12 SUSPENSE TECHNIQUES
WRITERS USE TO KEEP YOU HOOKED
1. HOOKS: How does an author start the story?
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Is there intrigue? Unease?
Is there an unanswered question?
Is there something…odd?
2. FORESHADOWING creating suspense by placing clues, both subtle and
direct, about future events into the text. These clues/hints include
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mentioning an upcoming event or explaining the plans of the characters
portrayed in the text
portraying characters' subtle reactions to objects in their environment to
show that those objects might play be important in the upcoming action
using changes in the weather or mood to hint at whether good or bad
fortune will follow
3. THE PROTAGONIST:
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the protagonist has to be someone the reader believes in/worries /cares
about.
when the protagonist is in peril, the reader needs to root for him to pull
through.
4. The ANTAGONIST makes an appearance
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The reader believes in & fears this force that acts against the protagonist
The villain is a worthy opponent
7. STRESSED OUT HERO: Authors put protagonists under pressure.
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Whatever the conflict is, if the hero loses, it's going to cost him horribly.
The protagonist should be working against the odds.
8.PACING refers to how the author speeds up or slows down the action
(sometimes they skip days, weeks, months, years ahead in the story),
other times an author puts the action in slow-motion.
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SUPER FAST
SLOW-MO
Make the protagonist work against the clock- the clock should work for the
antagonist
9. DRAMATIC IRONY: Author’s will let you see thoughts and actions of all
characters.
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The reader may see trouble before the protagonist does.
The reader anticipates a collision course with disaster.
10. WRITING STYLE:
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Use of short sentences successively to speed up action
Use of long sentences to slow down action
11. MAGNIFICATION:
 Sensory elements are magnified (sounds, colors, smells, touch,
etc…)
5. MOTIVE: Authors give the protagonist the initiative.
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The protagonist takes active steps to achieve a goal against impossible
odds or to prevent opposing forces from overcoming him or his loved ones.
The story must be about an event disrupting the protagonist’s world
The hero must be willing to do anything to solve his/her problem.
6. DILEMMAS: The author makes things tough for the protagonist by
including more small problems.
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Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse….they do.
Unexpected complications make the protagonists life TOUGH!
The protagonist just may give up because things got really tough…..but
doesn’t. Phew!
Apply pressure- make the protagonist squirm
12. VIEWPOINT
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The reader has foresight and can see the viewpoints of both the protagonist and
the antagonist.
The reader sees the lines of convergence between the protagonist and antagonist
and feels the consequences of the perils ahead.
Tension will build from the reader’s self-imposed fears of knowing that the hero is
on a collision course with disaster.
12. UNPREDICTABLE EVENTS
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The stakes are kept high with a level of unpredictability
Things should not go according to plan
Suspenseful YA Novels
YOU would LOVE!
Your Handy-Dandy Guide to
SUSPENSE
If you’ve ever sat at the edge of
your seat during a movie,
watched a movie by peeking
from behind your hands, or
flipped pages quickly to find
out what happens next… then
you’ve experienced suspense.
What is suspense?
It’s the feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, anxiety, uneasiness that
a reader or viewer feel as a story unfolds. There are many techniques
that writers use to create suspense.
Why do author’s use suspense?
 To keep you hooked
 To reel you into a story
 To keep you riveted
 To offer you a thrill
 To keep you reading
 To make you worry about the protagonist