watching.

Suspense is all about making promises to your reader.

You're telling your reader, I know something you don't know,

but I promise I'll tell you if you keep going.

Writing a novel is about a process.

It is not all about inspiration and craft.

This class provides practical tools,

a roadmap to turn your idea into a story.

Take the pressure off yourself.

Every single idea has been done over and over.

You don't need a big idea.

You need big how's.

How do you create tension?

How do you build character?

What's the moral gray area that we're going to be writing in?

There are elements that must be in a good story--

the contract, the clock, and the crucible.

If you're not sure what to write,

write the wrong thing a few times

and let that be the process by which you find the right thing.

Put a secret in a character's back story.

Write your villain first because your villain is the one who's

going to define your hero.

There were some dark times when I wasn't actually sure

I could accomplish this.

There will be days you just don't know if you can do it.

And on those days, what is going to save you is your process.

You do not need to have total mastery of your subject matter

to start a novel, only to finish it.

Write until you're ready to show the world what you've done.

I'm Dan Brown, and this is my MasterClass.