Microtension – A MUST in Your Fiction

Microtension. What is it? Just what the word implies: tension in story on a micro or small level. The word and phrase level. It’s all about wordsmithing in a masterful way to enthrall your readers, regardless of genre.

Donald Maass says: “Dig deeper into your character at this moment in the story and find inside of him contradictions, dilemmas, opposing impulses, and clashing ideas that keep us in suspense.” That’s microtension

Gabriele Lusser Rico explains that microtension, or creative tension, “reflects the profound truth of the both/and, rather than only the either/or, nature of life.”

Life is full of complexity and contradictions, and when we can express these in our fiction through our characters, our stories deepen and become more memorable.

What’s the difference between tension (inner/outer) and microtension? Tension is big picture and plot. Our action should create dynamic tension for both readers and characters. And inner conflict, struggles, or moral dilemmas create that important inner tension. But microtension is wholly different.

You need both types of tension in your fiction! And if you are lacking microtension, even the best plot and most engaging characters will NOT keep readers reading!

Why microtension is needed:

• • Readers get bored. Certain genres are written in a simplistic style and the action of the plot is what keeps the pages turning. Often the writing is predictable, like eating a big bowl of chips. You can’t stop eating them but they aren’t very filling, satisfying, or all that amazing. Stories with microtension on every page surprise and delight readers over and over, a continual feast in the reading experience.
  • Many readers want a deeper, more enriching experience. They read to care. They want to be emotionally moved. They want to be spurred to think deeply. They want to revel in the beauty of language.
  • You can have a great plot and characters, but if the writing is boring, over time, readers will drift away. The objective is to keep surprising them in little electrical jolts. It makes them alert, eager to keep reading, delights them.
  • A book full of microtension is memorable and can last long in a reader’s mind and heart. The element of surprise (fresh, unexpected, complex) is what does this.

Here are some of the ways or places microtension can be created:

• • Creative choice of words (mainly verbs and adverbs) and wording itself (syntax)
  • Thematic phrasing and imagery (motifs, symbolism)
  • Dialogue full of innuendo, subtext, hints, mystery (less is more)
  • Contradictions and contraries that make readers say “Wait, what?”
  • White space, page layout, stand-alone lines, unexpected emphases.

You can’t write a great novel without infusing it with microtension!

Heads Up! New Microtension Class

 

There are some practical ways to play with key words and phrases, images, ideas, and dialogue to infused a page with microtension. But first you have to develop an eye for it in the scenes you read. This is what my intensive 4-week master class is all about!

If you aren’t yet a master in microtension, this master class is for you. Be ready to learn some great technique!

Image by atlascompany on Freepik

Who: Best for intermediate to advanced writers (meaning you’ve written some of a first draft and have studied novel and scene structure to some extent. If you’re a beginner, I recommend you first go through my course 8 Weeks to Writing a Commercially Successful Novel).

When: Class starts the second week of January (6th & 7th) and runs for 4 weeks. These are the two sections (choose one), and we meet for 2 hours on Zoom:

Section 1: Tuesday 10 a.m. Pacific

Section 2: Wednesday 1:00 p.m. Pacific

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM if you’re interested in taking the class. You will have lifetime access to the recordings and the handouts.

What will be expected from you: You’ll need to submit one page from a scene (that’s all!) before the course starts, which you will work on (revise) and discuss with the group. Group(s) will be small, no more than about 8 people. You’ll be expected to read and comment on others’ pages. You’ll also have sample scenes and handouts to study.

Where: On Zoom. You’ll receive the course link and Zoom details before the first week’s class.

Cost: $295. Space will be limited, so please fill out the form. I will send out information to all interested participants.

Be prepared to learn some innovative, amazing things that will help you take your writing to the next level!

Featured Photo by Олег Мороз on Unsplash