I hope that everyone had a wonderful, family filled Thanksgiving. With a lot of pie too. *Robyn rubs her tummy*
As I work on my new WIP, I am thinking about tension. Or specifically, how to RAMP it up and make the reader worry about the MC. If there is no tension, you have a lackluster, dreary story. Last week over at The Literary Lab Davin talked about Activation Energy. I asked him if you need a hook on every paragraph. This was his response: "I think you need a new hook every time you've made a jump that lets readers off of the last hook. Sections of books have moments of introduction and then moments of tension. Whenever you get past a moment of tension, I think you need a new hook, whether that be from paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, or chapter to chapter. For me, some books are so exciting throughout, that I'd say the writer only needed the one initial hook in the beginning."
I had read that writers needed at least a hook on every paragraph. So my next question to Davin was this. Are tension and a hook the same? Here is his answer: "I see hooks as the beginning of the tension. They start of a tense scene by snagging you with some little detail or question that you want answered. So, a hook creates tension, but not all tension will work as a hook." Pretty good stuff, huh?
I think my tension and/or hooks are becoming more clear, because for one thing my antagonist doesn't really think what he's doing is wrong, which makes him really threatening.:) I have given the MC (poor guy) as much trouble as I can possibly give him. I've figured out that the more trouble I give poor, poor Michael, the more my readers will cheer for him. Needless to say, the guy is having a rough go of it right about now. Even I feel sorry for the guy. But! He will win in the end...maybe.:)
How are your MC's managing? :) How are you at ramping up the tension in your story? Do you give your MC almost more than he/she can handle? What is your take on the two questions I had for Davin? Thanks for reading. :)
Interesting article. I've always considered hooks something you start and end chapters with to keep the readers turning the pages. In between the hooks should be tension, or a roller coaster of emotion. I will have to look at my writing a little more to see if I am adding the necessary hooks and tension.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, as always!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are working hard and your novel is going to blow everything out of the water, I'm sooo proud of you!
Great post, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe best use of tension - EVER - Dean Koontz's 'Intensity'. I held my breath through most of the reading process, was afraid to turn the page for fear what might happen, and yet what to turn the page so I could find out what happened. Heck, at one point my heart was beating so fast I thought I might be having a seizure. I don't dare read the book again. I'm not as young as I once was! Ha!
Personally, I think the tension needs to be doled out in small doses. Yeah, 'Intensity' was a great read, but my stress levels did increase. : ) Too much tension is not necessarily a good thing. : )
Hooks in every paragraph? Geesh, you try to drive me insane right at the start of Christmas season?????? I have enough trouble writing the hook for my query, and now I need to do it with every single paragraph?? Fine, fine!
S
This is how I try to work my plots too. I try to incorporate a new hook just before I release a previous one so that there is always at least one question looming.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good discussion Robyn!
ReplyDeleteI see introducing tension in a story like a wave - lift the readers up to a crest of high tension, then release them as the wave breaks, then slowly begin the lift up to a crest again and so on. The tension waves can be tsunamis or gentle swells - but keep the wave rhythm going all the time.
Hmm... You've given me lots to think about. Hooks on every paragraph? That sounds like it could be hard to accomplish, but maybe sometimes we make hooks without even being aware if it. Hope so, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the best books are ones that give the MC something really, really difficult to overcome. It makes their success or even their failure that much greater at the end.
Great topic! As you know, I think tension is key. And Davin's answers are right on. It's something I'm focusing on in my revisions as well.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I went through my book and made sure all of my chapter beginnings and endings were better and that I ended scenes well. Writing really is a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. :D
ReplyDeleteMy MC is about to have an unfortunate series of events. >:) I kinda look at each chapter as a mini arc-type-thing. It has a hook in the beginning, ramps up to some disaster or other, eases back down into another hook at the end. :D
I guess I think of a story as a series of scenes. And each scene needs tension and a hook that propels the story forward, not necessarily each paragraph. Although each paragraph must fulfill a purpose, not just be window dressing.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great words about tension and hooks. I hadn't thought about it that way before but realize that creating tension is instinctual for a writer. It's just learning to place it in the right spot, continue it and highlight it in a way that really digs deep into the heart of the reader.
ReplyDeleteI'm inbetween stories right now but in my next one (a revision) I'm pushing my MC to the breaking point. She needs it, though!
Only lately have I felt like I've had a better grasp on tension. I think I used to be too restricted by reality. I'd think, Well, if the situation gets too dangerous, my characters will never get out of it. Only now do I realize that that is exactly the place you want to be stuck in. You want to feel like your character is trapped, because that creates the most excitement!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on this right now in a couple of rewrites. I'm always asking myself, how can I make things worse for my MC, and how can I complicate my antagonist.
ReplyDeleteI've been told that my tension isn't believable. So I'm starting over...again. I can't wait to read your story. It sounds like you're moving ahead!
ReplyDeleteI follow Carrie Ryan's advice: what's the worst that can happen for those characters at that moment? For her, she gave them the happy home, the perfect situation...then set it all on fire.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to create more tension and drama in this current WIP - it is difficult because I know I have to actually follow through with the story line. You can't just set it up and then not have the punch action scene that means something to the storyline, you know? That's what I'm musing on now in my work.
ReplyDeletegood thoughts here!
I'm constantly looking for ways to up the tension, constantly searching for ways to make things worse and worse for my heroine and hero. I owe it all to Donald Maass. He's the master at teaching about tension. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder, Robyn!
Robin this post was for me! I felt like I was drowning my poor MC in tension! I understand now that is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited! *Squee*
Back to work...
I am trying to give my character worsening hardship, but oy, it's hard! good luck to you! I think tension and conflict are key.
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