I'VE GOT A SECRET

Don’t we all love a secret?

That was the basis of a TV show of the same name, an offshoot of What’s My Line? A panel—Bill Cullen, Henry Morgan, Bess Myerson and Betsy Palmer—tried to ferret out the secret a guest whispered to host Garry Moore , later Steve Allen, later still Bill Cullen. The secret was revealed on the screen for viewers at home.

From the long run of the show, I’d say people love to be in on a secret. And were hooked to see how the panel will get to the truth.

Keeping secrets is part of being human. Until we trust someone, we tend to keep things to ourselves. Especially those things that'll make us look bad or bring pain to others. Readers of our books, being human, too, will understand a character’s need to keep a secret and sympathize. Or so we hope. I’ve used secrets in all three of my sold books. In The Substitute Bride, February 2010, the hero and heroine are both hiding something that carries a wallop.

The main purposes for adding secrets to our stories:

· To increase the twists and turns.
· To raise the stakes.
· To keep readers turning pages.

Bottom line: secrets cause trouble—exactly why I include them in my books.

TWO TYPES OF SECRETS

Secrets based on the past. Secrets or secret feelings based on a character’s back story create internal conflict between characters. In Julie’s A Passion Denied, John Brady keeps a secret of something that occurred in his past that prevents him from loving Lizzie. In Courting Miss Adelaide, Charles’s secret damages his relationship with Adelaide, with others and with God. Secrets keep characters from emotional intimacy. Love cannot bloom in the soil of distrust and self-reproach. There are ramifications when the hero and heroine keep secrets or are unable to face them that create trouble.

Secrets based on the present. These secrets provide external conflict for characters. In Courting the Doctor’s Daughter, Luke Jacobs hides his true relationship with Mary’s son. Mary suspects Luke’s hiding something, but over time, she begins to trust him. Luke’s guilt and worry about Mary’s reaction if she learns the truth are a huge external conflict that force him to keep emotional distance from Mary and impacts everyone in the book.

TWO WAYS TO USE SECRETS

Let the reader in on the secret. Most of us are disturbed when we see a friend whispers to another friend in front of us. We want to know what’s they’re talking about. What we’re missing out on. Or worse, are our friends talking about us? It’s fun in our books to let the reader in on the secret while keeping the main character/s in the dark. Hopefully the reader holds her breath, wondering what will happen when the heroine learns the truth. Keeping a character in the dark can be a useful plot device. An example of this is a scene from Gone With the Wind when the women sit stitching in Melanie’s parlor one evening aware their men are risking their lives to take revenge for the attack on Scarlet, yet trying to look as if all is normal. To add to the tension in what is a marvelous, suspenseful scene, Margaret Mitchell leaves Scarlet in the dark and fuming about her husband’s indifference to her safety.

Keep the reader in the dark. Keeping the reader in the dark will increase the suspense. This ploy is used all the time by suspense writers. The author can tease the reader. In Courting Miss Adelaide, I hint that Charles carries a secret, but don’t reveal what it is until the black moment.

Or the secret can come as a huge surprise. Though the reader should be able to look back and see that the secret explains a lot. In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester keeps a humdinger of a secret. Just as Jane and Mr. Rochester are about to marry, Jane learns the horrible truth that her groom has a wife.

When a character keeps other characters in the dark, they’re upping the conflict.

Waiting for the fireworks is part of the fun, but make sure the secret carries a wallop—is life altering—or the reader might toss the book across the room.


WAYS TO UP THE STAKES WITH SECRETS.

Tie the secret to the book’s premise or theme.

In Courting Miss Adelaide, Charles’ secret is closely tied to Biblical command to forgive. He believes what he’s done is unforgivable, and if the truth comes out, it will tear his relationship with Adelaide apart. So he clings to his bitterness…and his secret. Until he’s able to face his past, forgive and reveal his secret, he can’t reach the point of forgiving himself and those who have hurt him. Only then can he move on with his life.

In Courting the Doctor’s Daughter, Luke’s secret keeps him from accepting God’s purpose for his life. But to reveal his secret, he must trust others. In the past, people have let him down so he can’t trust. Lying by omission backs him into a corner that destroys the very trust he needs.

Tie the secret to universal concerns everyone can relate to:

Secret baby, betrayal, sacrifice, bad decision stories tug at our heart strings, especially for the characters who are deceived, but also for those keeping the secret. The stakes have to be high enough that readers will put themselves in the character’s shoes and understand why the character is afraid to reveal his secret.

Tie the secret to something most people CANNOT relate to:

Most of us are appalled by certain behaviors. Those behaviors might range from cannibalism or incest to abuse or neglect. It might be better if the shocking secret belongs to the villain. Or the hero or heroine was the victim of the behavior.

The secret must make the happy ending look in doubt.

After the wedding scene in Jane Eyre, I doubted Jane and Mr. Rochester would get their happy ending. It was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

I don’t want to leave the impression that all stories should have characters hiding something. The book I’m working on now doesn’t contain a single secret. At least, so far.

Do you use secrets when you're writing your books? If so, would you care to share how you use them and the impact they have?

I brought coffee, tea and apple fritters this morning. Nothing homemade. All my recipes are secret recipes. ;-)