Techniques for Creating Suspense In Writing

Verbal Irony

A technique when a character says the opposite of what he or she acially means; note: when used as a suspense technique, this is different from sarcasm where words are said in sich a way that everyone knows he/she means the opposite

Red Herring

A technique when an author intentionally places "clues" in the story that actually lead the reader to believe something that is not true; usually found in mystery or detective novels, but not limited to them.

Situational Irony

A technique when the author sets up a situation for the reader to believe that is actially the opposite of what ends up happening so as to create a surprise for the reader

Dramatic Irony

A technique when the reaer knows more than the characters in the story; this creates tension when the characters are in dangerous situation they are trying to survive, but it can also create himor ein the non-threatening situations as well or sympathy in situations where characters are being manipulated

Flashback

An earlier event inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative, usually to provide important missing information.

Cliffhanger

Appearing at the end of a chapter or at the end of the story this is when the author stops at a point when an important character is put in a precarious(dangerous) position or a difficult dilemma, before explaining how the problem was resolved.

Unreliable Narrator

This is a literary device in which the credibility (believability) of the narrator is seriously compromised. This can be due to physiological instability, a powerful bias, a lack of knowledge, or even a deliberate attempt to deceive the reader or audience. These are usually first-person narrators.

Scene Omission

When an author deliberately skips over a scene, usually one of great import; a method of creating suspense by encouraging the reader to infer what happened in those missing moments.

Foreshadowing

When an author gives subtle (not easily noticeable) hints or clues as to what will happen later in the story.

In Media Res

When the narrative starts in the middle of the story, usually with an attention-grabbing scene, instead of from its chronological beginning. The characters, setting, and conflict are often introduced through a series of flashbacks or through characters relating past events to each other.

Mood

the overall feeling the reader gets while reading the story; authors create mood through the description, dialogue and plot events.