TENSION ON EVERY PAGE

As we have often said, writing is both an art and a craft. Learning how to create tension on every page of your story is an essential element of the craft.

New York agent Donald Maas says, tension on every page is the key to great storytelling. “Everyone knows that. Practically no one does it.”

He uses an extract from Gone for Good by Harlan Corben to illustrate how to build tension into a scene.

According to Maas, Corben knows that empty dialogue cannot satisfy. Even when two characters are allies, he sets them against each other, albeit in a friendly fashion.

In this extract, Will thanks Squares for bringing flowers to his mother’s lightly attended funeral.


“Thanks for sending the flowers,” I said.

Squares didn’t reply.

“And for showing up,” I added. He had bought a group of Covenant House friends in the van. They’d pretty much made up the entire non-family funeral brigade.

“Sunny was great,” he said.

“Yeah.”

“A moment of silence. Then Squares said, “But what a shitty turnout.”

“Thanks for pointing that out.”

“I mean, Jesus, how many people were there?”

“You’re quite the comfort man, thank you.”

“You want comfort? Know this, people are arseholes.”

”Let me get a pen and write that down.”

Silence. Squares stopped for a red light and sneaked a glance at me. His eyes were red. He unrolled a cigarette pack from his sleave. “You want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Uh, well, see, the other day, my mother died.”
“Fine,” he said, “don’t tell me.”

The light turned green, the van started up again. The image of my brother in that photograph flashed across my eyes. “Squares.”

“I’m listening.”

“I think,” I said, “that my brother is still alive.”


A less experienced novelist, says Maas, would strive to show the warmth and support between friends.

Corben knows that tension all the time is more important and so shows us their friction, letting the tension under the surface show through.

Maas says, “So many of the manuscripts that arrive at my office go right back to their authors in their self addressed stamped envelopes.

Why?

The number one reason is insufficient tension. Believe it, tension on every page works. Low tension does not. Make it your mantra.”
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