Suspense in Stories

This is one issue that I would definitely love to tackle, seeing as how many stories here on Asianfanfics are predictable, mainly because of cliche and typical scenes that they provide. That's not a bad thing though. There are good cliches, and there are bad ones, too. I believe that it just goes to how well you relay your story, and I think that a good way in keeping your readers enticed despite the clicheness is through suspense, to which foreshadowing is definitely a good tool.

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Why do we even need suspense?

Suspense is an important element of any story. So you're not writing romantic suspense? That doesn't matter. All writers should work suspense into their stories. Suspense doesn't have to involve car chases and psychopaths stalking your heroine. There is suspense in everything from a tense boardroom meeting to a Regency ball where the heroine risks being compromised by a cad to a frontier heroine facing off alone against a dust storm. Lives don't have to be at stake. You, as the author, can generate suspense out of relatively mundane things, as long as they are important to the story, such as whether the stuffy hero will walk under the door just before the pail of water falls down.

Foreshadowing is one tool you can use to heighten the suspense. It gets a separate section because it can get pretty complicated, and it can be hard to foreshadow events just right. Anyway, here are a few tips that I'd like to share prior to creating the best suspense.

1. Make the Live Up to the Suspense

As we all know, sometimes the anticipation is more exciting than the actual event. A nice sunny Thursday can turn into a rainy weekend filled with chores. A suspenseful novel can sputter out when the solution is unfolded. How do you plant the best ending for your story? Start by thinking of the reader. What would interesting, shock, and shake the reader? Is the resolution too pat? If so, make it harder for your characters. Oh, think of your characters, too, of course. Do they have enough obstacles? Are they reacting in character to what happens. Oh, and make sure the villains get an appropriate comeuppance.

If the suspense is good enough, readers may forgive a relatively weak ending. However, they may be less likely to pick up your next story. The best writers of suspense know that they can get away with teasing the reader for only so long. Eventually, there has to be a pay-off. Make it to a point to reveal what needs to be revealed in due time though. Sometimes, readers tend to get bored from suspense, even if you, as the author, believe that it isn't the right time. I know this, because I also have a story concerning a very critical suspense. For me, I still believe that it isn't the time for any revelation whatsoever, since the story's still progressing, yet some of the readers had already told me to just tell them what the deal really is. Needless to say, make them enticed. It's always the important part in suspense. As much as possible, keep them going and excited.

2. Avoid Contrived Suspense

There's nothing more annoying than stories where the suspense comes about because the heroine walks into a parking garage alone even though there's a serial killer out to get her. (This is really annoying for me, too, to be honest. It's just so cliche!) Or, leaving aside the world of romantic suspense, suspense can be created artificially in other stories as well. For example, when a heroine in a historical romance decides to do something that will get her in deep doo-doo, such as making out with the hero, and even worse, refusing to marry him when they are caught in a comprising position. However, all too many stories try to stretch out the suspense by making the heroine decide that she doesn't want to marry the hero, no matter what the risk to her reputation. She wants to remain free, like the birds. Of course, eventually she'll realize that she has to give in, and they'll marry, until the next silly obstacle. If the heroine has a reason to do these things, that's fine. Otherwise, readers might feel manipulated.

Characters need reasons to act a certain way. Not just curiosity. If they're in mortal danger, most people will wait to find an answer instead of cavorting in a deserted building or other creepy place. This makes sense, doesn't it? Think about it. It might be a very good cliche, but then again, one couldn't erase the fact that it is indeed cliche, hence it's predictable -- no surprise whatsoever. It's like a person simply nodding his/her head to someone speaking to him/her -- a very simple and dull reaction, that is.

Likewise, avoid throwing in random obstacles that don't stem from the plot or characters. That's fake suspense, and well, it . Let's take this scenario. The hero is trying to get away from murderous drug dealers. He runs across the parking lot -- whoops, someone nearly runs him over, and he has to stop. As if that weren't enough, when he gets to his car, he can't find his keys. All those obstacles exciting? Sure. But you can do better. Instead of relying on random problems, why not use your villains to make his life harder? If they know who he is, they can damage his car, forcing him to find another way to get away. Now that's more interesting than some numskull who suddenly can't find his keys. Makes sense, doesn't it?

3. Avoid False Suspense

Don't you hate it when movies make you think something important is about to happen, and then the "prowler" turns out to be the heroine's cat? Luckily, writers know better than to put scenes like this in their stories. Still, there are ways writers can end up creating false suspense. The frontier heroine can hear a wild animal growling outside and scratching at the door, only to learn that it was the hero's dog. The old Nancy Drew books were classics at this. Every chapter ended with something shockin