Thread by @Joannechocolat

Today#s #TenTweets, by request, are on the subject of SUSPENSE. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutSuspense

https://twitter.com/blogward/status/1025418066388234241

1. Suspense is basically the art of keeping the reader turning the page through the correct management of TENSION. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

2. It is not necessarily an action-thriller technique, although it is a component in action thrillers; but it can also be used in far quieter, less obvious ways. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

3. Creating suspense involves making the reader ask a question, then withholding the answer for as long as possible, without losing their interest. That means creating false leads, going on side quests, creating diversions, whilst maintaining the tension. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

4. Tension has to escalate, or it will be lost. Start small, and get bigger; not the other way around. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

5. Tension works best when it is occasionally broken, for instance with a quiet or comic scene, before it racks up again. Otherwise even the most action-packed story can start feeling samey and dull. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

6. Suspense only really works when the reader is properly invested in the characters - otherwise, why would they care what happens next? #TenThingsAboutSuspense

7. Suspense doesn't always have to be a matter of life or death. All that matters is that the character should care deeply about the outcome - and if the character is well-drawn, the reader will, too. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

8. The more there is at stake for your characters, the more chance you have of building suspense. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

9. Foreshadowing and misdirection are both useful tools in the building of suspense, hinting at what's to come in a way that keeps the reader guessing. #TenThingsAboutSuspense

10. Modifying your sentence length is an easy way to manage tension in your narrative. Long sentences tend to slow down the pace, thereby building up suspense; short ones speed it up again. #TenThingsAboutSuspense