Cover illustration by John Anthony Di Giovanni (widened)
Your Story Needs Tension, Not Violence
Create excitement on your own terms.
Latest in Tension
A Character Goal Isn’t a Story – But It’s Close
This common model for stories can be helpful, but it can also hold writers back.
Episode 379: Killing a Major Character
To kill or not to kill?
Who Wins: Name of the Wind, Fifth Season, or Way of Kings?
Three books go head to head in a high fantasy battle royale!
Five Conflicts With Weak Turning Points, and How to Fix Them
When good conflicts turn bad.
Episode 367: Raising the Stakes
The story is tense, but could it be... *more* tense?
Why Tossing In Calamity Won’t Make Your Story Exciting
A lesson in what tension isn't.
Who Wins on Engagement: Buffy, Supernatural, or Teen Wolf?
It's an urban fantasy showdown!
Episode 358: Non-Violent Conflicts
When we say conflict, we do not necessarily mean physical violence.
Five Stories That Neglect Tension
Without tension, readers get bored fast.
How Three Book Series Kept Readers Interested
It’s challenging to maintain reader interest across multiple books.
How to Pace Your Story
Conflict and intensity in a story must be timed to avoid both boredom and exhaustion.
Understanding Conflict & Tension
Tension drives the story, and conflict brings tension to life.
Narration Makeover: Creating Tension
Tense scenes make for tense stories.
Lessons From the Tense Writing of Winter World
Winter World's opening establishes tension but lacks novelty, attachment, or satisfaction.
Five Common Reasons Tension Is Missing
Against unclear stakes, dislikable heroes, and slow timelines, will tension triumph?
David vun Kannon