Want to scare your reader so bad that they fill their drawers! Actually that will never happen for most writers. But you can build tension that will have them reading on the edge of their seats. Tension is not only the key ingredient in horror, thriller and suspense novels; it also plays a vital role in most other genres as well.
How do you create tension? I'll paraphrase what I once read as a quote from Alfred Hitchcock - one of the great masters at creating tension. A bomb suddenly and unexpectedly blowing up in a crowded restaurant does not create tension. Tension is created when you the reader, know that dirty little secret about the bomb when the characters inside the restaurant don't. As the man and his wife exchange simple glances while sipping wine, they're unaware of the counter ticking down under the their table. Ten, nine, eight... he takes her hand, the way he used to - back when they were young... seven, six... she smiles as she stares into his eyes... five, four... You get the picture. You feel tension because you know the bomb is about to explode and those damn characters are going to die if they don't jump up and run for cover.
Here's a perfect example from the movie 'Alien' (1979). Remember when Tom Skerritt's character - Dallas went into the air vents to "flush" the alien out. You, me, everybody knew this wasn't going to end well. The director, Ridley Scott, did a fabulous job of continuing to build upon that tension. First he closed off the doors behind Dallas - effectively taking away any quick means of escape. Then they "lost" the alien on that $3.00 motion sensor - where the hell is he? Then Dallas loses his bearings and doesn't know which way to turn. Then the grand daddy of them all - Dallas realizes the mistake of going into the vents in the first place and decides to get the hell out of there. He might as well of put a gun to his head, because at that point, everyone knew Dallas was a dead man. There are several good scenes in that movie, but I think that scene created the most tension.
Crafting tension in your story doesn't have to be hard. Just remember to let the reader in on what's about to happen before the characters realize it. Letting the reader in on it - is best if it's a graduated process. Foreshadow the imposing event first. Give clues that something isn't right so that the reader is already looking for something to happen. In my restaurant example - show "someone" blocking one of the restaurant exits (e.g. locking the door). The antagonist, who's been watching the couple from a concealed location in the restaurant, glances down at his watch and grins devilishly before quickly slipping out the back door (and then blocking it behind him). This leaves no misunderstanding that something bad is about to happen. Be creative and have fun with it.
Until next time...J/W
