Narrating Mystery and suspense stories | Year 7 English (Cambridge) PDF Download

Using Suspense in Writing

Suspense is a powerful tool that authors use to keep readers engaged and entertained. It's the feeling of anticipation or worry that makes you want to keep turning the pages. When authors create suspense, they make you wonder what's going to happen next, and this curiosity drives you to read on.

What is Suspense?

Suspense is created when an author makes you curious or worried about what will happen next in a story. It's that feeling you get when you're on the edge of your seat, wondering about the outcome. Authors use suspense to lead you up to the main event, making you eager to find out what happens.

Creating Suspense

Authors use several techniques to create suspense:

Partial Information

• Authors give only part of the information to make you wonder what else is happening.
• Example from Roald Dahl's The BFG:
  • "Sophie allowed her eye to travel further and further down the street. Suddenly she froze. There was something coming up the street on the opposite side. It was something black, something tall and black, something very tall and very black and very thin."
• In this example, you wonder what the black, tall, and thin thing is, creating suspense.

Story Questions

• These are questions that make you curious about the story.
• Examples of story questions:
  • "Will I ever find my way out of these woods?"
  • "I wonder what's in that big box?"
  • "What if that old house turns out to be haunted?"
• These questions make you think about the possible answers and keep you reading to find out.

Word Referents

• Authors describe something without naming it directly, giving you hints about what it could be.
• Example:
  • "The snarling creature charged toward me."
• You don't know what the creature is – it could be a lion, a tiger, a bear, a wolf, or a monster. This makes you want to read on to discover its identity.
• Another example:
  "I gasped as the figure loomed before me. It appeared to be stuck in the middle of my backyard. I noticed there was a crow perched on its outstretched arms. A brown hat sat on its hair made of yarn. Its blue and white checkered shirt fit tightly around the creature's body. It was as big as a second grader. His smile made him look friendly. The thing’s button eyes looked like they were popping out of its head. As I crept closer, I realized that it was a scarecrow."
• Here, the author gives clues that it's a scarecrow without naming it until the end. This builds suspense and makes you curious about what the figure could be.

Revelation

• Revelation is when the author finally reveals what they've been hinting at. It's the moment when you find out what the suspense was leading up to.
• In the scarecrow example, the revelation happens when you realize that the figure is a scarecrow. The author gives clues, and then reveals the truth, satisfying your curiosity.

Review

• Suspense: Keeps readers wondering and worrying, leading them to keep reading.
• Techniques:
  • Partial Information: Only giving part of what's happening.
  • Story Questions: Making readers wonder about certain aspects of the story.
  • Word Referents: Describing something without naming it directly.
• Revelation: The moment when the author reveals what they've been hinting at.

Examples

• Roald Dahl's The BFG:
  • "Something very tall and very black and very thin."
• Story Questions:
  • "Will I ever find my way out of these woods?"
• Word Referents:
  • "The snarling creature charged toward me."