Getting Your Readers Invested: 6 Ideas to Increase Plot Tension
Heya, TWNers! It’s been a long time since I’ve come on for a post, but I’m excited to be bringing the first post of 2025 and what I hope will start a new year full of exciting opportunities for not just, Teen Writers’ Nook, but the community of authors here as well. I’ve been in communication with the rest of the Team, and I hope to start announcing the things we’ve been working on soon. Until then, I do have one exciting announcement I can share. I am going to be speaking at my first ever writing conference on Saturday, January 25th. It is a virtual conference hosted by Writers’ Vision for their second annual Write for Freedom Conference, featuring authors like Victoria Lynn and Kaitlyn Phillips. The base cost to attend is $20 and all proceeds will be donated to the Operation Underground Railroad to help in their fight to free victims from human trafficking. (And I also heard that there may or may not be a giveaway that includes a very, very early e-arc of Into the Lamp!!) You can learn more and purchase your ticket here. I am also running a giveaway that ends soon for one free ticket to the conference which you can find here. My session will be at 2 PM EST entitled “Why We Need More ‘Starving Artists” and Less Bestselling Authors,” where I’m going to be talking about finding creativity in a corporate world and offer encouragement to the creatively dry and burned-out writer.
I think the right way to start this post is by discussing why plot tension even matters. Oftentimes when I get an idea for a post, it’s influenced by a book I’ve read recently that failed to deliver on a certain aspect. I usually start asking myself why that was, and eventually, a post is born. However, when it came to this post, it was influenced by many books I read over the last year that just failed to invest my attention. And I realized it all boiled down to one problem: the book had no tension. The plot couldn’t help but fall flat because there was nothing to support it and keep the pace moving forward.
You might be sitting here thinking, but Is, I’m writing a sweet, cozy contemporary romance. There can’t be fight scenes or a big mystery plotline, so how can I still get my readers invested in the plot?! Welcome to what I’m calling plot tension. Whether it’s a high-stakes thriller, a sweet romance, or a well-built historical, inserting just a bit of tension can dramatically shift your plot from bland and dry to engaging and page-turning. For this post, I wanted to share 6 ideas that will increase your book’s tension. There are many more than 6 (so don’t worry if you don’t see what you’re using on the list), but these are the six that I see come up a lot and/or ones that I think work the strongest.
#1 Anonymous Antagonist
This is where there is a clear antagonist, but his identity has yet to be discovered. While this works really well in a thriller or mystery story, there are still plenty of ways this can be applied to other genres. Questions and tensions go together oftentimes. Having your readers question who the antagonist is will amp up the plot tension, especially when that identity must be discovered soon. Perhaps the antagonist is targeting the protagonist or someone close to the main character, growing more and more dangerous. Maybe there is evidence to hint the anonymous antagonist is someone close to the protagonist. If the identity isn’t uncovered soon, someone is going to get hurt. Bam! You’ve got questions, tension, a ticking time bomb plot, AND high stakes all at once.
#2 Unpredictable Protagonist
I’ve always personally found this one a fun option to increase plot tension. Unpredictable protagonists are great at heightening the tension because they leave the plot impossible to guess. How can the readers predict what will happen when the protagonist is unpredictable? These character types also help because oftentimes, they are their own worst enemy. It’s one thing to take down the big baddie, but when the character’s poor choices are causing the problems, you can’t fix the plot until the character changes. And the character seems pretty dead set on not changing. However, this type must be pulled off well to work. I have read plenty of books where the author tries to tell me that the main character is unpredictable, but the protagonist rarely does anything bizarre or unforeseen. Show the readers how unpredictable the protagonist is, don’t tell them.
An example of what I thought was a well-written unpredictable protagonist is Grace from All Fall Down by Ally Carter. By about fifty pages into the book, we have already seen Grace accidentally hurt the Russian ambassador, jump off a cliff, and break into the abandoned Iranian embassy. Yeah, so basically, if anyone’s on the verge of starting World War 3, it’s Grace. Already, we’re uncertain how well we can trust Grace to make smart choices and that leads into the plot tension. What is she going to do next? Can we really trust her?
#3 Anticipated Fallout
Another way to increase tension is to set up a fallout the readers anticipate from the beginning, but wait before you allow that event to happen. Your reader has to instead work toward either the event they are excited for or one they are dreading. Don’t give your reader everything they want by the first three chapters. For example, in a romance novel this could be the anticipated kiss scene. It’s something most avid romance readers look forward to, so hold off a bit before you give it to them. The anticipated fallout can also be a negative thing. Maybe your main character knows something that will change the investigation of a local crime, and is holding off or afraid to come forward. We know eventually they will choose the right path (hopefully), but the tension becomes when will they do it and will they make the right choice before the bad guy strikes again.
An example of this comes from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, though I haven’t finished this book yet. By the first part of the story, the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, has committed a crime, murdering two people after a night when he was far from being in his right mind. In a reverse murder mystery, rather than following the detective trying to uncover who the killer was, Dostoevsky takes us on a journey where we’re watching the killer trying to run from the authorities. As I said, I haven’t finished the book so while I’ve heard that the story is about Raskolnikov’s redemption arc (which is what I’m hoping for), the part I have read so far shows a great example of using this tactic. The reader is turning the pages in expectation, waiting to see if/when the anticipated fallout (Raskolnikov being caught by the police) comes to fruition.
#4 Relationship Conflicts
Conflicts always raise tension, especially if it’s something that lingers and doesn’t get resolved quickly. Relationship conflicts don’t always refer to conflicts between romantic couples. This can include conflicts with siblings, parents, teachers, and friends. While in Fawkes by Nadine Brandes, Thomas’ strained relationship with his father is not the main focus of the book, it does help fuel the plot’s pacing as the conflict between them is not resolved in the beginning. In Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Susan May Warren, the entire premise of the story is depending on relationship conflicts to push the plot. When a blizzard comes out of nowhere in a small Minnesota town, five strangers are stuck inside a house together. Among these strangers are two people who were once in love still dealing with the conflicting feelings of how their break up had been handled. Several of the characters are also battling grief from loved ones and family members who had died during WW2 just a couple of years prior to the story’s setting. The tension increases as the story continues and the snow keeps falling. Without the relationship conflicts, the story would’ve turned into a quite boring read.
#5 “Ticking Time Bomb”
I once heard an author describe the benefits of implementing a “ticking time bomb” into the plot—which is when a deadline gets inserted into the plot, usually near the climax, that pushes the story forward because the main characters no longer have time to wait around but must act instantly. While there are many places to insert a “ticking time bomb” throughout a plot without needing it to be the main emphasis, this also works well as the driving tension. Consider A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes where the protagonist, Parvin, knows she has one year left to live. No matter the other plot elements introduced in the story, this dark cloud hangs over the entire book. We know that everything that is happening is only leading up to Parvin’s inescapable demise. In Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry, there is a less dramatic use of this. Meg’s little brother is ill and knows he won’t live long. However, with his sudden love for the new fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, he has only one question he must know before he dies: Where did Narnia come from? As Meg seeks out the author to learn the truth for her brother, there is a sense of urgency to the story. She has to discover the answer for her brother, and she doesn’t have a long time to do it.
#6 Hidden Identity/Lie
Finally, another way to heighten the plot’s tension is through the use of a secret/lie/hidden identity the main character is keeping throughout the book. The tension comes instantly because the reader has to wonder how long can the main character keep this hidden and what will happen when the truth comes out. An example of this comes from Disney’s Aladdin. (I’m sure y’all all know why that’s been on my mind lately, lol.) Once Aladdin wishes for Genie to turn him into a prince so he can have a chance with Jasmine, the tension begins as the viewer wonders how long can he keep the act up. Will Jasmine ever learn the truth and will she reject him once she does?
Another example is from Ungifted by Gordon Kormon. After a mix-up, Donovan Curtis gets accepted into the school for the intellectually gifted, which is the one thing he is not. However, due to a prank gone wrong that Donovan tried to pull which ends up destroying his old school’s gym, this is his only opportunity to hide from an administrator who knows he’s the one to blame. However, with his lack of skills in just about every school subject, the question comes of whether Donovan can keep the act up forever. This question alone drove the entire plot forward and had me turning the pages.
And that’s a wrap! What are your writing goals for 2025? Have you seen any of these 6 uses of plot tension done well before? Which one do you think works the best? Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below!
Issabelle Perry
Issabelle Perry is a proud Jesus follower, an extroverted writer, and a homeschool graduate. When she's not writing, you can find her reading, jamming to Skillet, studying history, hunting for Narnia in wardrobes, or envisioning herself wielding a magnificent sword (but due to her clumsiness, let’s hope that never happens). This self-proclaimed exclamation mark enthusiast can be found hanging out at Teen Writers’ Nook, a community of teen authors Issabelle co-founded in 2020. She is the author of Don't Let Me Go (Sky's the Limit Press 2024), May We Make Them Proud (2023), and a co-editor for two anthologies. What she’s probably doing right now is fangirling about her favorite books to random people or scanning the pantries for chocolate.