How to write suspenseful scenes to hook your readers

Suspense is used to keep a reader’s attention and interest.

Writing suspense is done by setting reader expectations. This is done by controlling how much information you reveal to readers and choosing the right time and method to reveal it.

Main types of suspense

Overall, there are two main types of suspense:

• Dramatic Irony. This is where the reader will know more than the protagonist of the story. For example, the reader may know of someone’s death before the protagonist does, which causes the reader to feel dread for when the protagonist finds out as they know what is coming, the protagonists shock and grief.

• Withholding information. This method is where the reader will know the same or less than the protagonist. The reader will stay interested in the story as they will want more information and answers to questions. Curiosity is what will drive the reader through your story, so keep things vague when you can.

Suspense or surprise

Surprise is where you tell your reader something and the reader had no idea it would happen. Whereas suspense is where readers will have a basic or little idea that something is coming but they don’t know when.

How does suspense affect the reader?

• It creates a puzzle to be solved. This is especially true in mystery novels where the detectives have to find clues and piece together who did it and why. Readers will try to piece together the clues and puzzles as well.

• Suspense sets a mood. Setting the mood is a very important tool in writing. Show the readers how something terrible could happen to the characters. Internal monologue can also help with this as well.

• Time pressure gives urgency. The most common way to do this is through deadlines. They are particularly effective when they provide a threat to something the protagonist cares about.

• Using fear to your advantage. Describe what is happening and how your characters feel in concise sensory detail. This will let your readers feel the intense fear as well.

• Create expectations. If your character is very afraid of a horrible event, showing this through internal monologue will also have your readers dreading it too.

• Abrupt surprises. These will leave your readers shocked and constantly on the edge of their seats. George R. R. Martin did this best with Game of Thrones (1996) using sudden disasters and events to create uncertainty.

Ways to write suspense

• Have the reader asking questions. How will the character escape? What is in the box? Who is the killer? Any questions raised in the story you must answer, and it keeps the reader reading.

• Create a hidden identity. A common but effective method of suspense is to have a character who hides who they are, but controls things from behind the scenes or always wears a mask.

• Create a puzzle. Some stories may have characters following a series of clues or riddles. This could be to escape somewhere or to solve a murder mystery.

• Use flashbacks to open new sources of suspense. Flashbacks are a great way to release new information, or to show why a character did something/acts a certain way.

• Finish a chapter with a cliffhanger ending.

• Withhold information about characters histories to keep the readers guessing about the dark secrets of their past.

• Internal monologue can raise tensions, and the reader will worry about anything the protagonist worries about.

Thank you for reading, if you have any other tips for writing suspense do leave them in the comments below!