There are certain things that human beings seek out as a universal truth when they turn to a piece of writing or film. One of the elements that all humans crave is suspense. We like to be dragged along to a certain extent before we finally learn the meaning behind the piece of media that we are consuming. Therefore, it is imperative that those who create these works of art learn how to add suspense to the work that they are constructing for their audience. Today, we will look at that critical element of suspense.

How Does Suspense Work?

The idea behind suspense is that the consumer is given some information about what they are viewing, but they are not presented with everything upfront. Ideally, this will leave them guessing about what is about to take place next. The excitement of this for the consumer of the media is that they ultimately get to see if their guesses were right or wrong. Either outcome can be enjoyable for them when done well.

It is important to think about how to weave suspense into your work. A few proven ways to do so include:

• Build Emotion in Your Characters – The slow and steady increase in emotion in certain characters can add to the elements of suspense that you are looking to build.
• Take Things to the Extreme – Break away from the norm or what is expected in a particular setting. This will heighten the feeling behind everything you do and bring about even more suspense to the scene you are setting.

Difference Between Suspense and Surprise

The concepts of suspense and surprise can seem quite similar to one another. In fact, it is often the case that people get the two concepts confused for one another or otherwise have difficulties figuring out how to tell the difference between the two. The reality is that while these two terms are closely connected, they are not quite the same thing.

Suspense is about building tension before finally revealing certain elements that had previously been hidden from the reader. On the other hand, surprise is something truly shocking and unexpected that the consumer could not have expected.

How Do Cliffhangers Impact Suspense?

One of the most tried and true ways to build suspense for your audience is to include cliffhangers. The purpose behind this is to literally leave them waiting for more. You lead an audience right up to the edge of explaining some critical component of the story you are trying to tell, but then you don’t complete that loop.

Doing this will help create a sense of anticipation within your audience that they want to resolve. The only way that they can resolve that tension is to tune in to see what you have to say next. It is truly an outstanding way to build suspense and leave your audience wanting to come back for more.

Take Your Time

When creating suspense in any story it is best to take your time and slowly roll the story out just the way that you want to tell it. If you do this, it slows down the speed at which you get your story out, but it also means that you increase the tension within that story. Both of those things can serve you well when your goal is to impress your audience and create suspense.

Join Us at Be On Air to Learn How to Create Suspense for Your Audience

Learn to become the best storyteller that you possibly can and develop all of the storytelling skills that you need to become an expert in the craft. That is what we want for you at Be On Air, and that is what we know can make for an outstanding story. If that is what you want when you create your next story, then reach out and contact us today to learn the tools of the trade to make it happen.