Blog Post for 5/16

           Sometimes, creating a story is like playing with a ball of clay.  When you were younger, clay was colorful and maybe slightly easier to mold.  But now clay is thicker, gray, and needs constant work.  To make a clay pancake you have to push down and apply pressure. Really, pressure being applied is what makes a sculpture a sculpture.  In stories, pressure leads to tension, and tension leads to excitement. The author’s use of pressure in the book, “The Underwriting” is what makes the tale intense.

         For instance, the book is told through multiple perspectives and yet each character has lots at stake.  Todd, the main character really, needs the deal to be a success so he can keep his job. Tara wants the deal to go through because she is empty in terms of joy.  Also, Nick wants the financial aspect to be pristine so he will have more power.  To conclude, the stakes make the reader feel a certain way about the characters.  Pressure helps us empathize them and also it unknowingly tells us who to root for.

         In addition to that, the pressure applied towards the end made the audience more anxious to find out the solution.  For example, the climax was told by every single character to make the reader antsy to solve the puzzle. And the reader was able to infer some details but not all, which made people slightly annoyed.  This technique clearly leads to anxiety, excitement, and more if used correctly.  The evidence provided makes me realize that it was.

         All in all, the tension and suspense can sometimes add to the book more than small details.  More authors should recognize this to add more flair to their work.