Today's Daily Drill #20
Your Mentor
Sam
A bookstore owner who's started thousands of books. He knows in three sentences if he'll finish yours. The question: "Do I want to keep reading?"
Build dread through what the character notices—focus on small, unsettling details that make the reader feel the danger before it arrives.
The sheriff's office was empty except for old Garrett, who hadn't looked up from his desk in five minutes. When he finally did, his hand was already moving toward the drawer where he kept his backup pistol. The sound of spurs—two sets, maybe three—was getting closer down the wooden boardwalk outside.
ominous pause, anticipation