I got as far as chapter 10 of this, but didn't finish. (This old review freshly stolen from myself circa 2000, because I just remembered how much I disliked it.) Still, these are not terribly insightful and most could come up with these ideas on their own by reading a few action and suspense novels - plus they'd get to read the novels, rather than an annoying book which seems to be written by one of those guys who thinks that if you repeat something often enough and with enough ITALICS, it might actually work. In the later chapters, the book improves somewhat, giving more examples of methods to create suspense and action. The examples Noble gives are also not very enlightening, as the "bad" ones are so horribly contrived that you have to be TRYING to sound awful to think of them, and the "good" ones aren't that enthralling either. I completely disagree with this approach, because such prose seems forced and jarring. You need to employ words that NO ONE EVER USES in order to seem original. Basically, Noble keeps writing that, to create suspense, you need to EMPHASIZE things. The first couple of chapters were very annoying. This is the first book I've read from the "Elements of Fiction Writing" series, and I can't say I'm very impressed. He has taught and lectured about writing at the Breadloaf Writer's Conference and others. William Noble is the author of several writing books, short fiction and nonfiction pieces. Then use them, and your story will plunge your readers into a river of worry…and the current will carry them to The End. There are all sorts of ways to create tension in your prose-from using adjectives and nouns that drip with imagery to making quick scene cuts and transitions to accelerating the pace.
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