any solid clues in what we know from the story to date?

Alexa’s Gold is Donan Berg’s first novel after One Paper Heart, his 2016 winner of Feathered Quill’s Gold Award First Place for Romance. Read a free Alexa’s Gold sample at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713346.

Week of Reading Contrasts

A simple truth: Reading always teaches. What it teaches is a separate inquiry.

This week the pages of two books filled my brain.  Both were book club selections.

The first, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, surpassed the first obstacle of "Oh, here's another book dealing with World War II." Spoiler alert: The hype that this was a "love story" between a French blind girl and a young German Hitler youth doesn't pan out.

The back-and-forth juxtaposition of their two lives transcends. The rich detail of their lives driven home by strong verbs. The horrors of war sketched without becoming all consuming. What is captivating is the inner drives and obstacles of multiple characters brought together by a jewel that strings out the novel's suspense.

The second, Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, mounted page-after-page of disappointment for its tale of Mexican illegals on a "quest" to recruit men who had crossed the border to return to a Mexican village to protect it against banditos. Billed as a comedy, there was an absence of laughs and many attempts to use crude, boorish, and bathroom references to create humor.

The plot was shallow. Clichés abounded. There were stereotypical characters.

Better one read The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande for a better factual and emotional understanding of illegal immigration along the United States southern border.

Clarity, the writing challenge.

Writing clarity is always a challenge. It's one reason authors have editors. With humility, this writer fills both roles with herculean effort to keep them separate.

This posts harvests true-to-life examples taken from works, if not yet published, then designed to be published. In each example, see if your mind hesitates while it grasps for meaning.

I'll refuse to divulge the names of the authors and their titles. This post is for educational purposes, not shaming. If you chuckle, don't tell me.

Let's go:

Number one:  "He walked haltingly into his walker and turned it off and then sunk into his chair by the window."

Response:  Can you tell exactly what he did?  If he could walk, why the need for a walker? What do we miss? Wheelchairs are motorized, walkers generally not.

Number two:   "The master bedroom was larger, with a deck overlooking the beach and had an attached bathroom."

Response:  Wouldn't it be great if the beach had an attached bathroom? Those pesky connectors like the word "and" always send the wrong signal.

Number three: "Caroline glanced around then bent low and whispered a warning."

Response:  Punctuation can help with clarity. Wouldn't it be a faster read if the sentence said: "Caroline glanced around, bent low, and whispered a warning." Generic words always pose a problem. "Around" is one such example. What if, Caroline glanced left and right before she bent low. If she did go in a circle, the word "twirled" adds more clarity than "around."

Number four:  "Though, if I had to shoot through my purse today, I'd be madder than a hornet." She wrinkled her nose and untucked it from the pit of her arm. "It's new."

Response:  Plastic surgery, anyone? Yes, it's a difficult day when one has to untuck their nose from their armpit.  The purse would be easier.

Number five:  "Well what's wrong then?" Jackson asked, then before she had time to answer ran another question to her on its heels. "You haven't been spotted...?"

Response:  As with the previous example, body parts can be cumbersome to reference. Why not identify the other speaker with greater specificity than a pronoun? Place a period after asked. Insert "Judy's mouth gaped without a word spoken. 'You haven't been spotted...'"

Undoubtedly there's more examples in the world of writing. I'm returning to my efforts to craft words imbued with clarity so strong no reader misunderstands or has to detour into a foggy mist of vagary. My fingers are crossed for both you and me.

Donan Berg's latest literary effort is Alexa's Gold, a romance mystery with extra thrills. Click this link for to obtain a free sample of Alexa's Gold e-book , multiple e-readers supported. The trade paperback arrives at major retailers April 25, 2017.

Author Berg's 2016 First Place Gold Award romance, One Paper Heart, remains available at www.smashwords.com/books/view/553245, libraries, and major book retailers.