《How to Write Stories People Will Love》6. Add Tension
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For a reader, tension results in a page-turning state of mind. It's wondering whether the main character will overcome the obstacle in that chapter to get to what she wants. When there is no obstacle, you risk a boring chapter. Let's talk about two scenarios I see most often where tension is lacking...
A common problem for new writers is things coming too easily for a character. Maybe she gets new powers, and instantly she's slinging fireballs or flying loops in the sky. Boring. My favorite part of any super-hero story is when they first acquire the abilities. I like seeing the emotional struggle to accept that this happened to them. I like seeing them fumble and break things. When something drastic happens to you, you don't blink and go, "Cool, I'm awesome now." Your mind reels. Reality is off-kilter. It takes a while to stop saying, "WTF is going on??" In fact, it takes more than just one chapter. You have to milk it, draw it out.
Let's say your main character wants to come out to her parents. "Mom, Dad, I'm gay." It's a big deal. She's appropriately apprehensive. You've got all this great tension going before the big moment. And then... "Why honey, we're so glad you told us. We support you no matter what." Wah-waahh, totally anti-climactic. All that great tension you built earlier fizzles and evaporates like water on a lava flow.
made a great point by commenting, "As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I personally like when they psych themselves out and then their parents support them, as long as the parents are those types of characters." I agree completely. It's also realistic for a kid to work themselves up into a lather, and it ends up going well! If the parents are the accepting kind, then it makes complete sense for them to be nice about the whole thing. In this case, it may feel like a relief for the reader rather than a fizzle. To work this angle, you have to build up the apprehension beforehand. Make her psych herself out.
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In most other cases though, acceptance doesn't come easy. People need time to process big news, and they do so in different ways. Some retreat into stony silence. Others throw huge tantrums. Still others attempt to reason their way out of it. Denial is natural, and most people will go through it before they can reach acceptance.
A best-selling author once revealed that, during her revision process, she'll go through each chapter and rate each one on a tension scale of 1-10. If any chapter fell below a 3, she would find a way to add tension. Also, she would make sure the biggest dramatic scenes were 9 or 10. Not every scene needs to be 9 or 10. In fact, they shouldn't. Tension should ebb and flow. This makes the highs higher, the climax more dramatic.
Trying to figure out what to add to increase tension doesn't have to be hard. If you have a slow scene, things are going right for the main character. Time to throw in a monkey wrench. Think, "What would really suck for her right now?" or "What's the worst thing that could happen right about now?" Throw that in and have her deal with it, and you've got instant tension.
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Shen Yin Wang Zuo
While the demons were rising, mankind was about to become extinct. Six temples rose and protected the last of mankind. A young boy joins the temple as a knight to help his mother. During his journey of wonders and mischief in the world of temples and demons, will he be able to ascend to become the strongest knight and inherit the throne?
8 347Inheritors of Eschaton
The tear in reality led to a new world, one that promised fortune, prestige and a deeper understanding of the universe. Those that entered found only death. Four survivors are stranded in a strange and hostile world, at the mercy of forces they cannot understand. Their only path forward is to travel among the ashes of a broken and dying land searching for a way to survive, to endure - and to make their way back home. Cover art by Harry Rowland.
8 92Mind your Manors, please.
In a land of crimson and darkness, a lone door stood in a valley of fiery petals. Within was a golden mansion, home to the Count and his seven guests. When a lone child wandered into a manor of ruin and ancient evil, what horrors awaited the poor and innocent soul? Nemo didn’t know the answer to that question, but she sure as heck wanted to find out. A new world meant adventure, and adventure meant discovery, and discovery meant fun! Well, that was supposed to be the plan, but the Count was too busy trying to fix the manor to go with her. So she would help him, that was what friends were for, right? This ultimate housemaid would stop at nothing until the job was done. It didn’t matter if the manor lay ruined for many years, it didn’t matter if all the guests could bring about the end of the world, it doubly didn’t matter that Nemo was a low-level scrub, whatever that meant. She would level up, get better at fixing things, and nothing would stop her from having the Count take her on an adventure! Now, where did the last giant floating eyeball go? next arc release date: indefinite hiatus Disclaimer: the current cover is a place-holder stock photo taken from Stockfresh. If the rights holder wishes for the cover to be taken down, please contact me and I will gladly do so.
8 103Demon Saga: Phoenix Dancer
If you like my work, donations are greatly appreciated! The Phoenix Dancer follows the story of Corrin, a young girl from the Asla'ati demon hunters tribe, who serves a monstrous Phoenix-God. Corrin's adventures will lead her far from home as she seeks to restore a long lost magic that may be key to saving the realms from the tyrannical Immortal Beings who rule over them.
8 112Aro's daughter: Isabella swan
Isabella swan was left heartbroken by edward cullen. Broken and then raped by Laurent she is rescued by her father Aro volturi. And mate Cauis volturi.
8 188The Traitor's Heir
Quara and Lina are two sisters who have spent their entire lives in the safety of an underground world. The world above ground is too dangerous for all but the bravest of scouts and warriors, and even they venture out only to protect the underground fortress. But when Lina's forbidden underground explorations leave both girls trapped, they stumble upon an unlikely friend who aids in their escape, and they embark on a journey in the above ground world that will challenge their lives forever.|Highest Rank- #1 in Action (5/9/19)|
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