Creating suspense is an art form that involves withholding information and asking key questions that arouse readers' curiosity. Character development is essential for generating suspense; if a character's wish is not fulfilled at the end of the book, the reader will not feel that the story is complete. The suspense is holding your breath, waiting for the other shoe to fall. To create suspense, you can use flashbacks, but they have to mean something in the story.
They should be read as vividly and intriguingly as the current narrative, and should not seem like a distraction, but rather an expansion of the plot. If need or desire opposes another character or goes against social norms, you can create suspense without much effort. What makes a conflict matter and creates suspense in the reader's mind is that it is intimately linked to the protagonist's deepest desire and, if the outcome is not in her favor, it will prevent her from achieving that desire. Chekhov weapons are a very effective way for writers to create suspense when writing.
Keeping lies hidden creates internal tension, which in turn can create external conflicts for no apparent reason. Multiple problems and the constant tension between them offer endless opportunities to create suspense. You can create suspense around anything that arouses readers' curiosity, whether it's a love triangle or a murderer on the loose. It's vital to keep the reader asking questions, not knowing which hand you're holding, to create the suspense that keeps her reading to the end.
One of the best applications of short-term suspense is to create ending scenes or episodes that leave the reader desperately in suspense. To make sure your readers care about your protagonist and their conflicts, join a community of more than 1 million authors. Take our 1-minute quiz to find out if you want to read more Agatha Christie books or discover 10 of Christie's greatest mysteries or the best horror books of all time.
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