Storytelling 106: Creating Suspense
He tried the door handle; it was unlocked. He quietly turned the knob and pushed the in door. Then he went inside....
not very suspenseful, is it? where is he? why did he try to door handle? why quietly? and why did he go inside? ho-hum, i'm bored.
however, if you work it just right, you can be right there with the character. maybe it's the home of his good friend who he talks to every day, and who he hasn't heard from in over a week. and now the door's unlocked!
maybe it's the creepy house on the corner that all the kids say is haunted, and he's just checking it out on a dare.
i've found the best place to create suspence is at the end of a chapter. if it's a tv episode, it's right before a commercial break. i always say i hate cliffhangers, but i'm guilty of doing it myself from time to time.
so in Supernatural, Book 6, Chapter 5, we had just the right amount of suspence. if you haven't seen the episode yet, don't read on! We watched Sam looking on as Dean is turned into his worst fear - a monster. and yet, he's not just looking on. he's watching, curious, enthalled... and not moving to help. what is going on here?
...to be continued. soon.
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not very suspenseful, is it? where is he? why did he try to door handle? why quietly? and why did he go inside? ho-hum, i'm bored.
however, if you work it just right, you can be right there with the character. maybe it's the home of his good friend who he talks to every day, and who he hasn't heard from in over a week. and now the door's unlocked!
maybe it's the creepy house on the corner that all the kids say is haunted, and he's just checking it out on a dare.
i've found the best place to create suspence is at the end of a chapter. if it's a tv episode, it's right before a commercial break. i always say i hate cliffhangers, but i'm guilty of doing it myself from time to time.
so in Supernatural, Book 6, Chapter 5, we had just the right amount of suspence. if you haven't seen the episode yet, don't read on! We watched Sam looking on as Dean is turned into his worst fear - a monster. and yet, he's not just looking on. he's watching, curious, enthalled... and not moving to help. what is going on here?
...to be continued. soon.
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