How to Write a Page-Turner: Master the Art of Tension
How to Write a Page-Turner: Master the Art of Tension from Pipeline Artists - Symposium on Vimeo.
Tension in novels, stories, and even memoirs is like the connective tissue that allows muscles to attach to bones, and thus flex their might. It’s the heart of conflict, the backbone of uncertainty, the hallmark of danger. It keeps readers guessing, and characters on their toes. When it’s present, stories leave readers breathless and wanting more. When it’s missing, scenes feel inconsequential, plots drag, characters meander.
Just learning the basic building blocks of story craft is not enough to write a page-turning story; you need to master the art of tension on every page and within every element of the story. From the inner conflicts of a character's deepest psyche, to the mechanics of how you reveal information to the reader, Jordan Rosenfeld will demonstrate how to create tension that's critical to crafting a story your readers can't put down!
In this workshopyou will learn:
- Four key elements of page-turning tension
- Strategies for building character tension
- Essentials of creating plot tension
- How to balance scene elements for maximum tension
- Compelling ways to create sentences that resonate
- How to build powerful images that layer in subtle tension
[Recorded March 7, 2023]
Jordan Rosenfeld is author of the forthcoming novel Fallout (Running Wild Press), as well as Women in Red and Forged in Grace and six books on the craft of writing, most recently How to Write a Page-Turner, the bestselling Make a Scene, Writing the Intimate Character, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence, Writing Deep Scenes and Write Free. Her freelance writing has been published in hundreds of publications, including: The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American, Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Washington Post and many more. She is also a freelance manuscript editor, writing coach and teaches online classes.