Creating Suspense

The best way to keep your writing alive and fresh and keep readers riveted is to create suspense. This is a well-known technique in fiction, but it can apply to nonfiction as well. No matter what you are writing, you can create suspense by presenting contradictions. Events or facts that seem to be at odds with each other make readers want to keep reading. You can also create suspense by surprising readers. This could involve presenting some unexpected information or creating an irony that surprises readers with a new insight. Suspense is something that builds and you can effectively build suspense by foreshadowing the high points with teasers - tidbits of information that bait readers to begin wondering and keep reading. You can use pacing to create suspense by writing shorter, choppier sentences when you want to speed things up and longer sentences when you want to slow things down. Keeping readers on a roller coaster ride of fast action and reflective pauses will keep them hooked into finding out what you're going to say next. The idea is to keep writers stimulated and interested in your writing. By using some of these techniques you can make your writing full of tension and suspense and keep your readers wanting more.