1. Building Suspense
By Steven Nahill

2. The Four Factors reader empathy reader concern impending danger
escalating tension

3. Reader Empathy
We create reader empathy by giving the character a desire, wound or internal struggle that readers can identify with. We want readers to worry about whether or not the character will get what he wants. Only when readers know what the character wants will they know what’s at stake.

4. Reader Concern To get readers more invested in your novel, make clear:
What your character desires (love, freedom, adventure, forgiveness, etc.)
what is keeping him from getting it
what terrible consequences will result if he doesn’t get it.

5. Impending Danger
Suspense builds as danger approaches. Depending on your genre, the threat may involve the character’s physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual or relational well-being.

6. Escalating Tension
If tension doesn’t escalate, the suspense you’ve been developing will evaporate.
the stakes by making the danger more imminent, intimate, personal and devastating.

7. Stephen King’s Path to Suspense
Reader Curiosity: he mentions or provides hints about something that can produce CURIOSITY SUCH AS a problem or a worry somewhere down the line.
The Callback: he mentions this worrisome thing or idea a number of times after he first introduces it, and before the payoff.
Payoff: He brings suspense to a peak during the payoff.

8. Why Stephen King is Highly Read
Stephen King is, first and foremost, a good storyteller.
He uses terror, horror, and “gross” techniques to captivate his readers.
He cleverly creates the unexpected.
Youthful and elderly characters are important in his stories.
He provides insights into the dark side of humanity.

9. Why Stephen King is Highly Read
The forces of good and evil are often equal combatants.
The fragility of life is a major theme.
He writes about “taboo subjects” such as death, destruction, and the unknown.
Characters often harbor evil and/or vengeful feelings that compel their actions.
He is not a moralist; his stories unfold naturally.

10. Tips and Tricks
Suspense is anticipation; action is payoff. You don’t increase suspense by “making things happen,” but by promising that they will.
Readers want to predict what will happen, but they want to be wrong. They’re only satisfied when the writer gives them more than they anticipate, not less.
As you develop your story, appeal to readers’ fears and phobias.
show that something terrible is about to happen—then postpone it.
Make sure you describe the setting of your story’s climax before you reach that part of the story.
As you build toward the climax, isolate your main character.
Make it personal.

12. Key Reading Questions What is the nature of evil?
What is the embodiment of evil in the story?
How does the author develop the suspense in the story?
What elements of surprise are built into the story?
Who is the protagonist? Is she or he a victim? How does King make you empathize with the protagonist?
Who or what is the antagonist? When do you discover who the antagonist is? How do you feel after you discover this?