Why Do Authors Use Tension in a Story?
Have you ever had that moment in a story where you were annoyed?
Annoyed with the way things were turning out?
For me, it happened in Game of Thrones.
I kept hearing from friends about how I needed to watch Game of Thrones.
The first couple of times, I was like:
‘Nah, not my style.’
But later, I was like:
‘Okay, let’s see what the hype is about.’
My friends warned me. They said:
‘Armani, don’t fall in love with any of the characters. The show kills off anyone.’
The important characters though?
No way.
The show would kill average characters. But definitely not the important characters, I thought.
Boy was I wrong.
So much tension.
Why?
Why couldn’t the author of the series have taken it lighter?
It’s because of a compelling reason…
Humans Love Conflict
Look at what goes viral online.
Is it the positive stuff?
Or is it the negative stuff?
It’s typically the negative stuff that goes viral.
The reason why is because humans love conflict.
To remember something easily, you need to feel emotions.
Humans have an elephant memory with painful emotions.
That one person who disrespected you 13 years ago.
You still remember them today, huh…
‘How did you know?’
I’m a mind reader. Jk.
That’s just how it is.
Marketers understand this.
That’s why they add some form of negative twist to make things pop.
A Story Without Tension
As a youngster, I would play games with the other kids on my bus.
We’d scrunch up our fingers to create an imaginary gun to shoot people.
However, we weren’t just straight-up brutes.
Behind the violence, there was storytelling.
For example, I would try to shoot someone with my gun.
But another kid had a bulletproof vest on because he suspected I was up to something shady.
Then the other kids would insert themselves into the interaction to keep the story going.
One day, we invited another kid to play with us.
He was a Chinese boy who normally sat by himself.
He agreed to play.
But something about him was off.
He was like:
‘I have an impenetrable shield that can deflect anything. Nothing can penetrate this shield.’
I tried shooting my gun.
But the Chinese kid was like:
‘No. Nothing can penetrate this shield.’
The other kid in the bus was like:
‘Maybe a gun cannot penetrate the shield, but this magical bow and arrow sure can!’
Once again, the Chinese boy was like:
‘No, I said nothing can penetrate this shield.’
Then a third kid on the bus said:
‘Maybe a gun or a bow and arrow cannot penetrate the shield. But I drank the elixir that gave me the power to penetrate through any shield!’
Finally, the Chinese boy snapped.
He said:
‘What part of NOTHING can penetrate this shield don’t you understand??’
Soon, the game became boring.
The Chinese boy set himself up to face no conflict.
0 tension.
And just like that, the kids lost interest in playing with him.
The Lesson of The Story
What I learned that day was:
We needed tension.
In an alternate world, if the Chinese boy was like:
‘Well, okay… I guess the magical bow and arrow can penetrate the shield.’
Suddenly, this shield was vulnerable.
The character of the Chinese boy was vulnerable.
Now, the doorway to tension was open!
With tension, creativity would emerge.
Then the story would organically unfold.
However, without any form of tension, creativity stopped.
When the creativity stopped, so did the story.
Therefore, to answer the question:
Why do authors use tension in a story?
The answer is:
Because without tension, there is no story.
How to Create Tension in a Story
The easy way to create tension in a story is to simply ask:
‘What could go wrong?’
By asking this question, your mind begins working for you.
That’s what the kids were trying to do to the invincible shield that day.
We were trying to find ways for things to go wrong.
If the Chinese boy was lenient, he would have made it easy for things to go wrong.
That’s when the tension would have been created.
And the bonding experience would have been enhanced.
Let’s say you’re a CEO of a company.
You can’t always think positively.
The market is changing too much.
At times, you need to engage negative visualization.
Not to be a Debbie Downer.
But so you can see around the corners.
When was the last time you asked, what could go wrong?
‘A few days ago when I was moving.’
So you already ask that question in your life.
Now ask that question with your content.
That is when a gripping story tension is presented.
The Art and Science of Storytelling
In order to be a storyteller, you need to know that the law of duality exists.
- Positive and negative.
- Light and dark.
- Profit and loss.
See both sides of the coin, then accept both sides of the coin.
By doing that, you use tension towards your favor.
I used to hate when Game of Thrones would kill off characters that I loved.
But later on, I realized why they did that.
I kept watching to see if my new favorite character would progress.
And whether or not one of my past favorite characters would rise from the dead.
Wink wink.
Did you enjoy this article?
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The Art & Science of Storytelling: Learn How to Tell Better Stories in Conversations, Business Communication, Leadership & Brand Building
In this book, you will learn:
- How to create compelling characters.
- How to use tension towards your favor.
- Ways to create a story that spreads knowledge.
- Methods to create vivid settings.
- Strategies to brainstorm effectively.
- Plus, a few storytelling exercises to take your imagination to the gym.
If you are ready to level up your storytelling game, then be sure to grab a copy here!
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