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Position:Home>Books & Authors> How can I build tension between my characters?Question: How can I build tension between my characters!? I'm writing a short story and I'd like a few tips on how to build tension before I write the pivotal point in the story, and give subtle clues on what will happen later on in the story- (basically a man tells his brother that his wife is unfaithful to him by having an affair with the first man) How can I do this!? Do I talk in detail about the setting!? (A train) The relationship between the brothers or the relationship between the man and his wife!? Or something different!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Subplots will be your best friend here!. Foreshadow the event by using dramatic irony---do the brother and the wife like each other already, or does the brother seduce the wife just to prove that he could do it and that the woman is unfaithful!? If the two characters are already interested in each other, use irony to foreshadow the events to your readers!. The characters would speak in private, they would insinuate those intimate moments, they would take stolen looks of the other, etc!. etc!. Between the brothers, the one doing the seducing is likely to be secretive, unwilling to talk to his brother about his wife at all until the act is done!. As for the husband, it depends on how his character is developed!. Is he smarter, more intuitive!? Would he guess what's happening before he was told about it!? And if he does, would he deny it and try to rationalize the actions of his brother and his wife to try to console himself!? Or would he miss these things and stay completely oblivious!? It's really all up to you!. You can talk about the relationship between the brothers---have they always been competitive!? Has the unmarried one always been jealous of the other!? (You can probably draw references to Cain and Abel here if you're so inclined!.)---*AND* you can talk about the relationship between the man and his wife: is she known to be unfaithful!? Does her husband trust her, or has she ever given him reason to doubt her!? I think it's essential for you to comment on both of these relationships so that the readers get a better feel for the characters and so that their actions are all the more believable to your audience!. The setting should be talked about, moreso in detail if it is essential to your plot!. Does the train represent anything!? Does it foreshadow these adulterous actions!? Etc!. Good luck; I hope this helped!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Tell the story of the man going with the wife!. What happened to make them get together etc!. and if they had any qualms about being together even though she was married to the brother!. Then if they are still together, and whether the brother believes them or not!. Www@QuestionHome@Com Maybe they could be cheating on each other's wives or doing something else!. They could be having family issues!. Or one brother could be stealing or asking for money!. They could also just always of been that way!. It is up to you!. Hope this helps!!Www@QuestionHome@Com |