Micro-Tension

Hi everyone,

So yesterday I was having a problem with a scene that ticked most of my boxes, but was still feeling very ‘meh’.

That is, it was boring even though it was filled with conflict, stakes, a ticking clock, a clear goal and a cool setting.

The conclusion I came to about what was missing was basically internal conflict or rather warring emotions. Warring desires.

Another word for this is micro-tension*. Micro-tension is the feeling of unease in a story which is generated not by plot conflict, but by the smaller conflict of warring ideas, desires, emotions either between two people or within a person, or the feeling that something is not quite right.

My scene is mostly just my MC so the conflict missing was inner conflict-a war between two conflicting desires. Like go/stay. Accept/reject. Fear/wonder.

In my case, it was her need to win, to succeed warring with her desire to quit and walk away.

So while she is in my cool fantasy setting, she battles with this and this battle keeps the reader’s interest while the bigger external plot unfolds. It’s much longer now, but way more interesting.

I will re-read it tomorrow and tidy it up, then leave it for the third draft where I’ll have plenty of words to cut. Or replace.

I’m happy with what I’ve got. It’s messy but far more interesting. Plus, the moment of indecision, of warring desires, forces my MC to make a choice, and as a result, to step firmly onto a path, marking her entrance into the second half of her journey.

A debate.

A lesson learned.

A decision made.

A new path unfolding ahead.

And it holds my attention.

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

See you tomorrow,

Joanne.

• If you want to learn more about micro-tension see Donald Maas’s, The Breakout Novelist: How to Craft Novels That Stand Out and Sell. Chapter 17