How To Pace Tension in Fiction

Author: Sandy Vaile
Originally published on the Romance Writers of Australia blog 08/06/20.
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The importance of matching suspense to the fluctuations of plot

Tension is a critical element of all stories and needs to be maintained in order to keep readers turning the pages, but how does this correspond to the fluctuations of plot? There can’t be life-threatening situations in every chapter, nor are all stories about mortal danger. So, let’s explore how you can match the fluctuations in a story’s plot to the level of tension.

First we need to be on the same page in understanding what tension and plot fluctuations are, and then we’ll explore how to synchronise the two for jaw-clenching read.

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