What is tension, exactly?

Tension is the heightening of stakes in some way. I like to think of it as a dangling carrot in front of the protagonist. You never want to give them the carrot right away. They should reach, and strain, and work- even suffer- for it. Meanwhile, the audience watches with bated breath, and ideally roots for the protagonist to triumph.

Obstacles must stand between the protagonist and what they want. If there are no obstacles, it’s hard for the audience to care as much. We want to see how the hero earns victory in the face of adversity. We don’t really give a crap if victory’s guaranteed.

How many sports movies start with a really awesome team that wins the big championship? Not many! We’re usually watching bad or off-the-radar teams who have to band together and rise above adversity to become unlikely champions.

Prefer a nerdier example? There was an episode of Star Trek: TNG once where Data steps into the holodeck to play Sherlock Holmes, and immediately solves the entire mystery as soon as the game gets started. That’s what happens with zero tension.

How do I add tension?

If a scene/story feels flat or boring, it may be due to a lack of tension. The protagonist(s) might be having too easy a time getting what they want. Throwing in more tension might spice things up and make the protagonist’s victory feel earned. Again, tension = obstacles. Roadblocks, potholes, holding back the carrot. Here are some suggestions for injecting tension:

Mystery. Have the protagonist come upon places, people, and things he doesn’t understand right away. These are questions he can work to answer over the course of the narrative. When your audience is asking questions, that’s a good thing. They’ll stay tuned because they want the answers.

Disagreeing allies. It gets boring when a group of allies nod along together. If there’s too much agreement between characters, step back and think closer about what each of them really wants and values most. There may be more disagreement between them than you realize. Have these disagreements surface, and make the characters work through them. A common example is the rogue cop busting heads with his strait-laced police chief, but even two close friends can have different opinions on things.

Environmental obstacles. Maybe the power’s out, or a train’s pounding down the tracks, or poison gas has leaked into the room. Something physically threatens the protagonist and must be overcome with skill, pluck, teamwork, you name it.

Villains to fight- realistically. These would be fights the where protagonist has to struggle, and/or enlist the help of other characters, to win. It’s boring and unrealistic when a protagonist fights hundreds of minions without ever breaking a sweat or taking a hit.

Real fights are usually short, ugly, and brutal. The punches that action movie heroes so often shake off can actually be fatal if delivered properly. Yes, one measly punch can do serious damage. Also, even a really skilled fighter is gonna have a bad day or make a mistake. Make your heroes more vulnerable, and thus relatable. Fatigue and injury can also work as further obstacles to their goals. Think of John McClane’s bare feet in Die Hard.

Critical misses. The term comes from Dungeons and Dragons, and refers to when a player rolls a 1 when attempting an attack or some other action. Rolling a 1 means the character not only fails the attempt, but also has the chance to do damage to themselves or those around them. Basically, they fail big.

Maybe something that should be easy for the protagonist blows up on him. In the horror genre, you’ve got the cliches of cars that won’t start and characters who trip while running away from the killer. Critical misses have to be used sparingly, unless you want to end up with slapstick or farce. However, when used creatively, they can be interesting.

Multiple and/or false leads. It’s often boring if every bit of dialogue and evidence points to Nasty McFoul as the sole antagonist. What about evidence that points to multiple characters, each with their own convincing motives? What if Nasty does good things too, forcing the protagonist to question his reputation? Now instead of racing to an obvious goal, the protagonist has to puzzle things out, making the conclusion he comes to more satisfying.

So what?

Tension is what makes a regular story into a page-turner. “How’re they getting out of this one?” “I have to see what happens next!”

Once established, tension must be carefully handled. You don’t want to let it dissipate too quickly, or beat it into the ground. Study your favorite books and movies to identify elements of tension and how they’re handled- then make sure you get lots of practice writing your own!

Any other advice for injecting tension into a humdrum situation? Drop me a line in the comments!