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!

New Release! Masterful Microtension

Learn how to masterfully craft microtension in your fiction. Microtension is the subtle but powerful element operating beneath the surface of a scene. It is created through contradiction, emotional friction, subtext, charged description, symbolism, and imaginative wordsmithing. When microtension is present, readers feel compelled to keep reading. When it’s missing, even well-plotted stories can feel flat.

Few writers have ever been taught about microtension in fiction and why it’s so important. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find any books, courses, videos, or articles on it. Yet … without it, your fiction can fall flat.

In Masterful Microtension: The Essential Element of Powerful Fiction, you’ll study how skilled fiction writers create tension at the micro level using masterful techniques such as word pairings, literary devices, motifs, and polarities.

Most books on fiction writing focus on structure, character arcs, and dramatic conflict. While those elements are crucial to a great story, they only address the big-picture elements. Microtension works at the word level, shaping the emotional energy between narrative, actions, and thoughts.

Regardless of what genre you write, Mastering Microtension will magnificently transform your prose. If you want to elevate your fiction from competent to compelling, from readable to unforgettable, microtension is the key.

Get your copy (ebook or paperback) on Amazon or any other outlet online! (release date 4-28-2026)

Featured Photo by Олег Мороз on Unsplash