It’s Day 14!
We’re still talking about tension today, but we’re shifting gears slightly. Yesterday we focused on the deep tension that drives the whole story: the gap between what your hero wants and what they actually need.
That internal pull is the engine of your book. Without it, there is no real transformation, and without transformation, there isn’t a story.
Today, we’re looking at something different.
These are external tools and devices you can use when you start shaping the plot—the situations, pressures, and circumstances you put your Hero into in order to force those internal shifts to happen.
Think of yesterday as the psychology of your story, and today as the craft tools that apply pressure from the outside.
First: Celebrate
You did such a good job yesterday. Honestly. The way you articulated your Heroes’ wants and needs—in the comments, in the chat, and in emails—was exactly what I hope for at this stage. You’ve nailed the hard, foundational bit, which means what’s coming next is going to be much more fun.
And one more celebration while we’re here: today is Day 14, which means tomorrow we are officially halfway through the challenge. If you’re still here, still opening emails, still thinking about your story, that alone tells me you have what it takes to finish a book. Persistence and consistency are the difference between people who talk about writing and people who actually become authors.
Okay. Let’s get into tension devices.
Internal vs External
Just to ground us:
Characterisation is internal. It’s the emotional and psychological change your Hero goes through as they move from want to need.
Plot is external. It’s what you do to your Hero— he tests, obstacles, delays, and pressures that push them toward that change.
Today is about those external pressures. And they don’t just work on the Hero; they work on the reader too. When these are used well, your reader feels pulled forward, thinking, What’s going to happen? I have to know.
Key tension devices to know
You are not plotting these into your story yet.
For today, I just want them on your radar. Get familiar with them, notice which ones excite you, and let them sit in the back of your mind. We’ll put them to work later.
Here are the main ones to know:
The ticking clock
There is a clear countdown or deadline. We know exactly when something will happen if the Hero doesn’t act, and we can feel time running out.
The ticking bomb
We know something bad will happen, but we don’t know when. The reader is aware of the danger, even if the characters aren’t, which creates constant unease.
Dramatic irony
The reader knows something the character doesn’t. This is the “don’t do that!” feeling (incredibly powerful for tension).
The narrowing of options
Paths to success keep disappearing. Each failure removes another possible way forward, making the situation feel tighter and more desperate.
Cost escalation
Failures start to hurt more. Early mistakes are survivable; later ones are devastating. The stakes keep rising.
Pressure on the flaw
The story repeatedly puts the Hero in situations that trigger their core flaw, forcing it to surface again and again.
Misunderstanding
Characters act on incorrect information. The reader understands the truth, but the characters don’t, which can create comedy, tragedy, or both.
Delay or withholding
Something helpful is promised—information, rescue, relief—but it keeps getting delayed or held just out of reach.
Your task for today
Remember: don’t think yet about how you’re going to use these!
In the comments, I want you to do two things:
Pick two tension devices from the list above that you feel most drawn to. (Not how you’ll use them…just which ones intrigue you.)
Find two examples of any of these devices being used in something you’ve read or watched (a book, film, or TV show). Spotting them in the wild is part of learning to think like a writer.
Put both of those in the comments below.
I’ll also open up the chat for questions, because this is a lesson that often sparks good discussion.
Tomorrow, we start getting into plotting the journey itself, and we’ll be doing it with all of this quietly working in the background.
See you then,
Shelly
