Yeah, I'm a little tense. My query is out there, waiting in an inbox. Has it been noticed? It is a brutal question I cannot answer. So to distract my mind and let my manuscript grow cold, I thought of a new idea for a book. I confess I don't have a plot. For a plot girl, that's saying a lot.
I just have an idea and a scene full of tension, now I need to find the before and after.
So what are the 5 T's of Tension: The Stakes, The Pace, The Dialogue, The Setting, The Stakes.
My Top 10 Fave Blog Posts on Creating Tension
- Supertaunt Tension and Sizzling Stakes @ Kidlit.
- Setting Up the Tension @ The Other Side of the Story.
- The Scene Conflict Worksheet: Developing Tension in Your Novel @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.
- Whoa, That's Tense. Raising the Tension in Your Scenes @ The Other Side of the Story.
- On Conflict @ Nathan Bransford.
- GMCT: Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Tension @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.
- It's Not the Cougar @ Writer Unboxed.
- Tips for Writing Effective Dialogue @ The Blood Red Pencil.
- Telegraphing (and Other Pace Killers) @ Writer Unboxed.
- Setting the Pace @ Nathan Bransford.
- Bonus: Writing for Effect @ Flogging the Quill.
- Bonus: 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Stephen Jones @ Guide to Literary Agents.
- Bonus: Writing a Hot Plot @ Kidlit.
Do you have any tips for creating tension in a story?
