Creating Suspense Thrills & Chills Unit ELA 7

What is suspense?

Suspense A feeling of anxiety or fear created by an author to keep readers guessing about the outcome of events A “suspending” of our emotions We know something is about to happen, we just don’t know what or when

Techniques for Creating Suspense

Techniques for Creating Suspense Setting Sensory Details Diction Foreshadowing Plot Pacing Slow Motion Plot Action Rapid Motion Plot Action

Techniques for Creating Suspense Omitting Information Dramatic Irony Point of View First Person Third Person Omniscient Multiple Viewpoints Cliffhanger Red Herring

Setting carefully choosing where and when a story takes place to create a desired mood

Setting Certain settings are associated with certain emotions. Example: deserted alleyway danger; dread with broken streetlamps

Use of Sensory Details using the five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound) to make readers feel as if they are right there in the story 9

an author’s word choice Diction an author’s word choice

Diction Authors choose precise, accurate, and strong words to clarify information for the reader and to create desired moods and tones. Single words or phrases can sometimes act as clues.

Diction Use of words with a suspenseful connotation allows the reader to connect images with prior knowledge and experience. Strong connotations force the reader to emotionally connect with the language.

a hint or clue about what is to happen later in a story Foreshadowing: a hint or clue about what is to happen later in a story

Foreshadowing: The use of foreshadowing allows a reader to predict what might happen later in a story.

the speed at which the plot moves along; the manipulation of time Plot Pacing Slow Motion Plot Rapid Motion Plot the speed at which the plot moves along; the manipulation of time

Slow Motion Plot Action purposely describing every detailed action to make the reader feel like the story is moving in slow motion

Slow Motion Plot Action Suspense does not rush from event to event; rather, the author lingers over the most horrific details of each event. This allows the reader to “take in” or focus on each detail one at a time. Lingering descriptions of detail create anticipation for what is to come next. Authors rely less on dialogue and more on descriptions and character reflections.

Rapid Motion Plot Action plunging into the plot action quickly in order to have time to build to an exciting climax

Rapid Motion Plot Action The hurried pace results in readers feeling more and more on edge and frantic. The author builds tension with the rapidly occurring events, leading right up to the final climactic moment. Authors eliminate lengthy descriptions and use more dialogue—typically abrupt and to the point. Authors rely on short, choppy sentence structures.

OMITTING INFORMATION purposefully leaving out information in a story

OMITTING INFORMATION Omitting graphic and gruesome details forces the reader to use his/her imagination. This often results in a scene far more horrific than an author could have described in words. This can also create a red herring (false lead) in a story, thus preventing the reader from predicting the outcome of the story’s events and creating a surprise ending.

HENRY JAMES SAID ... “The worst fears can be the products of the human mind, which can create its own reality.”

when the reader or audience knows something the character does not Dramatic IRONY when the reader or audience knows something the character does not

Dramatic Irony Since the reader knows something the character doesn’t, it creates nervous anticipation in the reader.

the vantage point or perspective from which a story is told POINT OF VIEW the vantage point or perspective from which a story is told

Point of View Authors manipulate point of view in various ways to create suspense. We’ll focus on: First Person Third Person Omniscient Multiple Viewpoints

First Person Point of View telling the story from the perspective of the character experiencing the action

First Person Point of View Terrible events are likely to be more vivid if described by the person experiencing them rather than a third-person narrator. Suspense is created when the writer does not let the reader know anything before the narrator does. There is no outside perspective.

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW the all-knowing point of view in which there is an outside narrator who reveals the thoughts/opinions of more than one character

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT POINT OF VIEW This point of view allows an author to incorporate dramatic irony—creating suspense because readers are aware of information from an all-knowing perspective. An omniscient narrator could also reveal information to readers that even the characters don’t know yet. Ex: “If Dahlia had known what lay beyond the door, she never would have opened it.”

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS presenting the plot events from the perspective of various characters involved in the action (either from 1st or 3rd person point of view)

creates tension by allowing readers to hear the story from the vantage point of several characters, sometimes even from the villain MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS

MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS BEWARE: Multiple viewpoints can create suspense, but they can rob a story of its surprises, too, because the author reveals to the reader what's coming.

Cliffhanger An ending that is curiously abrupt, leaving the reader asking, “What will happen next?”

Cliffhanger As a result of its sudden end, a cliffhanger ensures that readers will return to find out what happens next.

Red Herring a false lead when an author diverts a reader’s attention from the truth or a meaningful item

Red Herring A red herring sets up false possibilities to add more tension and conflict, thus prolonging the suspense and confusing the reader.