This is from a panel I attend about a year ago. Hope my notes will be of use.

• Java provides moments of tension.
• Moments of conflict.
• Whatever you can do to ratchet up the challenge to the characters.
• May include emotional conflict and draws out emotion from the reader.
• Drama is distilled meeting.
• Use conflict/tension to bear down the point of the story that are important.
• First emotional reaction that comes first. Often, is an indication of memo drama
• if the author tries too hard to make readers feel and emotion that can also be Michael drama
• if you can imagine Saturday Night Live acting out a scene from your book that may indicate memo drama
• if the reader has an emotional investment on fate of the character that can create drama.
• Your character is the reason that the reader will want to come back and read your world. Especially when characters’ lives are in threat.
• Success is where you can make a reader relate and feel like the emotions shared by the character and have traits that the reader wishes they could emulate.
• Emotion is result of drama.
• Drama is created by the story, not the words.
• Characters want something and they don’t get it or doesn’t want something and they get it.
• Books need mountains and valleys in the plot.
• Suspense these be created. Given the reader just enough information to lead them to guess and anticipate the plot path.
• Suspense is building up emotion to a high moment.
• The more dangerous than job them are funny. The character.
• Humor delivered in the wrong moment can deflate tension. Surely.
• The humor that does not take away from the drama.
• Dark humor is based on reality.
• Luck and study the books and movies that do something right when it comes tension. Notice what the doing.
• Check out websites that offer to do, book reviews, including e-books.

Have an idea to add to the list? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.