Conflict, suspense, and tension are not the same things. They’re often used interchangeably, but they shouldn’t be. Each one of these has a different role and performs a different function in fiction.
Conflict
New writers tend to believe that conflict means “argument,” as in having a conflict with someone else, but it’s much simpler than that—conflict is anything that prevents your characters from achieving their goals.
A conflict can be a person, event, or inanimate object. A conflict can be a seemingly good thing. As long as it gets in your character’s way, it’s a conflict.
Say your MMC (male main character) wants a promotion at work. The promotion should be a sure thing, but that would make for a boring story. It needs conflict. Anything that prevents him from getting the job will work. It could be:
- A person: Someone else wants the job. That person has become a conflict.
- An event: Your MMC needs to attend a company event to get the promotion, but it’s the same weekend as his wedding. His wedding is now a conflict.
- An inanimate object: MMC’s fiancé agrees to change the wedding date, but his car stalls in the driveway. Then, on the way to the airport, a tree falls into the road. His car and the tree have now become conflicts.
Suspense
Readers and writers alike think of police, spies, and murder when they think about suspense, but they’re confusing suspense with danger. In the suspense, thriller, and mystery genres, the police, spies, and murder might create suspense, but in and of themselves, they are not.
At its most basic level, suspense is delayed gratification.
Let’s look at our MMC again. If he gets the promotion in chapter two, there’s no suspense because there’s no delay. But put conflicts in front him—make him and the reader wait to find out if he’s getting the job—and you’ve added suspense.
Each of the conflicts mentioned above adds more suspense.
- Instead of a quick interview process, now the boss has two candidates to interview. That will take longer. Suspense.
- MMC and his fiancé push back the wedding for the sake of his career. A delayed wedding equals more suspense.
- A quick 30-minute trip to the airport is delayed by his car and the tree. Double suspense.
The longer it takes your characters to achieve their goals, the more suspenseful the story.
Tension
Our final piece of the confusion trifecta, tension is the term people tend to swap for conflict and suspense, but it’s actually another layer of complexity in your story.
Tension is created by your characters’ reactions to conflict and suspense, and it should lead to a sense of unrest or imbalance.
If life is going well for your characters, there’s no tension. Toss in a conflict that creates suspense, and it will yield tension. Let’s go back to our MMC’s promotion. Where does the tension come from, and what does it look like?
- MMC’s relationship with the person going after his promotion will change. The situation might also change his relationships with coworkers. Someone else applying for the job has created tension in the workplace.
- After rescheduling his wedding, MMC’s relationship with his fiancé will change, especially if one of them didn’t want to move the date. It’s the perfect place to add tension in the romance.
- Whether or not the MMC makes it to the airport on time, his car and the tree are excellent reasons to increase tension—he could lose faith in his mechanic and begin resenting the neighbor whose tree blocked the road. Whichever way you write it, let unrest be the goal.
Regardless of the genre you’re writing, your story needs all three of these elements: conflict, suspense, and tension. Your reader will enjoy seeing how long it takes your characters to achieve their goals and seeing how the conflicts change them.
If you have questions about these, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.
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