{"id":1801,"date":"2016-02-02T12:20:05","date_gmt":"2016-02-02T06:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writing-geeks.com\/?p=1801"},"modified":"2016-02-02T12:20:05","modified_gmt":"2016-02-02T06:50:05","slug":"ways-to-increase-your-storys-tension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/ways-to-increase-your-storys-tension\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways To Increase Your Story’s Tension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ways To Increase Your Story’s Tension<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ways To Increase Your Story’s Tension<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tension is a beautiful thing in fiction. It\u2019s so subtle that readers (and often writers!) don\u2019t realize its presence on the page, but trust me, it\u2019s pull is powerful. It\u2019s the stuff of page-turners, what keeps readers on the edge of their seats and up until 2am. It\u2019s one of the greatest tools you can wield as a writer.<\/p>\n

What is Tension?<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

\"ways<\/a><\/p>\n

Tension is the anticipation of what will happen next in a story. It\u2019s driven by the reader\u2019s concern for the characters and\/or their curiosity to know the outcome of a conflict. \u201cConflict\u201d is the clash between two opposing sides. Conflict is the foundation of your story, and tension comes from conflict.<\/p>\n

For example, in Suzanne Collin\u2019s The Hunger Games,<\/em> the conflict is Katniss taking Prim\u2019s place to fight in the games. She doesn\u2019t want to fight, but the rules of her society leave her with no choice. The tension comes from the reader\u2019s anticipation<\/em> of whether or not she will survive the games.<\/p>\n

Why is Tension Important to Story?<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Tension is that \u201csecret ingredient\u201d that keeps readers turning pages. And that\u2019s exactly what you want\u2013for your reader to finish your book (and buy the next one!). A story without tension is lifeless. It drags and bores readers and is in danger of being set aside.<\/p>\n

\"ways<\/a><\/p>\n

A lot of readers fear people reading their story, but you know what\u2019s worse, what you should really<\/em> be afraid of? Writing a story that doesn\u2019t get read. But I\u2019m going to help you avoid that dreaded scenario. Let\u2019s dig into some strategies for creating tension that will help carry your readers from page one all the way to The End.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Tell Your Characters \u201cNo\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n

Don\u2019t give your characters what they want. It may seem mean, but as an author you have to be mean to your characters. It\u2019s tempting to treat them nice and grant them their every desire like a spoiled child, but if you give in you\u2019ll end up with a dull story.<\/p>\n

Does your hero want the girl? To study at a prestigious college? To avenge his friend\u2019s murder?\u00a0 To buy his own boat so he can sail the world? Find out what your hero wants, what his goal is, and then do everything in your power to keep him from getting it!<\/p>\n

2. \u201cWhat\u2019s the Worst Thing That Could Happen?\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n

If you haven\u2019t already begun to figure it out from the above, as an author, your job is to make your characters\u2019 lives miserable. Whatever situation you put them in, ask yourself what you can do to make it worse.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say Tom is on his way to his first date with the cute girl he just asked out. But on the way there his car gets a flat. He tries to call for help, but he realizes he forgot his phone at home. He starts to walk, but then it begins to rain and his new suit gets soaked. He flags down a passing car and the driver offers him a lift. But not long after, flashing blue lights appear behind them and the driver leads the police on a high-speed chase. Turns out the driver is a criminal, and when the cops catch up Tom is arrested by association. Needless to say, Tom is having a very bad day.<\/p>\n

Getting the idea? This won\u2019t be much fun for your character, but it\u2019s fun for your reader! No one wants to read about how Tom went on a date and everything went fantastic. Yawn<\/em>. Keep asking: How can I get my hero into trouble? How can I make this problem worse? How can I keep him from getting what he wants?<\/p>\n

3. Create Flawed Worlds<\/span><\/h6>\n

Building flaws into your story\u2019s world is a great way to create conflict and tension. The world in which we live isn\u2019t perfect, and this should be reflected in your story.<\/p>\n

For example, in The Hunger Games<\/em> the whole idea of a televised fight to the death between teens is twisted and wrong. In the Mortal Instruments<\/em> series, Cassandra Clare creates tension by making the Shadowhunters and Downworlders at odds with one another. In Marissa Meyer\u2019s Lunar Chronicles,<\/em> cyborgs are outcasts and viewed as less than human in their society.<\/p>\n

Know the issues of your story\u2019s world. Not only does this give your world more depth and make it feel more realistic, but it presents you with more opportunities for conflict, which you can use to your advantage to create tension.<\/p>\n

4. Agree to Disagree<\/span><\/h6>\n

You know what can make a story boring fast? When all of the characters are getting along. Everyone likes one another, and no one argues or disagrees. This is a danger-zone for your story!<\/p>\n

You must throw an apple of discord among your characters.<\/p>\n

Yes, in real life we want to avoid conflict and we want everyone to like us. But this makes for boring fiction. Characters are always more interesting when they\u2019re not getting along. Let your characters dislike each other. Let them argue about how to solve the problem at hand. Let them disagree and have different opinions. Your reader will thank you for it!<\/p>\n

5. Raise the Stakes<\/span><\/h6>\n

One of the best ways to increase the tension in your story is to raise the stakes. \u201cStakes\u201d are the reward or consequence of your hero achieving or failing his goal.<\/p>\n

For example, in The Hunger Games,<\/em> the stakes for Katniss winning or losing the games is her life. Later in the book, the stakes are raised when it\u2019s announced the Game Makers will allow two winners. Katniss\u2019 reward for success has been increased because she now has the chance to save Peeta. She now has more to lose than just her own life.<\/p>\n

Another example is in Cassandra Clare\u2019s City of Bones.<\/em> The villain, Valentine captured Clary\u2019s mother in the beginning of the book, and towards the climax he also captures Clary\u2019s love interest, Jace. The stakes are raised because if Clary can\u2019t find Valentine not only will she lose her mother, but she\u2019ll also lose the boy she\u2019s beginning to fall in love with.<\/p>\n

When you raise the stakes of your story, you instantly increase the reader\u2019s anticipation of finding out what will happen next.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are many other ways to create tension in your story than the few listed above. Be on the lookout for ways to create tension at every turn in your story! Put these techniques into practice and you\u2019ll be well on your way to creating a thrilling ride for your reader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ways To Increase Your Story’s Tension Ways To Increase Your Story’s Tension Tension is a beautiful thing in fiction. It\u2019s so subtle that readers (and often writers!) don\u2019t realize its presence on the page, but trust me, it\u2019s pull is powerful. It\u2019s the stuff of page-turners, what keeps readers on the edge of their seats […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,38],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"category-writing-tips"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tension-min.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Writing Geeks","author_link":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/author\/writinggeeks\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/tension-min.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6uhmH-t3","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1805,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1801\/revisions\/1805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writinggeeks.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}