Here are some notes are rolled up from a lecture on anticipation in fiction. I hope they can be of use.

–          Don’t mistake action for suspense.

–          Action is the thrill of the moment.

–          The anticipation of violence is much more suspenseful then the violence itself.

–          Suspense is anticipatory: action is the thrill of the moment.

–          Emphasize the unknown.

–          Knowing a killer behind the door is more suspenseful than him performing the murder.

–          As you build toward each event, make each step increasingly more personal to the protagonist.

–          Foreknowledge of a bad event is anticipatory, knowing there is no way to avoid it heightens suspense. Don’t see the shark in Jaws movie until later.

–          Give hints of current actions that will give reader idea how they might react to new situations.

–          Book: blink of the eye: bedroom, brother, monster, parents say monster not real.

If you have some ideas to add this topic, feel free to share them in the comment section this blog.