This is a guest post by Jed Herne, author of the forthcoming novel, The Aeon Academy.



A question arc in your novel can help build suspense:

Suspense: a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, accompanied by apprehension or anxiety.

The desire to know the answers to riddles or mysteries will keep many readers hooked. Let’s look at how a question arc captivates readers in Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.

What are Question Arcs?

When readers have a question and are waiting for the answer, you have a question arc.

Question arcs run from when the question is first raised to when it is fully answered.

One question that propels the plot in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is: What is Draco Malfoy’s mission?

This question arc begins on page 37 (Bloomsbury Children’s Paperback Edition, published 2006) in chapter 2. It concludes 511 pages later on page 548 in chapter 27. Thus, it lasts 85% of the book’s length.

All up, readers are reminded of the question arc 36 times (through internal dialogue, conversation, narrative events, etc.). The below chart shows each reminder’s location in the book:

Page Chapter Notes Total of 36 Reminders of this Question Arc 37 Chapter 2: Spinner's End Question raised for Reader 122 Chapter 6: Draco's Detour Question raised for main characters 123 Chapter 7: The Slug Club 134 Chapter 7: The Slug Club 146 Chapter 7: The Slug Club 221 Chapter 11: Hermoine's Helping Hand 236 Chapter 12: Silver and Opals Cursed Necklace 244 Chapter 13: The Secret Riddle 275 Chapter 14: Felix Felicis 287 Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow 302 Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow Harry overhears Snape and Draco 308 Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas 310 Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas 330 Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory 335 Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory 359 Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises 364 Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises Draco argues with Crabbe and Goyle 379 Chapter 19 :Elf Tails 381 Chapter 19: Elf Tails Hagrid says Snape and Dumbledore have argued 383 Chapter 19: Elf Tails 386 Chapter 19: Elf Tails 391 Chapter 19: Elf Tails 394 Chapter 19: Elf Tails Harry gets elves to follow Malfoy 400 Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request 423 Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room 424 Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room Dobby says Malfoy is using the Room of Requirements 428 Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room 435 Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room 439 Chapter 22: After the Burial 483 Chapter 24: Sectumsempra 487 Chapter 24: Sectumsempra 489 Chapter 24: Sectumsempra Harry and Malfoy duel in bathroom 506 Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard Malfoy succesful in task 513 Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard 515 Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard Harry gets Dumbledore's Army to defend Hogwarts before leaving 548 Chapter 19: The Lightning-Struck Tower Question arc resolved

Notice that these 36 reminders aren’t evenly spaced.

There are barely five in the first third of the novel.

Why? Well, for one, minor plotlines and secondary question arcs propel readers through the first bit of the novel.

Also, reader curiosity and excitement is at a high at the start, especially when they’ve been waiting months for the book.

After the initial burst of excitement, readers want the story to go somewhere. Rowling delivers with a cluster of four reminders around the 20-24% mark.

This affirms the importance of this question arc, suggesting it will form the story’s backbone.

How Rowling used a Question Arc to Avoid a Soggy Middle

Many novels suffer from soggy middles, with plot stagnation a key cause. By cramming a whopping fourteen reminders (38% of the total) between pages 300-400 (only 16% of the book’s length), Rowling makes sure the suspense stays at a high, avoiding reader letdown.

What’s more, four of these reminders are key points – events which twist the plot, morph the question arc and/or raise the suspense.