You have a plot. You have characters. You have conflict. But something still isn’t working. The scenes feel flat. The stakes don’t feel high enough. Readers aren’t gripping the edges of the book, desperate to find out what happens next.
This is one of the most frustrating problems a writer can face—when the story should feel tense, but it doesn’t.
Tension isn’t just about big stakes (saving the world, life-or-death situations). It’s about unresolved pressure—the feeling that something could break at any moment. A story with tension pulls the reader forward, making them feel like they have to keep reading to relieve the pressure.
So why does your story feel like it’s missing something? Why does it lack urgency, intrigue, or that edge-of-your-seat feeling?
Let’s break it down.
1. Tension Comes From Questions That Haven’t Been Answered
One of the biggest reasons a story lacks tension is that there’s nothing keeping the reader in suspense.
Readers keep turning pages because they want to know something. If every question is answered immediately, there’s no tension.
Examples of tension-building questions:
- Who killed the victim? (Mystery)
- Will these two characters admit their feelings for each other? (Romance)
- What is this character hiding? (Psychological thriller)
- Can the protagonist escape before time runs out? (Thriller/adventure)
👉 Test it: If you remove all the major questions in your story, would readers still feel the need to turn the page? If the answer is no, your story might be too predictable or lacking in mystery.
2. Conflict Should Be More Than Just Arguments or Action
A story isn’t tense just because people are fighting. If characters argue but nothing is at stake, or if action happens but doesn’t change anything, the tension isn’t real.
What makes conflict tense?
- Power imbalance—One character has leverage over another.
- Moral dilemmas—The character has to make an impossible choice.
- Emotional investment—The stakes aren’t just physical; they’re personal.
Examples of layered tension:
- A courtroom scene isn’t just tense because of the legal stakes—it’s tense because a character’s entire future depends on the verdict.
- A conversation between two ex-lovers isn’t just about the words—it’s about the emotions left unsaid.
- A chase scene isn’t just fast-paced—it’s about whether the protagonist will make it in time to save someone they love.
👉 Test it: If your scenes feel empty despite conflict, ask: What is at stake emotionally? Tension isn’t just about what happens—it’s about what could happen.
3. Tension Comes From What’s Unsaid
Sometimes, what’s not being said is more powerful than what is.
A conversation where a character almost reveals something but doesn’t? That’s tension. A scene where two people clearly have feelings for each other but can’t admit it? That’s tension. A villain who knows something the protagonist doesn’t, but waits to reveal it? That’s tension.
Silence can be more powerful than dialogue.
- A character hesitates before answering. What aren’t they saying?
- A smile that doesn’t quite reach the eyes. What are they hiding?
- A scene where no one speaks, but the air is thick with unspoken emotions.
👉 Test it: If your story feels too on-the-nose, try cutting some of the dialogue and letting the tension build through action, body language, and subtext.
4. The Reader Needs to Feel Like Something Could Go Wrong at Any Moment
A predictable story kills tension. If the reader knows everything will turn out fine, there’s no real sense of danger.
Even if the story isn’t about life-or-death stakes, the reader should feel like there’s a risk.
- In romance, the risk might be emotional heartbreak.
- In mystery, the risk is failing to find the truth.
- In fantasy, the risk might be losing a battle, betraying an ally, or discovering a terrible secret.
Example:
- Game of Thrones was unpredictable because major characters could actually die, so every scene felt tense.
- The Handmaid’s Tale feels suffocating because the main character is constantly at risk, even when things seem quiet.
👉 Test it: Look at a scene that feels slow. Ask: What could go wrong here? If nothing feels uncertain, the scene might need more risk, unpredictability, or an undercurrent of danger.
5. Characters Should Have Conflicting Agendas
One way to naturally increase tension is to make sure every character wants something different.
- If two characters are allies, give them a fundamental disagreement that creates friction.
- If two characters love each other, give them opposing fears that prevent them from being together.
- If a protagonist and antagonist are in conflict, make sure both have valid reasons for fighting—not just “good vs. evil.”
Example:
- In Breaking Bad, Walter White and Jesse are partners, but they constantly clash because they want different things. That conflict makes every scene feel tense, even when no violence is happening.
- In Les Misérables, Inspector Javert isn’t just chasing Jean Valjean because he’s a villain—he genuinely believes in the justice system. Their conflict is ideological, which makes every encounter feel deeper.
👉 Test it: Does every conversation have at least one character who wants something the other doesn’t? If not, look for ways to increase friction in dialogue and relationships.
6. Pacing Matters: Slow Scenes Should Still Carry Tension
Not every scene should be fast-paced, but even slow scenes should have an undercurrent of tension.
- If two characters are having dinner, one should be hiding something.
- If a character is alone, they should be waiting for something—news, a decision, an answer.
- If nothing is happening, the character should be thinking about the next move, the next danger, the next decision.
Example:
- No Country for Old Men has one of the tensest scenes in cinema—a simple conversation between a man and a killer flipping a coin. The threat is unspoken, but the reader feels it in every word.
👉 Fix it: Look at your slow scenes. If nothing feels at risk, add a layer of unease, a secret, or a question that hasn’t been answered yet.
Final Thoughts: How to Add Tension to Any Story
Tension doesn’t come from big stakes alone. It comes from the feeling that something is unresolved, that something could go wrong, that something is waiting to happen.
✅ Does your story have unanswered questions pulling the reader forward?
✅ Are characters actively in conflict, rather than just getting along?
✅ Do scenes have an undercurrent of risk, even in quiet moments?
✅ Are you letting silence and subtext create intrigue, rather than explaining everything outright?
✅ Does the reader feel like things could go wrong at any moment?
Because the best stories don’t just tell you what happens.
They make you feel the pressure of what hasn’t happened yet.
Leave a Reply