4 Ways to Maintain Story Tension

All stories have tension whether it is a story with a life or death scenario or a will they - or won't they kiss kinda romance book. Tension is what pulls your reader through your story and keeps them turning the pages until they reach the very end. 

Here are four effective techniques to maintain the tension throughout your story and keep your readers ready to turn to the next page. 

Raise the Stakes

Your story already has a want - it's what drives all stories. Character A wants to accomplish something and either some event or another character is standing in their way. 

To bring more tension to your story, go ahead and throw more things in their way, and put more things on the line that they can lose. This heightens the sense of urgency in your character now that they have more obstacles to overcome. 

Not only do they have to save the Princess from the castle they also have to make it over a burning pit of lava. 

Create Time Pressure

Nothing creates the feeling of stress and tension more than that of a ticking clock. Sure the stakes were already high, they have to save the Princess from the castle and cross the lava - but now they have to do it before nightfall or else fearsome creatures will be out in numbers too great for them to handle. 

By either employing a clock or shorting the time on one already running you can create a sense of urgency to add a layer of tension to your story. 

Employ Foreshadowing

There's nothing that can motivate a reader more than waiting to find out if they were right. By dropping subtle hints, clues, or suggestions about future events you can drop a trail of breadcrumbs for your reader to follow as they read on to uncover the truth and discover if they were right about what is going to be happening at the end. 

Use Strategic Cliffhangers 

If you're an avid reader you'll know the feeling of reading late at night and promising yourself that you'll put the book down after just one more chapter - but then that chapter ends on a big cliffhanger so you just have to read on to the next chapter to know what happens - and then maybe the next after that. 

By withholding crucial information or introducing a twist in the story you can keep your reader on the edge of their seats eager to find out what happens next. 

---

Tension is an important aspect of your story in not only keeping your reader engaged but invested in your story as well. 

The most important thing to remember is that it's time to get back to writing. 

With love, 

B. King xo xo

____________________________________________________

*If you've liked what you read you can show your support by subscribing, pledging your support, or leaving me a tip that directly supports and aids me as a writer.

By joining Vocal+ you can earn more per read on every story you publish on Vocal.

Click my link to start your 7-day free trial today and start earning more for your stories.

____________________________________________________

This story was originally posted on Medium. Join Medium as a member for just $5/month to access premium content and help me continue creating articles like these. You can also earn money by posting your own stories using Mediums' Partner Program.

Help power my writing with a virtual coffee! Starting at just $1. Your support keeps my creativity brewing. Treat me to a cup! ☕

Thanks for your support and happy writing!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _