Write Like A Pro

Tension

Tension is the anticipation for what will happen next. Every story needs tension even if it is not a horror or thriller.

Creating Tension:

*Let your hero struggle through obstacles and lose battles. This can be actual war battles or just that the protagonist may not achieve a small goal or struggles to achieve a large goal.

* Make things not easy for your protagonist. If goals are too easy to achieve then it becomes almost predictable that your protagonist will achieve them. A predictable book as we all know is not one that engages readers.

*Don't let all your characters get a long all the time. As that does not reflect real life, does not create tension and will inevitably bore the reader.

*Let your characters, dislike, fight, distrust, hate and distreat one another. However, do change their emotions slightly as again boring characters aren't interesting to read about. However, if the characters seriously hate each other throughout and show no signs of even standing being with each other or even tolerating one another, then don't have an ending where they hate each other throughout the book and are now living happily ever after. As it makes no sense to the reader unless you leave subtle clues that they like each other, throughout your book.

*Don't resolve all of your conflicts too early in the novel as it leaves no tension for the rest of the book. However, do not drag out solving conflicts unless you have enough sub plots or interesting things going on each chapter that are an add on to the main plot about solving the conflict.

*Introduce a new conflict as another is solved. This will engage the reader and helps to create more tension buildup that will lead to the ending.

Creating Conflict:

Do you want your plot to flat line? No you don't. Therefore, you need conflict in your plot. This can be small conflicts or major conflicts that act as a plot twist.

For a good conflict your protagonist should face conflict from many sources. This creates a sense as if they are almost alone in their struggle and helps the reader to connect and emphasise with the protagonist.

The main conflict should come from the antagonist but can involve other sources of conflict.

Make conflicts specific. Don't start a conflict just because two characters hate each other. Give a reason, such as they killed someone one of them loves or one bullied the other in fifth grade and now the other wants revenge.

Make the conflict personal to the protagonist. For instance if a man killed another man in a war and the protagonist decides to take revenge for this man, then give a reason such as the protagonist takes revenge because his grandfather was killed by this man or in a similar incident.

Make the conflict mean something to the protagonist. This makes it personal and gives emotion. If there is emotion then the reader is able to emphasise with the character and the protagonist's quest will then mean something to the reader.

Make your conflict believable. To make your conflict believable make sure it fits in with your plot, your genre, and your characters. This will make it realistic.

Add time pressure as this draws the reader in because it creates more tension and makes the impossible seem impossible, which will help create a rapport between your characters and the reader.

Top Tip for Creating Tension:

*Don't let characters have what they want and never let them have their main goal easily.

*Think about how you can make your character's situation worse. However, make it realistic and believable.

*Build flawed and conflict into your novel.

*Create conflict between your characters.

*Increase the consequences of failure for your characters. This creates more emotion and personalises the conflict.

*Give your protagonist two motives, one that must be sacrificed for the other.

*Murphy's Law: Anything that could go wrong will go wrong.

*Your character's flawed should be a barrier to their motive, but may be one that they can overcome.

*Put drawbacks on all things that can help them reach their motive such as scientific concoctions or magic. For instance a broom that allows them to fly, but you can only fly at night. These drawbacks should affect your character negatively.

*Let some decisions your character makes be the direct cause of course, even if they were trying to follow a particular decision because they thought it would be beneficial.

*When faced with multiple choices each choice should have positive and negative consequences.

*Nobody is perfect in reality, therefore neither should your characters be. Let your characters be wrong one in a while.