In an article for Writer’s Digest, S.B. Caves shares five tricks on how to effectively build and maintain tension in a thriller novel. They include:
- Hook Them in From the Word Go. Your first few lines should keep the reader moving through the page, but also have them asking for more. “If possible, your opening paragraph should unbalance the reader, to let them know that they aren’t entering a safe space; something bad is going to happen in this story, perhaps to a character you might connect with, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Caves says. Even better, your opening should prompt questions in the reader’s mind.
- Don’t Let the Reader Settle. Once you’ve hooked your reader, don’t let them get complacent. “A reader cannot ever feel completely comfortable, nor safe in the knowledge that they know the outcome of a story, or the fate of the characters,” Caves explains. “There must always be something at the end of a chapter to tempt them to read on; a cliffhanger, an unveiling, some secret that the reader knows but that their main character does not.”
- Intimidate the Reader. “Whenever I’m thinking of a story idea, I like to envision scenarios that place ordinary people in threatening or extremely uncomfortable situations,” Caves writes. “The aim here is to set up a sense of morbid intrigue and pose the question to the reader: What would you do if you found yourself in this situation?”
- The Rollercoaster. A good thriller writer knows when to ramp up the tension and when to give the reader a breather. “Sustaining a steady cord of tension can not only be extremely difficult, but it may also be draining on the reader,” Caves says.
- A Trail of Breadcumbs…and the Promise of a Reward. “It is important to provide your characters with enough jeopardy to make the stakes of the plot seem worth a reward,” Caves writes. “The conclusion that your character reaches, good or bad, doesn’t really matter, providing you pack enough of a punch once you get them across the finish line.”
