Tension & Suspense

1. Ticking time clock
2. Kill off a mirror character to show danger
3. Make a personal threat
4. Take away something important (A person, information, skill, or a tool)
5. Add a character with a conflicting goal
6. Add a positive for not completing the goal
7. Close options
8. Exploit the unknown (Things that you as the author knows, but the reader and character doesn’t)
9. Make the situation worse than previously thought
10. Throw in a stunning surprise
11. Use indirect or confrontational dialogue
12. Use short, punchy sentences
13. Keep the problems coming - but beware of “one thing after another syndrome”. Make sure it always makes things worse and more complicated.

What Causes Thrills? (Keys to Suspense)

ATTEMPTED ACTION WITH BIG STAKES and UNCERTAIN RESULTS

• Being somewhere you’re not supposed to be and almost getting caught.
• Having your home invaded and had things moved around
• Stealing and getting away with it
• Betting big and winning
• In the presence of mortal danger and surviving
• Catching someone in the act who’s dangerous
• Spying on someone who’s dangerous
• Talking about someone dangerous, mythical or powerful
• Dangerous person escapes
• Dangerous person gets caught and acts fine (mastermind)
• Being mistaken for someone else and you have to run now
• Cat & Mouse chases
• Not knowing what’s been done to you (surgery, ritual, magic)
• Not knowing who’s on your side, who’s betrayed you, who’s a plant
• Whistleblowing – leading up to and the actual moment
• Finding out you’re involved with much bigger forces than expected
• Finding out you’re involved with something much more fucked up/disturbing
• Having your lie called out
• Having secrets revealed
• Almost getting betrayed and than betrayed
• Waiting for something, looking to act on it, but distracted by everyday life - mindless conversation.
• People milling about on everyday activity when audience knows something bad is coming (dread)