5 Elements of a Suspense Story Lesson Text

5 ELEMENTS OF A SUSPENSE STORY LESSON TEXT

Whether in film or on the page, most suspense stories have at least these 5 elements to keep readers and audiences engaged. Stretching as far back as the Odyssey—where Odysseus is continu- ally marooned on islands or left without a crew—to more modern day suspense stories like “The Most Dangerous Game” or Harry Potter, we have as a society agreed upon what keeps us engaged and on our toes.

1. Isolation: Isolation is a key element of a good suspense story. Often times an author will create isolation with the setting—placing figures on a literal island (like a small island community) or a figurative island (e.g. a town that lost power and phone communication during a storm). They may also create isolation with the plotline. Very often in movies and stories you’ll notice that the author separates main characters from their friends. Haven’t you noticed how they’ll always say something like “you go this way, I’ll go that way and we’ll meet on the other side.” And have you noticed how icky that makes you as a reader or a viewer feel? The author/di- rector is creating suspense and it results in the uneasiness of the reader and the audience.

2. Darkness: Another major element of creating suspense is instituting darkness. You’ll notice that the most suspenseful parts of the most suspenseful stories occur when the light is low. Either it takes place at night, or in some dark, murky basement or when the lights have gone out. Really, dampening one of our key senses—no matter what the sense—will help an author to develop suspense because it gives the characters a sense of instability—they can no longer depend on the senses they—or the readers, for that matter--usually rely upon.

3. Onomatopoeia: Sounds make things scary. Creaks and booms, shots and, on the other end of the spectrum, total, eery silence. Relying on senses other than sight definitely helps the reader or viewer stay engaged but it can also give them a fright, drawing them ever closer to the fearful perspective of the main character. Relying on sounds further aids an author in building suspense.

4. Close Calls: near misses—as in when a protagonist almost gets caught by the antagonist, or nearly falls off of a 75 foot cliff into a deep, dark ocean—naturally keep the reader engaged. If the author has done a good job developing the main character as a likeable person, the reader will naturally be invested in whether or not the protagonist survives these near misses and it will keep them on their toes; inother words they will be “suspended,” fervently craving what will happen next.

5. Lack of trust: good suspense stories cast doubt on all the characters, even the ones you love most (even, sometimes, the main character); you as a reader or a viewer no longer know who to trust and this inability to feel settled helps you to stay engaged until you do, indeed, find the truth. Integrate these 5 elements into your writing and you’re guaranteed to keep your reader desperate for more!