Building Suspense in Any Genre

by Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777

Some genres lend themselves to suspense more than others, but every fiction genre requires it in one form or another. For those of us who write thrillers and romantic suspense, the concept of danger around the next bend or a ticking clock is an ever-present reality, but even if you write romance or fantasy, suspense is part of great storytelling.

The atmosphere when your protagonist steps out of a taxi to head into the restaurant and meet his blind date can serve to heighten that suspense. Is it foggy? Did he just realize he forgot his wallet? Is there a lump in his throat? Does the taxi smell of vanilla, reminding him of his deceased wife? All of these details serve to inject suspense.

When you come to the end of a scene, are you winding down like you’re coming to a close, or do you instead leave it on a micro-cliffhanger? I recommend the latter. End your scenes with some form of unresolved tension. If you leave your protagonist (or antagonist) with a new problem or a choice they must make, your reader will want to turn the page to find out what happens next.

Let’s say you write fantasy; did you just end that scene with your hero returning home safely? If so, did you introduce some new element to keep the reader glued to the page? Does a falcon show up with an unexpected letter when he arrives? Does the shadow of the bird appear first in the gloaming? Maybe instead of the usual falcon that your hero may expect, a raven appears. A bad omen for sure. Just that touch of suspense makes the reader want to turn to the next scene and find out why the bird has arrived.

Nobody wants to read about a character living a boring life. They picked up your book for a reason. Maybe they want an escape, or maybe you write biblical fiction, and they want to learn some more detail about what life was like in biblical times. Whatever reason that reader chose your book, I guarantee they want to see character growth and intrigue.

If you write suspense or thrillers, you need to up the ante. Don’t be overly kind to your characters. Put them through the fire in the same way the Lord has allowed you to go through fiery trials. Let your own pain and suffering find its way onto the page, not by sharing your personal experiences, but by translating those hardships into experiences for your characters.

Readers expect to be kept on the edge of their seats wondering how your hero and heroine are going to survive, and survive they must, or you’ve delved into a whole new genre. You’re free to kill off side characters when necessary for your plot, but keep your protagonists alive, unless you want to alienate your readers.

Go forth and write, and remember: always leave your readers wanting more. That’s the heart (and art) of suspense.

Elle E. Kay is an Angel Award-winning author of 25 Christian fiction titles with 15 million page reads. Her recent release, Midnight Masquerade, delves into the dark world of human trafficking. Elle lives on a North Central Pennsylvania hobby farm, serves in women and teen ministries, and blogs at ElleEKay.com.