Hi everybody! I’m Jon Bard, Managing Editor of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers. I’m also Fightin’ Bookwork-in-Chief at the cbiclubhouse.com, our new community just for children’s book writers.
Today, we’re going to talk about three ways to add tension to your story. We’ve always written about the need for tension or suspense in fiction. Another word would be conflict, those twists and turns of plot that get the readers heart beating. Whatever term you use, it’s an essential element in any story. What's the point of reading a book in which the character has only faced happy, calm, predictable situations. In a word, it’s boring. But you can’t simply lay tension over an existing story. The conflict has to be an intrinsic element of the plot and characters, plan out your tension from the beginning, incorporate suspense into the basic action of the plot. Here are some ways you can achieve tension filled stories.
First, start with the characters. As you're creating your characters, give them strengths and weaknesses. Your main character’s strengths will help him or her solve the problems of the story. But your character’s weaknesses could also provide obstacles to reaching that resolution and therefore enrich the plot. For example, if you're writing a middle grade mystery, the character might have extensive knowledge about rocks or bats which helps her find an essential clue inside a cave. But if she’s definitely afraid of the dark, going into that cave will be a challenge. Often, it’s the character’s weaknesses or flaws that get them in trouble in the first place. Or create secondary characters that work in opposition to your main character throwing roadblocks in her way as she wrestles with the stories conflict.
Next, ask “what if?” In the abc’s of writing for children, compiled by Elizabeth Koehler Pentacoff, author Katherine Sturtevant said, “If you're writing a novel, spend some time writing pages that you know will never be part of the book. Put your character in various situations and see how he or she behaves. How would she react if her house had burned down and all her possessions were gone? What if her best friend won a contest she’d been hoping to win herself? If the person she resented most in the world suddenly gave her a present.” Since these situations don’t have to appear in your work, there is an endless list of them. You can put your character in scenes with her parents, siblings or friends until you feel you have a good handle on how she would behave under a variety of situations. Once you’ve learned your characters reactions to stressful situations, incorporate those reactions into actual scenes from your plot.
Finally, raise the stakes. The most satisfying plots have the character trying to achieve a goal failing several times and finally succeeding. Each time the character fails, the tension mounts. Don’t be afraid to raise the stakes for your character. Put him in danger. Pull the rag out from under her feet. Make him face his worst fear. If the worst thing that could possibly happen to your character actually occurs and your character overcomes these odds and succeeds, your readers will hang on every word.
I hope you enjoyed this video. If you want more information, visit us at the CBI clubhouse for lots more information. CBI Clubhouse is our new information filled membership just for children’s writers. You’ll finds of audio/video podcasts, articles, message boards and so much more. Get it over to the CBI Clubhouse at cbiclubhouse.com and come hang with the fighting bookworms. Until next time, this is Jon Bard from Children’s Book Insider.
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