Tension

[Svrtnsse]

I've recently received some (well meant) feedback on how a lot of my writing lacks tension. This is true and it's something I will deal with. However, for the moment I'm just trying to come to terms with the concept and what it means. I think I've got a decent feel for it - not enough to word a definition of it, but enough that I think I'm in the right ballpark. I'd like some feedback though.

My feeling is that tension is mainly in the storytelling and not as much in the writing. There must be something going on in the scene to hook the tension into. If my MC is just faffing about smelling the flowers, it probably won't hold anyone's attention for very long. If my MC is faffing around smelling the flowers and the reader knows that one of the flowers is really a tentacled monster in disguise that should (in theory) keep them reading.

What I'm getting at is that I think tension is based largely on what's happening, not on how it's written. I'm thinking that if there's nothing interesting going on in my scene I'll have a really hard time putting tension in through just pure word-crafting. It's probably doable (and I'll keep trying, because it's part of how I like to write), but it ought to be so much easier if there's actually something to be excited about.

However, I don't think the reverse holds true. I think that no matter how exciting the events in my scene are it would be really easy for me to completely remove any and all tension through plain bad writing.

What's your take on this?
Does the above make sense or have I gotten it all completely wrong?

 

[Edankyn]

What I'm getting at is that I think tension is based largely on what's happening, not on how it's written.

I would agree with that for the most part. An author can enhance the tension of the plot through excellent writing or destroy it through inept writing, but by and large the tension in a story is plot related.

 

[Devor]

I think some people view tension this way: People shouldn't be talking about the roses; they should be arguing about the roses. I think that's wrong so I think the word's misleading. I would say that tension is this looming sense that the conflict is building. Sometimes your language can deliver on that tension, or fail to, but I would say we normally talk about tension as something which comes from the story itself.

The hard part, I think, is balancing that buildup of tension with the basic need to develop your characters. We need the story to build on the conflict, but we also need to take time to see that our characters are well-rounded and human. You've got to figure out ways to do both at once, and also find the right time to break the tension with a softer scene.

 

[Feo Takahari]

This makes me wonder how broad a term "tension" is. Obviously, if the MC is at risk of being eaten by a monster, that's a tense scene. But what if the MC is, say, considering whether to break up with his girlfriend? Is there tension in the weighing of consequences and the question of what he'll choose? (Personally, I don't write a lot of about-to-be-eaten tension--I mostly try to build investment in characters' choices.)

 

[Svrtnsse]

This makes me wonder how broad a term "tension" is. Obviously, if the MC is at risk of being eaten by a monster, that's a tense scene. But what if the MC is, say, considering whether to break up with his girlfriend? Is there tension in the weighing of consequences and the question of what he'll choose? (Personally, I don't write a lot of about-to-be-eaten tension--I mostly try to build investment in characters' choices.)

I'm pretty sure the potential of an imminent breakup can cause as much tension as the potential of an imminent disembowelment by sharp thorny tentacles. I think that as long as the reader is into the basic concept of the story, the relative level of tension between the two scenarios could be roughly the same. I think the tension comes from the potential that "bad stuff" can happen and that it will have implications in some form.
So in that sense I think tension is a very broad term. I guess the level of tension could be defined by the potential implications of the bad stuff. This in turn would be based on the story so far. If someone gets smashed to bloody pieces in the first few pages it's not that big a deal (to the reader), but if the MC has to chose between the love interest he's been pursuing for the entire book and something else important, then it's all of a sudden a very big deal.

 

[Chessie]

How about it being is the tension happening for the character himself? He could be in a room full of happy people and have an issue going on within himself that provides the reader/scene with plenty of tension. So maybe try looking at it from a softer perspective.

 

[Penpilot]

I think you could just define tension as good questions, if asked in an interesting way by the author, that the reader is interested in finding out the answers to.

Will they get together?
Will the hero defeat the villain?
Will that mad scientist finish his death ray?
Will Mom stop calling me?
Will Bob realize I'm right?

 

[Svrtnsse]

How about it being is the tension happening for the character himself? He could be in a room full of happy people and have an issue going on within himself that provides the reader/scene with plenty of tension. So maybe try looking at it from a softer perspective.

I definitely think there could be tension within such a scene. You just need the proper buildup for it so that the reader will understand what's going on within the character's head at the time. If I were to guess I would say it's the kind of thing that's on the trickier side and which would require more planning.
It's probably easier to put some tension into a scene when you have something big and obvious to deal with, than if you're tweaking subtle details. It ought to be easier to put tension into a combat scene than in quiet stroll in the park (provided it really is just a quiet stroll in the park). Ought to be...

 

[Svrtnsse]

I think you could just define tension as good questions, if asked in an interesting way by the author, that the reader is interested in finding out the answers to.

Will they get together?
Will the hero defeat the villain?
Will that mad scientist finish his death ray?
Will Mom stop calling me?
Will Bob realize I'm right?

This is a good point. I think the source of the tension is in the unanswered question and that the amount of tension you get out of it is in how the question is asked.

This leads to something else to muse on as well. The tension in a scene is linked to what's going on in the scene, but the question that's being asked, may very well have been formulated in the entire story so far.
On that note, would you say that scenes which do not contribute to the asking of the question answered at the end of the book ought to be cut out?
Asking this on a larger, broader, general scale. I'm confident there are situations where scenes completely irrelevant to the final question can have their place in a story, but I'm guessing these would be exceptions rather than the rule.

 

[Penpilot]

I think subplots bring up their own questions and the answer to those questions support the over all story question. Like you said if they don't help the story along, cut them.

 

[Addison]

Tension is like your example with the tentacled monster in the flowers. It's build up, the parts of the story where the reader is gripping the book and the character gripping a weapon and both are thinking "is the killer around the corner?" "Why isn't he here yet?" "What's the code to open the door before they kill me?"

The tension can either deal with the story line directly (de-activating a ticking bomb with ten seconds left), with the character's internal struggles (does he have the courage to pull it off, can she tell him how she feels before he leaves?) or even interpersonal, and not just between hero and villain. But tension doesn't have to be thrown in big and bold. Tension, like the conflict, should build and grow as the story grows to the climax where everything comes to a head.

 

[wordwalker]

And remember the difference between "tension" aka Suspense, and "shock":

• Tension is built up over time
• Shock is sudden

Ideally, an occasional shock makes the tension afterward work even better, by proving Anything Can Happen so the reader stays more alert. But the more important an event is, the less out-of-nowhere you want it to be, and the more built up. (Even if it's still surprising just what happens; "inexpected but inevitable" can be the ideal.)

 

[Svrtnsse]

Many thanks to everyone for all the replies.
I'm pretty confident I've got a good grasp of the theory behind the concept now. Next step will be to apply this understanding to an actual story.

I've improved enough as a writer now since I started on my first novel (which I'm about a thirds through now) that I've decided to revise the outline for the rest of the story. I'll be sticking to the chain of events that I originally planned on, but I'm pretty sure I can twist and bend the individual scenes so that they contribute more to the actual story.





...no there won't be any tentacle monster flowers.

 

[The Dark One]

My fundamental understanding of plot is all around the gradual drip feed of information to the reader. Choosing to let the reader know things at certain times is how you build tension - tension happens in the mind of the reader and you build tension by raising questions, inspiring anticipation and generating an emotional response.

A favourite trick of mine is to let the reader know something before the main character does. Then the reader has to watch the main character walking into a trap or dealing with a secret enemy he thinks is a friend or generally going beyond foreseeable help by making decisions the reader knows are wrong/dangerous/lethal.

 

[BWFoster78]

What's your take on this?
Does the above make sense or have I gotten it all completely wrong?

Svrtnsse,

I agree mostly with what you wrote. Good on you for understanding that relationship issues can be just as tense as a monster.

I think of building tension this way:

1. Give your character a goal.
2. Make sure there is a clearly understandable consequence to that goal not being met.
3. Create opposition to the character achieving the goal.

For your example of the monster,

1. Goal is to not get dead.
2. The consequence is obviously that the character would die.
3. The monster is trying to kill the character, thus putting itself in opposition to the character.

Struggles of this kind are the easiest to understand as far as tension goes, but you can apply it to anything. Take the relationship issue:

1. The goal is important. Is it to win the girl or is it for the character to protect himself from a broken heart? Depends on the character. I tend to think the second is more interesting, so, for this example, let's go with that.
2. It's important for the author to make the consequence of getting a broken heart be traumatic. Emphasize the character's emotional vulnerability.
3. The opposition isn't the girl but both the character. His lack of knowledge of how to proceed and temerity at the prospect of being hurt keep him from his goal.

Hope this helps!

Brian

 

[Nihal]

I got the feeling you're underestimating a little the role of the writing when building the tension; and you don't need to have a major event to build tension. You don't always have to build the tension to the end, "cut the wire or the bomb will explode". Minor events can have some tension too, and it's the intercalation between calmer and more tense moments that will give the story some flow.

One can write exactly the same scene and build tension just by picking different aspects to describe and changing how they're perceived. I particularly enjoy this kind of tension over the "tell the reader but not the character" type of tension, although both have their uses.

Let's say our MC is walking down a street during a festival. The dusk is upon them. There is a lot of noise and scents, laughs, food, some performers playing with fire, masks and cloaks. People are dancing and playing and watching the performances, the rich and the poor mixing more than the usual. The street where the festival takes places is decorated with colorful lanterns and fires, here and there you can see some stages and contests going on. It's a merry occasion.

But what if I describe how the adjacent streets are quite deserted and dark, with the dusk upon them but no one to light the lanterns yet? A performer spits some oil, it catches fire and with the momentary light the MC can get a glimpse of two passed out drunks in a dirty alley. Ahead he sees the fringe of a dark cloak disappearing in the corner. An absurdly loud laugh explodes near his left ear breaking his concentration, and the merry street seems unbelievable chaotic, people pushing and wobbling oblivious to the shadowy figure and to him, too many smiles, too many teeth, faces hidden behind the masks. The smell of mixed foods and grease and sweat is nauseating. It's hot there. He turns. The two drunks are still laying in the darkness, but there is no one in the end of the alley. Someone pushes the MC. A couple. They ignore him and keep dancing. Oblivious. The MC enters the alley, feeling the cold walls closing around him. He approaches the nearest drunk, his boots splashing in a stinky puddle. The man is unmoving...

 

[Svrtnsse]

Struggles of this kind are the easiest to understand as far as tension goes, but you can apply it to anything. Take the relationship issue:

1. The goal is important. Is it to win the girl or is it for the character to protect himself from a broken heart? Depends on the character. I tend to think the second is more interesting, so, for this example, let's go with that.
2. It's important for the author to make the consequence of getting a broken heart be traumatic. Emphasize the character's emotional vulnerability.
3. The opposition isn't the girl but both the character. His lack of knowledge of how to proceed and temerity at the prospect of being hurt keep him from his goal.

This is sort of what I'm going for with my current WIP. Unfortunately I've come to realize that the way I've done the outline for the story doesn't actually support the build-up of tension very well - if at all.

My main intent was just to write a story about Enar going on vacation and about the girl he meets there. There's very little focus on why he's going on vacation or why meeting someone is important to him. At first glance this seems like fairly minor details, but as I've thought about it (after reading and pondering the replies here), I've come to realize they would be a really big deal for the actual story.
I think I'll be able to play this up through fairly minor adjustments of the parts I've already written, and I think I can adjust the outline of the remaining parts so that they take these things into account as well. This should, overall, lead to a better end result.

I got the feeling you're underestimating a little the role of the writing when building the tension; and you don't need to have a major event to build tension. You don't always have to build the tension to the end, "cut the wire or the bomb will explode". Minor events can have some tension too, and it's the intercalation between calmer and more tense moments that will give the story some flow.

I'm with you on this.
I've probably come across as if saying tension is all in the plot though. The main purpose of my questions in this thread so far has been to make sure I've got the basic foundations down right. The answers I've received so far has confirmed my understanding of the concept and I'm pretty confident I've got it right now.

What you're saying about the tension in a scene changing by how it is written makes a lot of sense, but I think it's the next step up from what I've been on about so far. Achieving tension through plot should be relatively easy. Achieving tension through presentation seems like it would be trickier.
I fully believe it's doable and I've attempted it myself on a few occasions. I'm just not all that confident in my writing yet to be sure I'm pulling it off well enough. I'll keep trying though and sooner or later I'll get the hang of it.

 

[wordwalker]

Agreed, you can do almost anything through working off of someone's goals.

And it goes beyond large or small things at risk:

My favorite example (I covered it in Quiet Scene or Boring Scene?) is that one day your "goal" when you come in to work might mostly be to patch up a problem, another day it might be to just trudge through things but be grateful for the friends you work beside. Even if nothing bigger is happening at the moment, doing buildups of that kind of tension still lets you focus the scene into something as interesting as you need.

Or here's an even more extreme example: a celebration. You painted a great image, Nihal, but what about the party that doesn't go wrong-- when you want to reward the hero with a chapter of just plain fun and more. A real challenge can be using the tools of tension to build up the sense of "What fun am I going to see next? a strange new kind of music? a pretty girl I'll remember? my friend being honored? Ohgodohgod that's Sir Strongbrow walking right toward me..."

It's all the same tools, if you look closely at them.

 

[BWFoster78]

Agreed, you can do almost anything through working off of someone's goals.

And it goes beyond large or small things at risk:

My favorite example (I covered it in Quiet Scene or Boring Scene?) is that one day your "goal" when you come in to work might mostly be to patch up a problem, another day it might be to just trudge through things but be grateful for the friends you work beside. Even if nothing bigger is happening at the moment, doing buildups of that kind of tension still lets you focus the scene into something as interesting as you need.

Or here's an even more extreme example: a celebration. You painted a great image, Nihal, but what about the party that doesn't go wrong-- when you want to reward the hero with a chapter of just plain fun and more. A real challenge can be using the tools of tension to build up the sense of "What fun am I going to see next? a strange new kind of music? a pretty girl I'll remember? my friend being honored? Ohgodohgod that's Sir Strongbrow walking right toward me..."

It's all the same tools, if you look closely at them.

Exactly.

Tension doesn't have to be conflict. Two people don't have to argue in order for a dialogue scene to contain tension.

The important point is that the easiest way to create tension in a story is to give it enough tension. Typically, No Tension = Boring.

 

[Scribble]

Have you been in tense situations? I think of it as a conflict between reason and instinct.

Instinct comes from natural systems: fight or flight stress response, embarrassment, feelings of intimidation, feelings of aggression, feelings of fear, and there is a conflict. Your reason struggles against your instincts, you are trapped in a situation that your instincts are revolting against, or are making it difficult for you to be calm.

The way the reader understands that stress isn't only through intellectual explanation, but through sharing the experience.

For example, when you have a stress response, it surfaces our fight-or-flight instinct, revving our physiology up to be ready for the task:

- Breathing rate increases (throat can become dry, obvious breathing)
- Heart rate increases (increases a feeling of panic, sweating)
- Pupils dilate (light can hurt, forcing squints)
- Blood-sugar levels increase (feel a buzzing, a hyperactivity)
- Anxiety increases (jumpiness)
- Downsides: Immune system less effective (you can break out in hives)

So, if you want to make the reader understand that the character is feeling stressed, you can hit on these elements giving cues. We know how it feels so we can relate.

What else creates tension for humans is when we have emotions that we are trying to hide from another person. In the example of your piece you posted, the male has feelings for the female, and is struggling with the desire to pursue them against a rational desire to keep it concealed. We've all felt that, there is this person who makes the world beautiful for us, and yet we can't say anything about it.

We try to keep up appearances, but subconsciously we want to reveal it. It could be fear of rejection or some social restriction that stops us. If that person shows us some attention we hear trumpets and birds singing, when they are out of our sight, we feel a loss. These are physical reactions to thoughts, and thoughts provoke physical reactions.

When that person looks at us directly in the eye, it makes us feel a certain way, and we need to catch ourselves from looking too enraptured. So we do things to look away, or appear non-chalant, disinterested, but it is a ruse. We struggle in our own skin to achieve the appropriate social behaviors. Embarrassment at having given away your feelings is something we struggle with. You may oscillate between longing and embarrassment around that person, particularly if you think you are misinterpreting their interest in you at times, we feel embarrassed that we thought they actually shared those feelings.

What else you could do is really try to imagine yourself in that situation with someone you fancy, or try to remember how it felt around someone you fancied in that way. Swap them for the other person, and play the scene out. Imagine the meeting with that intimidating boss that cowed you, or that guy who wanted to beat you up, or the awkward tension after a fight with your partner as you move around the kitchen making your lunch, stepping out of each other's way, steaming that they are the one who should apologize and suspecting that they feel the same about you! Emotions make tension!