Every Script Needs Tension & Suspense

[Script Magazine]

Amping Up Tension & Suspense with Tiffany Yates Martin

Script Online | The Writer's Store | Online Education The appeal of story is the same reason we do a lot of things we enjoy: baking or gardening or bungee jumping. It’s not just to achieve the end product, or we’d go buy a box of doughnuts or an eggplant or just stay down there on the ground. The journey is the point—those moments flailing through the air on the end of a glorified rubber band. For a few breathless moments you get to experience the thrill of uncertainty—will the soufflé rise…how big will my watermelon get…is that thing going to snap in midair? That’s why we read (or watch) stories. And the crucial tools a writer uses to create that delicious uncertainty are suspense and tension. Suspense and tension are among the most important elements of compelling, readable stories that grab your reader and compel her to turn the page—in every single genre. These two key craft elements are the engine of story. The terms are often used interchangeably, and they’re intimately related, but suspense is more an element of story and tension an element of scene. Both create a question in the reader’s mind: In oversimplified terms, with suspense it’s “What happens next?” and with tension, "How will the character overcome?" In this detailed exploration into these concepts, learn why a lack of tension and suspense may be what’s keeping you from that publishing contract or bestseller list, or costing you reader investment. We’ll examine how to determine whether you have enough suspense and tension in your story, along with tips for how to develop these elements so that readers are compelled to keep turning pages. Filled with practical examples, this live webinar will let you wield these powerful tools to amp up your story’s impact and effectiveness and keep readers hooked. writers (though the course is geared toward adult genres, writers of children’s, middle-grade, and YA may find the concepts useful) Writers who struggle with how to hook readers and keep them hooked Authors who want to create high stakes and strong momentum in their stories Authors who have received positive feedback on stories but are told that “it didn’t grab the reader enough” or “something is missing” The difference between suspense and tension, and how they work in tandem in every genre How to use questions to create that delicious narrative uncertainty at the heart of suspense How to create both overarching suspense as well as within each scene to keep stakes high, readers hooked, and momentum strong Why tension belongs on every page and in every line regardless of your genre, and how to create and maintain it throughout the story What is “microtension”? The six main types of tension and how to use them Ways to create, sustain, and build tension Why beginnings and endings are the most crucial places for both suspense and tension, and how to use them effectively to draw readers in and keep them turning pages Amping Up Tension and Suspense to Keep Readers Turning Pages with Tiffany Yates Martin May 28, 2026 • 1:00pm ET Enroll Now! Meet the Instructor: Tiffany Yates Martin Tiffany Yates Martin has spent her entire career as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial (named one of Writer’s Digest’s Best Websites for Authors) and author of Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing and her latest, The Intuitive Author: How to Grow & Sustain a Happier Writing Career. She is a regular contributor to writers’ outlets like Writer’s Digest, Jane Friedman, and Writer Unboxed, and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker for writers’ organizations around the country. Under her pen name, Phoebe Fox, she is the author of six novels.   Active Interest Media 2143 Grand Ave Des Moines, IA 50312 USA View online You received this email because you are subscribed to emails from Script Magazine Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive.