#writing suspense

[ahb-writes]

Writing Problem: The Scenes Are Void of Meaningful Conflict

Problem: The Scenes Are Void of Meaningful Conflict

Solution: Character growth and story arcs don't occur in isolation. Conflict-guided scenes and conflict-guided storytelling, more broadly, open the narrative to moments in which the characters are continuously tested to validate their knowledge, skills, or relationships.

To drive the story forward with measured purpose, focus on building, developing, and testing a character's desires. If necessary, implement story or relational dynamics to economically assess, judge, and curate a character's failure (and the consequences thereof). Conflict needn't be grandiose; writers must be in tune with the different levels, types, and intensities of conflict that drive their story. Conflict should be multifaceted.

Writing Resources:

A Few Words About Conflict (Glimmer Train Press)

Conflict Thesaurus (One Stop for Writers)

6 Secrets to Creating and Sustaining Suspense (Writer's Digest)

Emotions in Writing: How to Make Your Readers Feel (Jericho Writers)

The Primary Principles of Plot: Goal, Antagonist, Conflict, Consequences (September C. Fawkes)

How to Master Conflict in Young Adult Fiction (Writer's Edit)

Failure, Conflict, and Character Arc (Writers in the Storm)

❯ ❯ Adapted from the writing masterpost series: 19 Things That Are Wrong With Your Novel (and How to Fix Them)

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #writing conflict #fiction writing #novel writing #writing problems #writeprob #meaningful conflict #story dynamics #character dynamics #ya fiction #writing suspense #writing mystery #writing failure #character arcs #principles of plotting

[thepedanticbohemian]

My writing has been compared to Stephen King, Thomas Harris, Dean Koontz, and Peter Straub. Why? Because I'm unafraid to go there when it comes to disturbing imagery. Gory details don't scare me, though they will likely scare my readers. Sort of the point, really. lol

#writing #writers #writers on tumblr #writing community #writers and readers #writing tips #writerslife #novel writing #writerscommunity #writer things #writing horror #writing suspense #writing thrillers #show don't tell #writing prompts

[em-dash-press]

You can wield suspense and foreshadowing on purpose if you study these two storytelling tools. Avoid leaving great stories up to chance by reading a few ways to use these craft tools to your story's advantage.

Read the post here!

#suspense #foreshadowing #writing foreshadowing #writing suspense #writeblr #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing inspiration #writing community #writing help #writing resources

[tinyreviews]

Writing Tips: Conflict, Tension, and Suspense

Conflict:

A struggle between opposing forces, propelling the narrative.

Forms: Character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. environment.

Example: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" - Aang’s quest to oppose the Fire Nation’s war of conquest propels the plot.

Tension:

Definition: Emotional strain from unresolved conflicts or challenges.

Build-up: Simmers beneath the surface, creating a constant undercurrent.

Example: “The Hunger Games” - In the early stages of the Games, the ambiguity of Peeta’s intentions give rise to tension between Katniss and him.

Suspense:

Definition: Anticipation of an impending event.

Nature: Heightened state of excitement or anxiety.

Example: "Murder on the Orient Express" - Revelation of the murderer kept a mystery until the end.

Relationship between Conflict, Tension, and Suspense:

Conflict drives the narrative, creating obstacles for characters.

Tension arises from unresolved conflicts, building through anticipation.

Suspense is similar to tension in that both are the anticipation of a happening. Tension is defined. We know the conflict, characters, and stakes involved. Suspense is vague. We know something is about to happen but we usually do not know what, or how, exactly.

Imagine tension as a taut string connecting a character to unresolved conflict. The conflict acts like a force, pulling the character through the plot.

Imagine suspense as a character, well, suspended in open water. They face unknown dangers, such as a potential monster, storm, or rogue wave. We are aware that something bad is about to happen, but not exactly what.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.

#writing tips #conflict #tension #suspense #writing conflict #writing tension #writing suspense #writeblr

[annmalley]

Settle in with Small Town Danger author Gina Holder!

There’s only 10 days left, people. SMALL TOWN DANGER is coming your way and still only .99 cents thru April 25, 2023. (Can you believe how this year is flying???) But before you dig into delicious suspense, I thought you’d appreciate another look into the writing world of the Small Town Danger ladies. Best selling authors!! CLICK THE PIC TO GET YOUR COPY TODAY! Today we have Gina Holder, a…

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#authors #book collection #Books #Christian #collaboration #mystery books #partnership #Romantic Suspense #women #Writing #writing suspense

[minty364]

DPXDC Prompt#148 Part 2

Danny feels himself grow bright red and the two stare into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. 

“I- Uh… I’m Danny” He finally managed to mutter. 

“Damian Wayne, its a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Danny's blush grew even brighter as the next moment Damian kissed his hand, Danny couldn’t help but feel flustered. 

After a moment  Danny rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and stuttered out, “It’s nice, to meet you too” He could tell how happy Damian was to meet him and he felt a little bad for feeling nervous in the first place. Danny thought Damian was cute and he decided then that he wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better. First they had to get through the rest of the gala, and soon as he thought about the gala something clicked. 

He realized Damian was the son of Bruce Wayne who at the moment was talking to his own parents. He couldn’t help but stare as he let the information sink in. 

“Ah yes it looks like Father is talking to some of the scientists that were invited.” Ancients, Danny knew his parents couldn’t help being themselves and unfortunately that meant things like accidentally spilling fudge right onto Mr. Wayne's suite. They watched as Mr. Wayne told his parents it wasn’t a problem and then walked out of the room. 

Danny couldn’t help but sigh, “Sorry about them, my parents are a little eccentric. Don’t even get me started on their obsession with ghosts, my dad will not shut up sometimes.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously again as he realized he was rambling a little bit. 

“Don’t worry it looks like Father handled the situation well, although I am curious what kind of inventions two scientists obsessed with ghosts create. That’s what this gala is about, we want to support scientists in untapped fields of study.” Danny listened as his soulmate explained things to him. 

Danny looked over to see Vlad talking to a thin scientist in the corner of the room. He was definitely up to something, a ball like this had Vlad scheming something with a mad scientist written all over it. 

He was brought out from his thoughts as a loud crash could be heard as the wall across the room burst open and none other than the Joker walked through.

Danny tried to make his way to the other side of the gala, strangely Damian had disappeared but Danny didn’t have the time to look for him.  

However when he got to the door staying low to the ground the door burst through and more of Joker's goons looked straight at him and he found himself tied up right in front of the Joker. 

“What do we have here? A new Wayne?” Joker said as he cupped Danny's face in his hand. Danny couldn’t do anything about the situation and he was getting a little scared considering he didn’t have a proper way to go ghost or protect his soulmate at the moment. 

The Joker circled around the tied up hostages laughing, “Of course now the fun begins”

The Joker continued to circle around the hostages thinking for a moment before he grabbed Danny.

He held Danny by the back of the shirt like a small kitten. His obsession was making him wonder if his soulmate was safe living in Gotham. Joker chuckled as he continued to hold Danny.

“This kid will be an example for the rest of you, I don’t want any outbursts like that again, especially when Batman gets here. Do you think Batman will like what I’ve done with the place?” He asked as he gestured around the ruined room. All of the tables and chairs had either been broken or knocked over and all of the food from the dessert and appetizer tables. It was quite the mess. Before Joker could do much else with the teen he had dangling in his grasp something flew out and smacked Joker right in the back of the head causing him to drop Danny.

Danny took that opportunity to get away, his hands may have been tied but his feet were sure free. He stumbled away as Batman dropped down and a fight between him and the Joker commenced. 

Danny ran towards the door and as he got there Robin and Nightwing were there ushering some of the other hostages out of the room. 

“Right this way citizens!” Nightwing said brightly at them but he seemed to brighten up a bit more when he saw Danny weirdly. 

“Have either of you seen Damian Wayne?” Danny asked, he at least wanted to get his number, especially when he was headed back to Amity soon.

They seemed to share a look before looking back at him, “Damian left, he’s headed safely back to Wayne manor.” Robin said but he held out a piece of paper. On it was Damians signature and his phone number. Danny sighed a little annoyed he had left but he guessed it was common to head back home after a rogue attack in Gotham. 

“Danny!!” the booming voice of Jack Fenton was suddenly heard and Danny felt himself getting pulled into a very familiar bear hug. 

“Did you have fun at the gala? Your father and I saw you talking to Mr. Wayne's son,” His mother said after his feet were back on the ground. 

“Yeah, actually can we talk about that after we’re back in our room?” He wanted to tell his parents he found his soulmate but saying that outloud when Damian was the son of Bruce Wayne sounded like a bad idea. 

They headed back to the hotel room and all Danny could think about was how lucky he was to have met his soulmate tonight, even if he was nervous about everything.

Master Post:

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#dp x dc prompt #dp x dc #dc x dp #danny fenton #danny phantom #poor danny #Damian thinks its cute that he flustered his soulmate so much #I feel like I'm bad at this LMAO #how does one write romance? #Please tell me if I'm doing this wrong #I want to write the reveal but I don't want to do it right away #suspense? how do I write that? #Well I tried to do a little bit of action #I love the idea that Danny's so light everyone just throws him around like a ragdoll #Ragdoll theory? I cant remember if there was an actual name for it #anyways I've got to go look for a job now #my asks are open #all my prompts are free to use #soulmates

[writing-to-survive]

#193

"Is this not considered kidnapping?"

"You came willing, saying—and I quote—'I call shotgun.'"

"Which I didn't get."

#fiction #writing #writing prompts #writing prompt #creative writing #fiction writing #writing dialogue #funny dialogue #dialogue #dialogue prompt #dialogue prompts #adventure prompt #suspense #what is happening #good or bad #? #??? #you decide #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing to survive #writing-to-survive

[nethnad]

rewatching the swordfight scene from the sea devils right now and

this has got to be the strangest en guarde position i've ever seen. sir what are you doing

#he's covering target area and eating mid-bout... wheres the ref in this establishment!!! #anyways i do sabre competitively for my college club and. i've seen a lot of placements for the non-dominant hand #but resting it on a fruity little hip-pop is a first. also the constant duckface is hilarious #one day i will write about how gallifreyans fence... but it will take so much suspension of disbelief and all my strength not to laugh #at the end when hes like 'you havent even seen the quality of my footwork yet' i audibly went yes i have. its so bad what are you DOING #doctor who #classic who #third doctor #dw

[suspensefulpen]

White Collar

TW: Dehumanization, Implied Pet Whump, Shock Collar, Chain Restraints

Whumpee hated silence. It made them feel lonely. And there wasn’t a single feeling they despised more. Whumper hadn’t been down to the basement to torture them in sometime. Only to feed them. They wondered what brought this change about. Did Whumper want to give them up? Or was Whumper ignoring them? Why weren’t they coming to hurt them anymore? 

Whumpee began to do things that they knew would rile Whumper up. They screamed, they shouted insults, they pulled at their chains, all in hopes Whumper would hear and come punish them for it. But they never did. Eventually, Whumpee gave up on trying to get their attention. 

One day, Whumper came down to the basement empty handed. Whumpee sat patiently, waiting for their next move. 

Whumper crouched down in front of Whumpee. “You’ve been shouting for days, Whumpee. Yet every time I’ve come down here, you don’t say anything. Do you want my attention that badly?” 

Slightly now embarrassed by the fact, Whumpee nodded slowly. 

Whumper hummed. They were unable to hide their smile. “Well if that’s how you feel, I have something for you.” They stood and went back up the stairs. Several moments later, they came back with a box in hand. Curious, Whumpee watched as Whumper opened it. Inside was a white dog collar with Whumpee’s name hanging from it. 

“Um… what’s that for?” 

“You, obviously.” 

“Me?” Whumpee stared up in horror. 

“Yep.” Whumper fastened the collar around their neck, ignoring the look on their face. They adjusted it and leaned back to admire their work. They pulled a remote out of their pocket and showed it to Whumpee. “It has a little shock to it. That way, next time you start screaming and it’s not important, you’ll stop.” They smiled. 

“But–” 

“Ah, ah, no protesting.” Their smile widened. “Plus, it looks even better than I imagined around your neck. If you want my attention that badly, I’ll turn you into my pet. That way, there won’t ever be a time you won’t have my attention.” They hummed at Whumpee’s expression. “Let’s get started with training, shall we?”

Part 2

#whump #whump writing #suspense #pet whump #dehumanisation tw #chains #captivity #creative writing #writeblr #writer things

[lord-of-the-prompts]

HORROR/THRILLER/SUSPENSEFUL STORY SETTINGS AND PLOT IDEAS:

[Feel free to use any prompt that shouts out to you! I would very much appreciate a tag if you post a story that was inspired by a prompt of mine! Happy writing everyone!]

A

amusement park (where the ride breaks down with everyone trapped on them, and there is a killer loose in the park…)

art gallery (where paintings trap visitors inside the frame and force them relive the scene the painting was based on...)

aquarium (where the protagonist gets trapped inside one of the shark tanks...)

B

basement (where the basement floods, there’s no way out, and there’s something weird swimming in the water…)

blood bank (where a blood bank is run by a vampire cult…)

board game cafe (where a group of teenagers are forced to play a game of snakes and ladders in real life, with real snakes and real ladders…)

bunker (where the captor holds his victim hostage in an old bunker and convinces the girl that he is protecting her from a world apocalypse…)

C

car (where a taxi driver picks up the wrong person and fears he may never live to tell the tale…)

castle (where the gargoyles come to life and attack the royal family…)

circus (where everyone who is hypnotized by the magician turns into a member of his unholy cult…)

D

desert (where a group of travellers are swept away by a sand storm and wake up in a haunted oasis…)

dungeon (where the visitors pay to torture subjects and the subjects are paid to be tortured…)

F

farmhouse (where the scarecrow comes to life and attempts to create a new body for himself with the farming family’s bodies…)

forest (where a lone hiker is caught in a bear trap in the woods and unable to escape, the bear is close by…)

G

graveyard (where the dead buried at the local cemetery come back to life and all the living people in the town die, except for you…)

H

haunted house (where a house manages to kill anyone who enters it…)

hotel (where the concierge is a vampire with a thirst for his visitors’ blood…)

house (where the family home falls into a sinkhole that leads straight to hell…)

I

island (where a new species of insect is discovered, and when the travellers get bitten, they start mutating into bugs…)

J

jungle (where a group of explorers start disappearing one by one during a rescue mission deep in the jungle…)

L

library (where the ghost of character killed off in a series haunts anyone who reads the book…)

M

military base (where a group of soldiers end up face to face against their canines who have somehow turned into werewolves…)

O

opera house (where the killer murders the musicians with their instruments...)

operating theatre (where an unwilling subject wakes up part way through the operation and is unable to move no matter how hard they try...)

P

prison (where the inmates are released from their cells and the officers are locked up in their place, leaving them at the complete mercy of the prisoners…)

psychiatric ward (where patients are forced to fight to the death in padded cells…)

pyramid (where archeologists discover an ancient tomb and unleash an ancient curse…)

R

railroad (where a cowboy spends his final hours repenting his sins as he lays tied to a railroad track…)

research centre (where the subjects loose the ability to either see, hear, or speak…)

S

sewer (where a family takes cover in the sewers when a nuclear missile is headed towards the city…)

shipwreck (where divers explore an ancient shipwreck, but the pirates are very much still alive and do not take well trespassers…)

space (where there is an explosion on ship leaving the crew without enough oxygen, there are only four extra tanks left, but there are six people…)

submarine (where there's an unknown killer aboard and no way to escape the deep ocean...)

T

tavern (where a knight is seduced and kidnapped by a handmaid who plans on avenging he sisters murder in the most heartless of ways…)

U

underwater (where evil merpeople kidnap scuba divers...)

university (where a group of students engineers create an artificial intelligence that goes rogue and attempts to create a real life body out of human remains…)

V

virtual reality (where virtual reality becomes a true reality, and to escape, 10 players have to survive all levels of the game, but after every level, the loser dies…)

Z

zoo (where the animals turn into zombies and attack their abusers…)

#writing prompt #writing ideas #writing tips #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writers block #writing things #writing #writing advice #prompt list #horror #thriller #suspense

[ahb-writes]

Writing Problem: The Novel's Questions Are Left Unanswered

Problem: The Novel's Questions Are Left Unanswered

Solution: Conflicts require consequences, character arcs require a destination, and unresolved or unanswered questions have their own purpose. But having too many unanswered questions can make a novel's ending feel too foggy, if not outright incomplete. In short, loose threads can be frustrating.

Handled appropriately, loose threads may encourage the reader to hum and ponder how each character's life may evolve following the novel's events. Some readers adore the beauty of an imperfect story. However, handled poorly, loose threads speak to a poorly planned and disorganized narrative for which the writer was mistakenly more invested in drafting a kitschy or vulgar hook than a purposeful climax or dénouement.

Writing Resources:

Guide to Writing an Unreliable Narrator (Writing and Such)

Story Threads: Fixing Rips in Our Story (Writers Helping Writers)

Loose Threads Can Unravel a Novel (All Things Writing)

How to Pace a Story (Writing Questions Answered)

Figuring Out Where to End a Story (Writing Questions Answered)

Feeling Overwhelmed by Plot Points (Writing Questions Answered)

What Is the Dénouement of a Story? Your Guide (With Tips) (Jericho Writers)

How to End a Story Perfectly (Jericho Writers)

Suspense Definition Literature: Tips for Writing Suspense (Jericho Writers)

❯ ❯ Adapted from the writing masterpost series: 19 Things That Are Wrong With Your Novel (and How to Fix Them)

#writeblr #writing tips #writing advice #fiction writing #writeprob #writing problem #novel writing #questions left unanswered #how to pace a story #how to end a story #writing suspense #writing mystery #story threads #unreliable narrator

[hom3landr]

Movie Night

18+

An earnest attempt to share the Halloween spirit with your ungrateful boyfriend backfires

You’re trying to concentrate on the screen where Michael Myers peers ominously through some bedsheets, the sharp sting of the music cue not even registering over the buzzing in your ears. Your nails dig into the rich leather of the sofa as your chest heaves. You’re not even halfway through the movie and the tension is already enough to have your heart pounding wildly out of your chest.

Your free hand leaves the bucket of popcorn to tangle in the hair of the man between your legs, leaving streaks of butter through his golden strands.

He promised that he’d behave while you showed him your favorite horror films but you should have known better than that. The moment he said he was bored, you should have realized that it was all over. It didn’t matter that the two of you were only ten minutes into the film. You’d joke that him being no better than an ipad kid, completely unable to stay focused, but it wasn’t a screen that held his ravenous attention. With every gripe about how nothing had happened yet, he’d carefully adjust his position on the couch. From cuddling with his arm around you to resting on his knees with your legs perched on his pompous golden eagles, he’d managed to make the transition so smooth that it wasn’t until he slowly began rolling your underwear down your legs that you’d realized his plot.

Now here you are, just innocently trying to show your boyfriend your favorite movie, but ruthlessly made to writhe in pleasure as he devoured you with a single minded hunger. Maybe you should have had a showing of Silence of the Lambs instead, with how hungry he was for your flesh. You want to complain but every gripe was replaced with a choked whimper.

“You’re missing it.” You manage to hiss. He just chuckles into your cunt.

“Babe…this movie has been going on forever and only one person has died. It’s gonna have to get a lot bloodier if you want me to pay attention.” He follows it up with a hearty lap through your folds, amused by the way you twitch as he flicks his tongue over your clit. You huff in a mixture of lust and righteous indignation.

“It’s the tension! This movie is a masterclass in suspense! That’s why it works.” You try to argue despite Homelander not easing up on his endeavor at all. Your hips buck and he holds you down with the gentleness of a feather but the strength of a titan. You’re not moving unless he wants you to. After all, you’re the one who made him stop his business to watch the damn movie. You’re going to stay put.

“Hmmm…so what I’m hearing is that you like being kept in suspense. Maybe I should keep you from coming until something in this movie finally fucking happens.” He smirks before looking up at you with a wicked gleam in his eyes. You swallow nervously at the look he’s giving you.

“FINE! But when it ramps up, it’s gonna ramp up quickly. You’ll be the one looking stupid when you realize how freaky this movie really is.” You retort, bumping him in the side of the head with your knee petulantly. He doesn’t even flinch. He just fucks you with his tongue till your legs lock up.

“In that case, I guess I’ll have to keep making you come until the movie slows back down. Either way, I’m going to be entertaining myself.” He purrs in a tone that is infuriatingly smug.

You’re not even sure which is worse, that he never even bothers to watch the movie, or that you’ll never be able to pay attention during it ever again.

#homelander #x reader #homelander x reader #homelander headcanons #I genuinely could write an essay on how Halloween is a masterclass of suspense #A friend told me it was boring once and I about cried #the music score ALONE #John Carpenter you are a genius

[em-dash-press]

Suspense and Foreshadowing—Two Great Tools for Writers

I’ve found that foreshadowing and suspense often get confused. Sometimes writers even forget about them. It’s time for a quick reminder about why these are such great tools for writers and how you can use them in your next story.

What is Suspense?

Anyone can put together points in a story’s plot map. You’ve got your inciting incident, a few things that happen to move the story along, then the climax and resolution.

Suspense is what keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the page in between each of those stages.

It works in every genre and helps every story. It may even be what your work is missing if you’re stuck in your WIP because you’ve lost interest.

Example: Carver is a restaurant server and sees his crush, Aiden, get seated at Table 2 with his friends. He’s had this crush for forever and decides it’s now or never. He has to ask Aiden out before he leaves after dinner.

Where’s the suspense?: There’s an emotional suspense in the relatability of feeling nervous about asking someone out after crushing on them for a while. There’s also time-related suspense because sooner than later, Aiden will pay the check and leave. The clock is running out from the moment Carver makes his decision.

Where could you add suspense?: Carver might need to take on more tables because his coworker leaves for a family emergency. He’s rushing around twice as busy for the rest of the night. Then other guests need extra things, like another set of silverware or a ketchup refill. The night passes quickly, so Carver almost misses Aiden walking out to his car.

What is Foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing helps build your suspense. It’s one of the key ingredients that you can work into your first draft while you’re writing or while you’re in the editing process.

You don’t need foreshadowing in every story to create suspense or keep your reader interested. However, it can be a great way to support it.

Example: After Carver decides to stop by Aiden’s table before he leaves, he’s so busy serving other tables that the group in his window booth get up and leave. They’re irritated that their food is late, so they talk with the manager before leaving for another restaurant.

Why is this foreshadowing?: It demonstrates how the events building the suspense—the other server leaving suddenly and forcing Carver to serve twice as many tables—make it more likely that Carver will miss Aiden. It also mirror’s Carver’s Worst Case Scenario: that he’s now too busy to fulfill his goal before Aiden leaves, because he was too busy with his other tables to get food to his guests before they left too.

Other Forms of Suspense

Suspense can happen in a few ways besides general plot points. You can also heighten the tension with things like:

Making your characters feel the suspense for the reader (they get anxious, start acting out of fear, feel their stomach knot up, verbally snap at another character).

Changing the scenery (the lights go dark because the power goes out, other characters step between the protagonist and their goal, the protagonist must leave due to an unforeseen reason).

Using specific descriptive word choices (maybe the vibe in a room becomes tense, someone feels agitated, a foul odor burns at the protagonist’s nose and makes them uncomfortable)

Varying your sentence structure (choppy sentences create suspense, while long sentences sound more monotonous).

Introducing conflict for the protagonist (make things go wrong so they have to sweat through a few challenges to reach their goals).

Other Forms of Foreshadowing

You may have heard of a few of these before, but they could still be something your story needs to deepen your plot or become more gripping. Think about adding foreshadowing tools like:

Flashbacks: maybe your protagonist has tried and failed/succeeded at a similar goal before

Chekov’s gun: introduce something that your character will use in the future (could be a literal gun, an object that they’ll use later to accomplish their goal, a person they’ll come back to for the friendship they seek, a trauma they’re pushing away and eventually have to face)

A prophecy: could be a literal prophecy from an oracle, but could also be something lighthearted in a fortune cookie, a Magic 8 ball, something a character mentions in passing to the protagonist, etc.

Symbolism: your character might set out for their first day on a job and drive there in a terrible thunderstorm, show up to the wrong location, immediately break the copy machine, etc. Something negative in the environment or a character making a bad choice/mistake can be symbolic for their overall goal or phase of life.

A red herring: your character believes somebody or something to be their antagonist/the reason for their conflicts, but it turns out to be something or somebody else

When to Use Foreshadowing or Suspense

It would be great if every writer knew exactly how to use one or both of these tools while they were working through their first draft. That might be possible if you’ve spent a long time figuring out the exact plot before sitting down to write, but that isn’t always the case.

You could add new elements of suspense or moments of foreshadowing while you’re in the process of writing. Just make sure you note what your wrote and why so you can carry that thread through to its completion or revelation later on.

You can also add these moments while editing. If your first draft feels like it’s missing something, adding in a new conflict and revising to work it into the rest of the draft could greatly improve your story. It’s also possible to drop a foreshadowing device in one chapter and jump ahead to another to make it reappear/complete the foreshadowing.

#writeblr #writing suspense #writing foreshadowing #foreshadowing #suspense #writing advice #writing tips #writers of tumblr #writing community #creative writing #writing help #writers

[tinyreviews]

Tips to increase tension:

1. Establish Clear Goals: Establish clear, compelling goals that are relatable to readers. The more readers care about whether the character succeeds or fails, the higher the tension.

2. Time Pressure: Introduce time constraints or deadlines. This creates a sense of urgency and raises the stakes.

3. Obstacles: Place obstacles and conflicts in the path of your characters, both internal and external. These challenges should grow progressively more difficult, making the reader wonder if and how the characters will overcome them.

4. Unpredictability: Surprise your readers with unexpected twists or developments. Subvert their expectations, but ensure that these surprises are rooted in the story's internal logic.

5. Character Flaws and Growth: Give your characters flaws and weaknesses that they must confront and overcome. As they evolve, readers become more interested in their journeys and outcomes.

6. Foreshadowing: Skillful foreshadowing can build anticipation. Drop subtle hints or clues about future events or conflicts to keep readers guessing.

7. Moral Dilemmas: Present characters with challenging moral choices. Preferably, all choices have high prices, making the reader unsure of which choice to root for.

8. Show, Don't Tell: Instead of telling readers about the tension, show it through the characters' actions, thoughts, and emotions. Let readers experience the tension alongside the characters.

9. Dialogue and Conflict Resolution: Use dialogue to create conflicts between characters. Tense conversations can reveal hidden motivations and escalate the overall tension.

10. Setting and Atmosphere: Craft the setting and atmosphere to complement the mood you want to convey. Dark, foreboding settings enhance danger and tension, while serene settings provide a contrast.

11. Cliffhangers: End chapters or sections on cliffhangers, leaving readers eager to know what happens next. However, use this sparingly to maintain its impact.

12. Relatable Characters: Ensure that readers can relate to and care about your characters. This emotional connection amplifies the tension as readers become invested in their fates.

#writing tips #tension #suspense

[13eyond13]

love it when a character that's hard to read intuitively for you has like a dedicated fandom interpreter who can just glance at their blank face in a panel and then give you a 3k word essay on their innermost thoughts & desires & fears and neatly tie it back into the themes & whatnot as if it's the most obvious thing in the world

#im talking about griffith btw #guts i feel i get intuitively - maybe because i have some personality traits in common with him #and we get more about his life concretely told to us in canon. so he is a bit easier to pin down as a character and feel attached to for me #but whenever i was reading the manga i just kept wanting more insight about griffith's actions and feelings #like ok yeah its fun to have mysterious antagonists and suspense /tension etc but its also fun to feel like you deeply understand them too #and i felt like that was a bit missing from him for me in canon #so reading about him in analysis and fics is the most fun for me rn #he always felt kinda half unreal to me- which maybe was the point of him - but i wanted a bit more about his childhood or something? #and wished we had more stuff explicitly from his pov in the story to read or explanation about his transformation or wtv #and now he's so much more closed off to me even than he was in the golden age. i keep waiting for him to explain stuff and he does not #ANYWAYS all this rambling to say some people out there are very good at interpreting him and making his like. insecurities #more obvious to me bc i didnt really get that side of him from canon intuitively well #also im really enjoying reading the first few berserk fics ive read #there may not be a ton of them out there but there is def writing talent in the fandom #i'll share some recs once i'm done sifting through most of what's out there to read #also (not to tie everything back to death note but it IS my home fandom after all) #i feel griffith is obvs the more light-like character here and L maybe a bit guts-like? but unlike berserk in death note #light is the one you get to know best and L is the mysterious / unreal one you don't get a lot of concrete insight into #and in the DN fandom I can read the more mysterious character intuitively but had to warm up to the less mysterious one instead #and the mystery of L makes sense to me and doesnt bug me as much due to like - he HAS to hide a lot about himself or else he will die lol #so some similarities there but also some opposite feels as well #berserk spoilers #p

[thespiritssaidso]

You know what? Fuck you. *horror genres your detective comedy show*

#this is my way of saying that I’m writing a horror oneshot #but not like. in an upfront kind of way. #in a way where it’s just complete suspense #you’re waiting for it to show itself #there are rumors of what happened to people before #and you know if he’s not fast enough he’ll get Seen ™️ #and the second he’s Seen™️ it’s over for him #that’s the kind of horror I’m writing #psych #psych 2006 #psych usa #psychusa #psych tv #psych tv show #toast tries to talk