The Five Elements of Suspense

Okay – so by now we've established the definitions of tension, suspense, and shock, and we've come to the agreement that at least some readers enjoy at least some of those elements most of the time. Now it's time to delve into the nitty gritty. How do you create suspense in your story? What do you do to get people excited, thrilled, gripped, etc.?

There are five basic elements or techniques that work together to create an atmosphere of suspense:

1. Stakes.

In order to get invested in a story, it helps for the story to matter in some way. This is not strictly necessary – people will, after all, sometimes get invested in something purely to satisfy their curiosity – but it sure does help if there's some idea of what might happen if a character succeeds or fails. Think of it this way. If you're looking at that tightly wound spring and know that, when it snaps, it will cause an explosion that will destroy the room...you're a lot more anxious about the tension, right?

2. Uncertainty.

If you know exactly how something will play out, you're not likely to be invested in the outcome. This is a big part of what catches your attention and incites curiosity. There has to be some sort of mystery, some uncertainty over what will happen next or what's really going on, in order to tickle that curiosity and keep you invested.

3. Secrets.

Hand-in-hand with uncertainty is hidden information. You can't be curious about something if you know the answer. Concealing information from characters and/or the reader is a vital part of maintaining suspense. To do it satisfyingly, you'll have to play fair with how information is concealed, otherwise your reader will feel frustrated by your game of keep-away.

4. Delayed Gratification.

Suspense needs time to build. You have to wind up the spring to load it with tension. You can't set things up and pay them off immediately. You need to introduce them and then tease the audience with the promise of a future pay-off. It's like Christmas morning. Sure, being handed a gift is fun, but isn't it more fun to see it wrapped up under the tree and speculate about what's inside and give it a little shake and try to guess what it could be?

5. Hints.

A really invested audience is one who feels they have personal stake in the events unfolding. Introducing some interactive elements gives the audience a sense of ownership or involvement. Allowing them an opportunity to solve the mystery or even a sense that they could do something to change the events unfolding will help to ramp up tension. In practice, this means laying out hints and red herrings so they have the opportunity piece the story together before the character does. It may also mean showing the audience alternative options, and giving the audience information the characters don't have, so the audience can feel that sense of frustration when the character goes through the wrong door, you idiot!

If you look at any suspenseful work of fiction – and many other types of narrative besides, come to that – you'll find some if not all five of these elements working together to create an air of mystery. If your story is falling flat or feeling boring, the odds are good that you need to pay more attention to one of these vital ingredients.

This tip appears in my suspense writing guide, available on Gumroad.

Writing Tip of the Day: Building Suspense!

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