The Importance of Tension in Storytelling

Hi authors! I just wanted to come to you guys and talk about one of the tenets of good storytelling: tension. Tension is the component of a story that keeps the reader enthralled and on the edge of their seat. It’s what keeps them coming back and reading your story. Too much tension and impatient or anxious readers skim or skip, too little tension and the reader gets bored. It’s a delicate needle to thread, and one so many new authors and writers fumble. 

Tension in Thrillers & Mysteries

But you’re here now! What can you do about it and how can you tell when your tension is good? The answer is quite simple, actually. You breadcrumb. Seriously. Take Lock Every Door for instance. The first thing we step into is a unusual situation. Jules has lost everything that made her life stable in less than 24 hours: her apartment, her job, her boyfriend, which leaves her reeling for stability and just then she finds a luxury apartment the building will pay her to live in? Not only that, but when she reveals her desperate situation that would most definitely get her rejected from the position, she instead lands the job? Something immediately is not right. And that uneasiness not only compels the reader but is an example of breadcrumbing. 

The whole mystery of this book revolves around the rich taking advantage of the desperation of the poor. It becomes increasingly apparent why Jules having nowhere else to go and on the brink of homelessness would make her the perfect candidate for the job, but the reader doesn't know that yet, they only feel it. Each moment of weirdness or uneasiness that happens from beginning to end is a breadcrumb to the climax of the story. The scream at night. The missing fellow apartment sitters. The tenants of the building’s demeanors. The suspicious belongings in the apartment. Every piece brings you closer to solving the mystery and makes you want to know more. 

Tension in Romance

But tension is not just for thrillers, mysteries and horrors; it’s for the lighter genres too. The classic will-they-won't-they is a form of tension. In fact, most romance tropes are built on creating tension between the main character and their love interest. Enemies to lovers, only one bed, forced togetherness, miscommunication and things not said, even hurt/comfort. All require tension, and when done well, you can see the breadcrumbs.  

A side character calls the couple oblivious to which they grow more confused? Crumb. A look that lingers a second too long? Crumb. A character almost says something vulnerable then quickly changes the subject or gets interrupted? Crumb. Each of these little moments build up to something explosive when they come together. All tension is is anticipation. And while you can make your reader anticipate by teasing what will happen, you can also do the opposite. 

Tension in Historical Fiction

Historical fiction plays up the fact that the reader most likely knows what real-life events coincide with the story and how it may affect the characters, so accentuating the character’s lack of knowledge about the future adds to the tension. Maybe they make a decision the reader knows they’ll regret when the historical event comes. Maybe the characters have wild contingencies that they end up having to use. Or even knowing a certain character is going to die or be elevated to a higher status than they currently have, and watching how they thrive or struggle, respectively, up until that point. These things also add tension to the story through breadcrumbing a future outcome. The reader may know, but the fact that the characters don’t make the twists and turns of history fresh and reinvigorating. Sometimes you can even breadcrumb with both things known (like in historical fiction) and unknown (like in thrillers and mysteries). 

Tension in Fantasy & Literary Fiction

Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Literary also use foreshadowing and themes to add tension. Flashing forward or backward via a dream or vision is commonplace and also very effective at hinting to things a reader should notice but not fully understand yet. And knowing a story has a very clear lesson or theme to it can drum up tension when characters fail to live up to the standard the narrative is putting forward. This can be seen in works as far back as Shakespeare and Greek tragedies; a hero is consumed by hubris and suffers a crushing fate because of it. Because the reader knows that hubris is a fatal flaw, they anticipate the downfall. 

All that being said, there are several different approaches to adding tension to a story that all involve giving the reader tiny bits of the larger story at hand. Whether that’s through themes, foreshadowing, tropes, or good ol’ standard breadcrumbs, you can make a story truly engrossing when you embrace teasing the readers just a little bit! 

If you want a pretty great example of tension and why it works, check out Lock Every Door and our review of it. But in the meantime, try some breadcrumbing out with your story and see where it leads you. Leaving things unsaid sometimes might just be the spice you need. And if you want a second pair of eyes or a helping hand, consider joining our coaching sessions. 

Thank me later and Happy Writing!