How to Create Suspense in Fiction
Let the reader see the points of view of both the protagonist and antagonist., Create a truly heroic protagonist that the reader will identify with., Make the protagonist work against a ticking clock., Give the protagonist high stakes., Force the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Let the reader see the points of view of both the protagonist and antagonist.
This narrative mode is known as the third person omniscient.
It will allow the reader to see when the protagonist is making a mistake and about to run into trouble.
The reader will impose his own fears onto the story, helpless to prevent the disaster that's coming.
When the reader knows more than a character in a story, this is called dramatic irony. -
Step 2: Create a truly heroic protagonist that the reader will identify with.
The reader will worry about what might happen to him or her.
Maintaining suspense is easier when the reader cares about the protagonist. , The antagonist, meanwhile, should seem to have all the time in the world to act. , Whatever it is that the protagonist is trying to accomplish in the story, failure means utter devastation to everything the protagonist cares about. , Success has to be nearly impossible, and the pressure enormous.
The protagonist should be almost at the breaking point by the time the final confrontation with the antagonist occurs. , Victory will be easier, for example, if the protagonist allows an innocent person to suffer, but defeat almost certain if he does the right thing. , A good way to add to the protagonist's problems is with a contagonist.
The contagonist gets in the protagonist's way, delaying, deflecting or confusing the protagonist.
The contagonist can be a well-meaning but bumbling ally of the protagonist or allied with the antagonist. , The antagonist must be as intelligent and determined as the protagonist so the reader believes that the protagonist can be defeated. , Make sure that in the final confrontation with the antagonist, the protagonist has to face that fear and overcome it. , Darkness, spiders, snakes, heights, tornadoes, basements and rising water are just a few of the things that frighten most people. , This will make it hard for the reader to put the story down and eager for the next opportunity to pick it up again.
Creating cliffhangers is sometimes as easy as choosing where to put the chapter breaks.
The term cliffhanger comes from old serial dramas.
Before a feature film, short episodic films were shown, and at the end of each the hero was in some peril, sometimes hanging onto the edge of a cliff with one hand.
The audience would return to the theater the next week, as much to see the hero escape death as for the feature film. , You can also injure the protagonist. -
Step 3: Make the protagonist work against a ticking clock.
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Step 4: Give the protagonist high stakes.
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Step 5: Force the protagonist to work against long odds.
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Step 6: Create a dilemma that forces the protagonist to choose between his needs and those of someone else.
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Step 7: Pile on the problems and complications so the protagonist has a lot to deal with besides the upcoming confrontation with the antagonist.
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Step 8: Give your antagonist the ability to defeat the protagonist.
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Step 9: Let the reader know what the protagonist fears most.
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Step 10: Play on universal fears by adding them to the story.
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Step 11: End every chapter on a cliffhanger.
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Step 12: Kill someone close to the protagonist
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Step 13: so the reader realizes that no one
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Step 14: even the protagonist
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Step 15: is invulnerable.
Detailed Guide
This narrative mode is known as the third person omniscient.
It will allow the reader to see when the protagonist is making a mistake and about to run into trouble.
The reader will impose his own fears onto the story, helpless to prevent the disaster that's coming.
When the reader knows more than a character in a story, this is called dramatic irony.
The reader will worry about what might happen to him or her.
Maintaining suspense is easier when the reader cares about the protagonist. , The antagonist, meanwhile, should seem to have all the time in the world to act. , Whatever it is that the protagonist is trying to accomplish in the story, failure means utter devastation to everything the protagonist cares about. , Success has to be nearly impossible, and the pressure enormous.
The protagonist should be almost at the breaking point by the time the final confrontation with the antagonist occurs. , Victory will be easier, for example, if the protagonist allows an innocent person to suffer, but defeat almost certain if he does the right thing. , A good way to add to the protagonist's problems is with a contagonist.
The contagonist gets in the protagonist's way, delaying, deflecting or confusing the protagonist.
The contagonist can be a well-meaning but bumbling ally of the protagonist or allied with the antagonist. , The antagonist must be as intelligent and determined as the protagonist so the reader believes that the protagonist can be defeated. , Make sure that in the final confrontation with the antagonist, the protagonist has to face that fear and overcome it. , Darkness, spiders, snakes, heights, tornadoes, basements and rising water are just a few of the things that frighten most people. , This will make it hard for the reader to put the story down and eager for the next opportunity to pick it up again.
Creating cliffhangers is sometimes as easy as choosing where to put the chapter breaks.
The term cliffhanger comes from old serial dramas.
Before a feature film, short episodic films were shown, and at the end of each the hero was in some peril, sometimes hanging onto the edge of a cliff with one hand.
The audience would return to the theater the next week, as much to see the hero escape death as for the feature film. , You can also injure the protagonist.
About the Author
George Jenkins
Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.
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