5 Proven Ways to Build Tension in Writing (And Avoid Killing Suspense!)
Tension is the lifeblood of great storytelling.
It’s what keeps your readers flipping pages and your viewers gripping the edge of their seats. From horror films to high-stakes thrillers – even emotional dramas – tension is the spark that makes stories come alive.
But here’s the kicker: tension in writing can be hard to get right.
Share too much too soon, and your story feels flat. Skip emotional pressure, and things get boring.
So today, we’re going over five battle-tested ways to build real, squirm-in-your-seat tension – with tips, tricks, and examples from movies that nailed it (and some that really, really didn’t).
5 Ways to Build Tension in Writing
Let’s get right into my favorite ways to create forward momentum and tense moments in your writing!
Prefer to watch, rather than read? Check out my YouTube video on how to build tension in storytelling below!
1. Hold Back Information (But Not Too Much)
If you want your audience to stay hooked, don’t give everything away at once.
The less they know, the more they’ll want to find out. That curiosity creates tension.
Show Less, Not More
Giving your audience all the answers right away kills suspense. The unknown is scary. Confusion, when used the right way, can keep readers glued to your story.
✅ Example: Jaws (1975)
We barely see the shark for most of the movie.
Why? Because the mechanical shark kept breaking. But that happy accident made the movie legendary.
Instead of showing the creature, we got music, ripples in the water, and terrified characters. Not seeing it made it worse. Our minds filled in the horror.
❌ Example: The Happening (2008)
In M. Night Shyamalan’s film, the threat is revealed way too soon: the wind.
Or more specifically, plants releasing toxins that make people kill themselves. Once we know what’s causing it, the tension disappears. There’s nothing left to fear – just a weird premise and some awkward scenes.
Quick Tips:
- Start your scenes with questions, not answers.
- Drop small hints, not giant info dumps.
- Let characters react to something scary before the audience knows what it is.
- Trust your audience. They’ll piece it together. And while they do, they’ll stay locked in.
2. Set a Deadline (Tick, Tock…)
Nothing cranks up tension like a ticking clock.
When characters are racing against time, everything feels more urgent. Decisions matter more. Mistakes cost more.
Pressure Builds Drama
When time is limited, characters don’t have the luxury of thinking things through.
They act on instinct, make bad calls, and sometimes lose big. That’s how you punch up the tension!
✅ Example: Speed (1994)
A bus can’t drop below 50 mph – or it explodes.
Simple setup, huge suspense. Every second counts. From weaving through traffic to chasing the bomber, the time pressure never lets up.
❌ Example: The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
This movie takes place on a space station with limited oxygen.
Sounds tense, right? But the characters don’t seem to care. They wander around solving side mysteries while the whole place is supposedly about to run out of air.
No panic = no tension.
Quick Tips:
- Add a countdown. Make sure it’s clear and unavoidable.
- Let your characters sweat. Let them argue, scramble, and mess up under pressure.
- Don’t give them time to relax. That’s how you keep the story moving.
- Use scenes where characters race against the clock—and maybe lose.
3. Start a Fight (Between Friends)
Tension doesn’t always come from monsters or bombs. Sometimes it comes simply from people with clashing viewpoints.
When your characters stop trusting each other, everything gets more intense.
Inner Conflict = Outer Chaos
Think about real life. When things go wrong, people get scared. Scared people argue.
They accuse each other, keep secrets, and do dumb things. That’s exactly what your story needs!
✅ Example: The Thing (1982)
Nobody knows who’s still human and who’s a shape-shifting monster.
The paranoia is off the charts. Every line of dialogue is soaked with fear and suspicion.
❌ Example: Prometheus (2012)
You’d think a crew of elite scientists would talk through their problems.
Nope! They fight and make nonsense decisions. Not in a tense, realistic way – just in a lazy plot-move kind of way. Instead of being stressed, we’re just annoyed.
Quick Tips:
- Give your characters different goals. One wants to escape, one wants to fight.
- Hide secrets. Let one character know more than the others.
- Add a traitor—or at least someone who might be one.
- Start arguments right before something huge happens. Make those scenes messy.
4. Let the Villain Win (At Least for a While)
A weak villain kills tension. If your hero always wins, there’s no suspense.
But when the bad guy has the upper hand, that’s when we get nervous.
Fear Comes From Power Imbalance
The more powerful your villain, the more doubt we feel about the hero’s chances.
And doubt is good! Doubt keeps us turning pages.
✅ Example: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Joker is always one step ahead. Every time Batman thinks he’s won, he finds out he’s been played.
❌ Example: Justice League (2017)
Steppenwolf is supposed to be the big bad. But he gets beat up in almost every scene.
He’s not clever, not scary, and not even the real threat. So there’s no tension. Just a waiting game until the heroes win.
Quick Tips:
- Make the villain smarter or stronger than the hero.
- Let them win sometimes. Let the hero lose big.
- Keep the villain mysterious, especially early on.
- Surprise us! Make us question if the hero will actually survive.
5. Make Us Wait (Even When We Don’t Want To)
Sometimes, the scariest moment is the one that hasn’t happened yet.
Building tension isn’t always about action. It’s about anticipation.
Delay the Scare
The longer you hold off the big reveal, the more your audience will squirm. It’s not the monster—it’s the waiting for the monster.
✅ Example: A Quiet Place (2018)
One of the tensest scenes?
Emily Blunt’s character goes into labor as a monster enters the house. She steps on a nail. She can’t scream. She has to give birth in silence while the alien stalks her.
And we’re forced to watch… and wait.
❌ Example: Bird Box (2018)
The movie’s timeline jumps around, so we already know who survives. That kills the tension.
We can’t worry about someone’s safety in the past if we’ve already seen them safe in the future.
Quick Tips:
- Build up slow. Use silence, shadows, and reactions.
- Keep the audience guessing about what’s about to happen.
- Don’t reveal the danger right away—stretch it out.
- Make scenes feel unbearable… and then wait a little longer.
That’s the Suspenseful Secret!
Tension makes your story unforgettable.
Without it, you’re just telling people what happened. With it, you’re making them feel it.
To recap, here are five ways to supercharge your story with tension:
- Hold back information – Don’t spoil the mystery too soon. Keep ‘em guessing.
- Add a time limit – Give characters a deadline they can’t miss.
- Create character conflict – Let emotions explode at the worst times.
- Give villains the upper hand – A smart, scary villain makes everything harder for the hero.
- Delay the payoff – Make readers or viewers wait just a bit longer than they want to.
