Danger

A novel's Point of View characters must be in danger of losing something or someone important to them. The threat of physical death is always good, but other losses can be equally effective: Will Scarlett O’Hara save her home? Will Elizabeth Bennett find true love? Will Stacie Cox (from my novel, Missing) rescue the kidnapped child? 

Twists

I subscribe to the Writer's Digest Newsletter. Last April I came across this great interview with suspense writer Harlan Coban. It's titled "Twist Ending Tips From Harlan Coban." In it, he talks about twists, but he also reveals a bit about his suspense-writing process, which, I might add, gives us a bit of insight into the secrets of suspense. You really ought to check this one out.

More on Character-Building Suspense

I admit, I never considered the following advice as a suspense secret, but I do now. And even better, it applies to EVERY genre even more than basic "suspense" techniques do, for the crime author's tip is based on character building.

I really encourage you to read the entire article, "How to write fiction: Mark Billingham on Creating Suspense," but here's a bit to wet your appetite:
"I am often asked at events and creative writing workshops how you go about creating suspense. There was a period when, in answer to this question, I would talk about the tricks of the trade: the cliffhanger, the twist and the "reveal". Such things are still important, but I have come to realise that the answer actually lies in something far more basic, something that should be central to the writing of any piece of fiction: the creation of character.


"The techniques mentioned above are, of course, all vital pieces of the mystery writer's armory and, as such, are components of the genre that readers of crime novels have come to expect."


But . . .


". . . above all, give your readers characters they genuinely care about, that have the power to move them, and you will have suspense from page one."  

Suspense in Character Development

Here's a very intriguing secret  from E. McDannak at Irunian Chronicles: use character development to create suspense. I think this idea is wonderful because I can't think of a better place to hide a few "bread crumbs" than inside our characters themselves. The full article is well worth reading , but before you head over there, check out this very telling snippet:


"Now then, onto perspective. Perspective (POV) is really important when building suspense in your novels. I know he's not the only one to do it, but Sanderson is one of my favorite examples of this. He builds up something to be BIG (i.e. the army in the first book led by Kelsier), and then knocks it down HARD. He does what people DON'T want to have happen. Brilliant. It builds suspense because it makes you roll your eyes and mutter, "Why did they *do* that? It's so bad!" Notice how I said "bad," not "stupid." When a character who is supposed to be smart does something insanely stupid, it can be unbelievable. But if you build inherent flaws into your character, then slip-ups help to build suspense."

I actually incorporated this technique in my third novel. It's a historical romantic suspense that hasn't been published yet--still a work-in-progress--but when it finally is published, you'll have to tell me if my attempt was effective or not.