How to Create Suspense and Tension

Suspense is defined as the author withholding information or when the unexpected happens, leaving you guessing and wanting more. In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, he has inserted much suspense in this short (long) story, for the reason that it makes the reader want to know more and having to mindset of excitement or surprise. Another reason he added many suspense is so that it wouldn’t be so blunt, it wouldn’t just tell us what happened it would give us details and how he got or how he did that and more.

Have you ever read a book that continued to keep you interested in what's going to happen next? You get lost in the book trying to figure out what's going to happen before reading on. This happens often in novels that have a lot of suspense like Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” or Tobias Wolff’s “Hunters In The Snow.” The fact that they both have suspense is often the only similarity people can think of. There are many similarities and differences in them both that get ignored such as similarities and differences in the plot, theme, and characters.

Suspense a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.Throughout each of the mediums it is used. The book uses suspense by making the readers wanting to keep turning the page to see what will happen.While in the TV show there was suspense that made you keep watching to see what would happen.And in the radio broadcast there was suspense to see if the couple would talk to each other before she died.That is how suspense was used in this

In both the excerpts "Jams" and "Swimming with Nightmares" by Peter Benchley, the author creates suspense in many ways. The author utilizes descriptive words, character's choices, and dangerous situations for creating suspense.

Suspense is a detail that many horror writer use to catch the attention of many readers and keep them holding on till the end. Just as W.F. Harvey does when creating suspense in his story August Heat. Mr. Harvey used three methods to create his suspense for his story, foreshadowing, withholding information, and reversal. With these three methods he is able to make the reader feel like, “ We may even hold our breath without realizing it as we read on eagerly to find out how the story ends”(Source 1).

The first way the author creates suspense in the story is by foreshadowing. When Captain Torres walked into the barber’s shop, the barber, “Started to shake,” (Tellez 1) indicating that the barber felt instant fear, when his enemy approached. This foreshadows that the barber knows the man and that he will be deciding to kill him or not. Foreshadowing creates suspense because it is a clue given to the reader. It is the reader’s job to guess what is going to happen in the story and that is what makes it interesting. Without foreshadowing the reader won’t be able to prepare what is going to happen next. Another scene where the foreshadowing technique is used was when the barber came up with his reasons to not kill Captain Torres. The barber contemplated in his mind, “Don’t want to stain myself with blood. Just lather, and nothing else,” (Tellez 2) which foreshadows that the barber is not going to commit murder.

Tension and uncertainty caused by the unknown is the meaning of suspense. In “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs suspense is found. During “The Monkey’s Paw” by Jacobs suspense is created through setting, irony, and foreshadowing. Much suspense is caused by these story elements.

Suspense is when the author makes the reader, or audience excited or scared for what might happen in the story, or even what will happen to the character next in the story. Suspense might even be something you see or hear that will make you have questions about what will happen next. If there is a cliffhanger at the end of a story, it will leave you with questions wondering what will happen to the characters next. The mood, tone, setting, emotions of character, sound and sight might affect how the story is suspenseful. We all enjoy watching suspenseful movies and reading stories, because they are exciting. It leaves us with questions that the author won't have the answers to in the end, so the author gives us as the audience, the chance to make up their own ending to the story or movie. The author will give you clues throughout the story, to help you fill in questions you might have in the end. This makes it more exciting for the reader and the audience because we get to engage with the characters in the book or movie. The tv series, Stranger Things, is about 4 kids who have to fight off monsters in a little town in Indiana. This TV show is a great example of suspense, and it shows it effectively because, of Foreshadowing, Dilemma, and Dramatic Irony presented throughout the show. With just using those four examples, Stranger Things is a great example of suspense.

he hesitation or decision-making issue within characters’ mind is regarded as an suspense. In “Just Lather, That’s All ”, the barber struggled in whether or not to kill the enemy who now infront of him. In the end, the barber did not want blood on his hand. Meanwhile, in “The sniper”, two snipers who were from different sides fought against each other in a war. While examining the corpse, the sniper discovered that the enemy was his brother. Also “The Black Cat” narrates the process of the protagonist from normal to committing a crime step-by-step. Internal conflict moves the story’s plot, thought the short stories “Just Lather, That's All”, “The Sniper” and “The Black Cat” respectively.

In the sources the authors talk about suspense in stories they write. The suspense in the story could be how the author doesn’t give full detail or description on one or more characters. In the source “How do horror writers create suspense” by Percy D’Aco it shows that many horror stories often revolve around mayhem and the stuff in nightmares, and that great horror story often reflects a person’s biggest fear. Often authors like to keep the readers in suspense to scare them or make them want to keep reading and see how the story ends.

A good mystery story needs a hero, a villan and an out of the ordinary storyline. In my opinion the story should have a realistic drama and the right setting, something to drastic will not allow the reader to relate to the story. A narrator may make the story more personal and the reader can really get inside the story to know what the character is feeling and fears, increasing tension. There also should be a range of suspects; some of these characters can be used as red herrings, which can mislead the reader, adding to the shock at the end of the story. In ‘The speckled band’ the suspects are the gypsies, the exotic animals and Dr Roylott, there are some obvious and some not,

People reads books and they get their captured by the suspense the authors use to write their stories. Suspense is a key point for most readers it keeps them reading the book to see what happens next. Both Edgar Allan Poe and Richard Connell are very good authors that use a lot of suspense throughout their short stories. Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” and Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” are two stories full of suspense. It’s unpredictable, surprising that we can’t figure out what happens next. .Through conflict, setting, and diction Poe and Connell are able to build suspense.

Poe and Dahl both create the effect of suspense. The feeling of being uncertain of what may happen next. In "Lamb to the slaughter" Dahl illustrates suspense when Mary Maloney knocks her husband over the head (pg. 4) after she's introduced as a sweet, loving, woman. After she kills

Imagine being stuck at the cruising altitude of the average passenger plane in the midst of the worst blizzard you’ve seen. This is what happened to the unfortunate groups climbing Everest in May of 1996, which Krakauer was a part of. Many climbers reached the summit in time to get down to camp before the storm set in, but for the others, they would end up fighting every second to survive the wrath of the blizzard. Tension and suspense are very similar, tension being a feeling of nervousness, excitement, fear, and suspense being a state of uncertainty, or having to wait for an outcome. Jon Krakauer creates a sense of tension and suspense throughout his book, Into Thin Air by order of events and using devices such as pacing and foreshadowing.

One of the first literary devices that is easily noticeable is suspense this is it what keeps the reader wanting more. When Al said “You can change history, Jake. Do you understand that? John Kennedy can live.” (King 111). Jake replies with huge doubts, “What if it went wrong?” ……. “What if I managed,……., to stop it from happening and made things worse instead of better? What if I came back