Suspense

By Author: Jeff Heisler
Total Articles: 8
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Suspense

He had never killed a man before. Looking down at the lifeless body at his feet, Harold wondered if it would be the last time.
Want to know more? Good. That's the point.
So how do you create this suspense? It's easier than you think. Just keep two things in mind when you construct your story- conflict, and question.
Conflict drives all fiction. There's no story without it. Let me show you an example of writing devoid of conflict.
Helen sat comfortably in her easy chair. She had a bowl of warm popcorn in her lap and a soda on the end table. A few yards away her television flickered as she surfed the channels looking for something interesting to watch. She settled on a documentary about the Amazon. She'd always like documentaries.
As the evening passed the popcorn ran out and the soda can emptied- but she didn't mind. She was comfortable.
After a few hours she stood up, stretched, and gathered her popcorn bowl and empty soda can. She set them both in the kitchen sink and slunk off to bed.

So, do you want to read 300 pages of this? I didn't think so. Now watch this.
...
... br />She didn't know he was there.
While the microwave rattled, heating a bag of popcorn, the man moved furtively down the hallway.
Helen waited for the popping to slow. She opened the microwave, and emptied the warm bag of popcorn in a large plastic bowl. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and walked to the living room.
She didn't suspect anything was wrong when she picked up the remote and surfed the dial for something interesting to watch. There were no suspicious rustles or creaks. No shadows moving in the distance. Just her house, empty and neat- just like always.
On the tube a documentary on the Amazon flashed into view. Helen put the remote down and settled deeper in her chair.
Just another Sunday night. Another cozy, uneventful Sunday night.

From Helen's point of view- it's the same scene. From the reader's point of view there's a big difference. The second scene is loaded with conflict. Notice that the conflict doesn't have to be visible to the characters, but it must always be visible to the reader. In the second example, the reader knows that Helen is in danger. As they read, the voice in their mind screams at Helen- There's a man in the house! Look out! The conflict is felt by the reader even if it's not felt by the character. Keeping the reader in the grips of this conflict creates a page-turner.
The second essential element is story question. What does the reader want to know? Why should they read this scene? Why shouldn't they put the book down?
This is crucial so listen closely. From page one to the finish, the reader must never read a single word without a strong question in mind.
Never.
I mean it.
The moment you write something like the first example of Helen's evening- your readers have no reason to continue and they put the book down, sometimes for good. That doesn't mean that there has to be great mystery in each scene. It does mean every scene should be read while a question hangs in the air.
Do you notice how the great suspense authors braid their novels? In one scene we see the hero attacked. The last thing our protagonist sees is the butt of a gun bearing down on him. The scene or chapter ends, and now we're taken somewhere else. We visit the perspective of another character, a character with their own set of problems. The reader is firmly hooked now. They are interested in the events surrounding the second character because it raises more unanswered questions. More than that, they are dying to find out what's happened to our protagonist from the previous scene.
Braiding is a powerful technique for creating suspense. Use it whenever you can.
Those of you writing more literary or character based works may not feel these techniques are relevant, but they are. Every good author in every genre uses suspense in some way shape or fashion.
There's no story without it.
About the Author Jeff Heisler is a freelance writer and novelist. You can see more of his writing tips at www.heislerink.com/writeaway.htm.