˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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writing facial features! ━━ no. 016
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     ON TODAY'S EPISODE OF 'GRAYSON GIVES YOU WRITING ADVICE THAT IS HOPEFULLY BENEFICIAL IN YOUR WRITING,' I WILL BE DISCUSSING A TOPIC THAT I FIND VERY PIVOTAL IN WRITING IN GENERAL.

     Story tension.

     In case you didn't know, story tension is the core of an interesting plot and causes your readers to pay attention in your chapters.

     Before we deep dive into story tension, it's important to know what the word story tension truly means.

━━ 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡: "The element in a novel that evokes emotions such as worry, anxiety, fear, and stress on the part of both the reader and the characters in a novel."

     Now, that you know the definition, it's time to dive into the four types of story tension and how to properly create it in your stories.

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 (𝑨 𝑩𝑨𝑺𝑰𝑪 𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾) ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ These tips all stem from Thanet Writers. Credit for this portion goes to them.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Relationship Tension. "Every character will have relationships with other characters around them, from partners and family to rivals and enemies. Equally, tension will exist in every relationship, though the form it takes will vary considerably."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. Task Tension. "Having a task to complete—whether set by other characters or circumstance, or self-inflicted—brings tension in multiple ways. Along with the obvious will they/won't they element, there is also the matter of finishing the task on time and effectively, and the ramifications of how both undertaking and completing that task will affect the character and those around them."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. Surprise Tension. "A surprise in the narrative will immediately add tension, as sudden alteration of circumstances will place the characters in new situations where they will be forced to adapt. Surprises can be delivered in different ways, and not all characters—or even the reader—need to be surprised; it is the adjustment of circumstance that injects tension."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. Mystery Tension. (My personal favorite.) "Embedding a mystery to be solved—either by a character, multiple characters, the reader, or some combination thereof—can add additional layers of tension to a story. The mystery can either be the central concept or a subtle extra, or something in between."

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎: 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ These tips all stem from Now Novel. Credit for this portion goes to them. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          Understanding how to create tension in your story is key to writing a gripping, "I'll just read one more page before bed" book. So, below I will be giving some steps that will help ensure that your story has effective narrative/story tension.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. Create a conflict crucial to your characters. When planning your story's main conflicts, choose a conflict that matters. What is your main character's first goal? What tension or friction could stand in their way? Do they possess a quality that could cause them potential trouble?

          The conflict you create can be as small as an internal struggle or something as big as the fate of the entire planet in the hands of your main character. The key to creating this conflict though is that it has to relate to and threaten the most important things to your characters. (Such as family, free will, friendships, relationships, physical possessions, etc.) While planning, figure out your characters' first goals, and the rising and falling action that stands between them and what they desire.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. Don't let your character(s) get what they want. At the very end of your story, there should never be a point where there isn't tension. (Either between your characters or in various situations.) By not giving your characters what they want at the end of your story, you are adding tension and causing your readers to want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. Create engaging characters with opposing goals. Look, your readers need to care about what happens to your characters and in order to make them care, you first need to engage with them. "Many writers feel that they need to write characters who are likable, and this is certainly the best way to guarantee reader identification. However, characters we don't relate to all the time (or even don't relate to any of the time) are often equally intriguing." You can still make a reader care about your character(s) by making them interesting and engaging in some way.

          One way to make your characters engaging is to give them opposing goals, views, morals, and values. The key here is that characters' personalities and approaches to conflict can differ and create disagreements, and thus, can sometimes create engaging characters.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. How can I make my character's situation worse? One of the best things I've learned throughout my years of writing and English classes is that you should always keep at least ongoing tension/situation/or conflict present for your character(s) at any given time. By doing this, you are keeping your plot fresh, interesting, and unpredictable.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟱. Keep raising the stakes! For story/narrative tension, your protagonist needs to try and fail numerous times. No one is perfect and neither is your character. If you allow for them to succeed naturally at everything they try or do, you're not creating any tension or potential character growth. You're not allowing your character to grow and develop. However, if you do want them to succeed the first time, at least keep adverse possible consequences lurking in the background.

           ➳❥ Example: "Timmy might arrive at the party, having snuck out undetected, and notice his phone buzzing away with worried and/or angry texts. This small sign tells us he isn't completely off the hook."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟲. Keep elements of the "real world." In many stories, authors tend to fail at creating imperfect worlds that mirror our own. Sure, they're not complete utopian societies, but they aren't dystopian ones. They're more in the middle and lean towards perfect or unproblematic, but if you're creating a fictional world, it needs to have flaws that are realistic and relatable. Flaws that everyone can understand.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟳. Allow tension to ebb and flow. While writing, you may be tempted "to keep a constant stream of exciting things happening in order to ensure that the interest of your readers never flags." But here's the sad truth: this will actually have the opposite effect. Not only do you need quiet periods to build elements in a story such as character development, but if it's all tension, all the time, your readers will simply get burned out. You need to allow for breaks so your readers can recover, even if it's just for a chapter. It's important to pace your suspense.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟴. Keep making the reader ask questions. How do you keep your readers engaged in the quieter moments of your story when it isn't all nail-biting action and hair's-breadth escapes? One way to achieve this is by creating good characters, who are interesting even when not in a state of emergency. You can also do so by ensuring that you are always raising interesting questions that your readers will desperately want the answers to. "Try to raise new questions at the ends of chapters in particular, so that you create a sense of forwarding propulsion to the next event (and the next)."

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟵. Create internal and external conflict. Story tension is the most captivating and varied when it arises from both forces outside of the character and those within. Internal conflict happens when a character struggles with something within themselves; it is also referred to as Man vs. Self. In movies or TV shows, this might be shown as the good angel on one shoulder and the evil demon on the other. Typically, internal conflict is utilized to add depth, mood, morality, and humanism to characters. An external conflict is one in which a character struggles with a force outside of themselves; it is also referred to as Man vs. Environment and Man vs. Society. The forces the character may be trying to overcome can be against other characters, societal forces, or nature.

          ╰─── 𝟭𝟬. Make the story unfold in a shorter space of time. Honestly, this approach is not suitable for every story and can be very difficult to achieve in writing, but if you can narrow the story you are telling into a short time frame, and keep events concrete, clear and fast-paced, and requiring urgent resolution—this will aid tension.

          I hope these were all helpful and if you have any questions or want more tips, let me know!

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