Curating Suspense Tip #3

Body language is an incredibly powerful tool for building tension and suspense. Pair powerful subtext with show, don’t tell, and you’re setting the scene for clenched jaws and furious page-turning.

The body speaks volumes! A set jaw, a hard, unblinking stare, or an involuntary flinch can convey a character’s tension or discomfort, and if it’s subtly addressed, the reader can begin to feel it in their own body. These specific details shed light on what’s not being explicitly said. If a character is stressed and the reader draws their own conclusions about why, it puts them directly in the character's emotions. 

Emotions/Feelings to Practice Writing About
Fear, anxiety, anger, annoyance, joy, exhilaration, love, respect. 

Ideas for creating Suspenseful Body Language
- a churning feeling in your stomach
- feeling light-headed or dizzy
- pins and needles
- feeling restless or unable to sit still
- headaches, backache or other aches and pains
- faster breathing
- a fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat
- sweating or hot flushes

Writing Challenge
Find an image or a movie scene that conveys a lot of emotion. Practice describing the person's body language and subtext without naming any of the emotions directly. 

Example: "She was sad."
"She sank her head into her palms as silent tears splashed down."