7: Writing Tension and Suspense

Bending the Stick

Imagine you are attempting to break a large stick. It’s relatively thick, but as you apply pressure on each side, it eventually begins to bend. Your muscles begin to strain as the stick is no longer straight. While you have managed to curve the stick using considerable effort, you cannot bend it enough to your will. You place the stick on the center of your knee, and with a newfound effort, the stick bends even more. Soon, you hear the slight cracking of bark and fibers as your wrists turn tomato red. Breathing heavily, you don’t know how much longer you can squeeze this piece of wood. By now, your muscles are vibrating in agony, but you will not relent. With hidden strength, you grunt and press with all of your might. The stick shatters, with bits of wood flying in the air. Your hands managed to strike themselves in the process. Exhausted, you stare triumphantly at your two prizes.

The previous paragraph is an example of tension and suspense in action. While both terms are similar, and it is understandable to confuse the two, they have slight differences. In a metaphorical sense, tension is the bending of the stick and suspense is the unanswered question of whether that stick will break or not.

Think of tension and suspense like bending a stick and being unsure if it will break.

Understanding Tension

In order to “bend” that stick, it requires a ton of force from both the left and right hand. Those two forces are the essence of tension.

To continue with this analogy, imagine that the left and right hand are actually two people in a heated exchange. Both people are metaphorically pushing on that stick—causing an immense amount of stress:

The exchange between Elijah and Oliver is heated. There is a clear history between them and it must not have been pleasant. Elijah wants to exact revenge on Oliver for something he did, but Oliver is undeterred. Both men are exerting force, but in two different ways. Elijah is threatening and demands action. Meanwhile, Oliver has practically baited Elijah to follow through with his threats. These opposing forces are what tension is all about. The audience, much like Bella, is watching this unfold and is experiencing the byproduct of tension: anxiety and stress.

It’s very odd to deliberately want to make the audience stressed and anxious—especially since we would want to avoid doing that to someone in real life. However, stress and anxiety, in small, controlled situations can be an enjoyable experience for the audience. Stress and anxiety can heighten our senses and give an adrenaline rush—which can feel invigorating. This is especially true in fictitious situations, much like storytelling, where the audience is never in danger. The audience can feel these emotions, but they also have the reassurance that they are not going to be impacted by the effects. In Bella’s case, she is not enjoying her rush of stress and anxiety. She could potentially be hurt in the exchange between these two men. Fortunately, as the audience, we are safely watching from a distance.

For a scene to be tense, it must have two opposing forces. If one side is not opposing, then the scene will become far less tense. For example, let’s alter the scene a bit:

This scene did not change Elijah’s opening, but the reactions from Bella and Oliver were altered. Because Bella and Oliver do not take Elijah’s threat seriously, nor do they do anything to counter his threats, the tension has completely evaporated. This isn’t to say that this alternate version is of lesser quality, it simply lacks tension. Instead, it feels eerie and awkward, as though Oliver and Bella are leading Elijah into a trap. Regardless, it lacks a feeling of stress and anxiety from the audience.

The stick cannot bend if only one side is bearing down on it. For tension to be felt, it is important that two forces are applying pressure.

Understanding Suspense

When applying force on the stick, it’s unknown at what point that stick is going to break—or even if the stick will break at all. That uncertainty is the essence of suspense:

Tension and suspense work together in creating anxiety and stress. The stick cannot break if there is no tension applied to it. At the same time, if the stick is clearly never going to break, then why apply tension in the first place? In the previous section, Elijah’s and Oliver’s anger toward each other has created a decent amount of tension. The audience is wondering: is Elijah actually going to attack Oliver? That questioning is what generates suspense. On top of the intensity that tension brings, there is an additional layer of uncertainty suspense can bring. In a boxing match, the tension is obvious: two fighters attacking one another. However, the suspense in the boxing match is not knowing who is going to win the match.

Suspense is challenging to pull off in storytelling. If the audience already knows the outcome of the event, then the feeling of suspense completely evaporates. If one professional boxer challenges a complete amateur, it probably won’t be that suspenseful, as the professional boxer has a clear advantage. However, two boxers, with the same level of skill, will result in more suspense because it would be unclear who would actually win the bout. Uncertainty typically breeds suspense.

At this point, I’ve discussed tension and suspense in terms of violence and confrontation. While this is the easiest way to explain tension and suspense, these elements can be represented through other opposing forces.

Take for example this scene with Luna:

In this example, while there was no violent confrontation, there were two opposing forces. One force was Luna, who was curious about the door. The other force was the door itself. Like a game of tug-o-war, Luna is trying to pull herself away and the door is enticing her in. The tension is that metaphorical tug-o-war between Luna and the mysterious door. The suspense is the uncertainty: what is making that noise? Is there someone or something behind it? The audience is captivated and wants to know the truth. Once the truth is revealed, the suspense is lifted, the tension released, and the audience can relax.

Slow, Gradual Steps

Suspense needs to be slowly teased out of a scene. That feeling of stress and anxiety the audience experiences can’t be rushed, or else they won’t fully experience the emotion. The emotion of uncertainty needs to stay in the audience’s mind for a certain amount of time. Therefore, when developing suspense, it is a balance of applying the right amount of tension—enough, but not too much.

For example, if we were to develop a romantic tension between Emily and Alex—teasing the audience whether they will kiss or not—it’s not very suspenseful if we write it like this:

The scene starts out strong with some tension between Emily and Alex. Both are very shy and are unsure of how to go about kissing one another. However, the last sentence shatters the suspense as they immediately kiss. It’s not very captivating, and it would be a much more suspenseful and interesting scene if we draw out the uncertainty a bit more:

Here, the moment is drawn out. Not only does this enhance the suspense, but it also allows the reader to take in the character and the moment a bit more.

Depending on the story, drawing out suspense could take a paragraph, a chapter, or even a whole section. There’s no exact formula to determine how much tension should happen in a scene nor when the suspense should be released. The only way to determine what would be the appropriate amount of tension and suspense is to experiment with these elements in a scene and calibrate their levels like a machine.

Just remember to write like you are bending a stick: too little tension won’t bend the stick and too much tension will break it instantly.

Check In: Which Images Have Tension or Suspense?