Why You Should Use A Tension and Time Graph In Your Novel

One of the biggest issues a writer will run into after their manuscript is complete is a lack of conflict. If a story does not have tension, then a reader will not feel the need to keep going. Thus, it is imperative to home in on the conflict and tension that exists in your manuscript.

For example, you should have thought of any potential plot holes your story might have while you're creating your scene outlines and planning your novel altogether.

However, have you thought of tension?

There are even story structures that involve specific fiction elements like tension, which will give you a broader view of how to best include these individual components in your novel.

Let’s look at the tension and time graph for an example:

WHAT IS TENSION?

Before you learn how to use a tension and time graph, you must first know what tension is.

In essence, tension is the reader’s desire to know what is possible.

They will ask themselves questions, such as:

• Will something good happen?

• Will something bad happen?

• Where is this going exactly?

• Will this object/character/etc. be relevant later?

This should not be confused with conflict, which is the action that is currently happening and is what is getting in the way of the goal.

Tension, on the other hand, is the idea that a goal may not be reached. Let us use the examples above to clarify:

• Will all this flirting lead to a kiss between two characters? This creates tension because the audience does not know if the two characters, they are rooting for will get together.

• Will the broken wires mean the spaceship will crash? Broken wires on a ship cannot possibly mean anything good. The most obvious result might be a ship crash, which creates obvious tension for the reader.

• Is that dripping noise down in the basement something scary? Sure, it could mean a leaky faucet, but because the audience is left to wonder, they will think of the worst-case scenario – instilling a higher degree of tension.

If you are going to make a story worth reading, then you need to have tension.

As mentioned, the best way to structure it within your novel is with a tension and time graph.

HOW TO USE A TENSION AND TIME GRAPH

A tension and time graph is as followed:

As you can see, on the left you have the level of tension current present. This will rise or fall depending on how your story progresses.

Each story begins with no tension at all, and with each scene the tension will rise, or fall, depending on what happens in the story. Typically, the tension will rise over time, but a general rule is that the more action takes place, the more tension will occur.

The bottom represents the time that it takes the tension to occur. Again, the idea is that the story is less tense at the beginning, but as the reader understands the conflict, and the stakes get higher, that tension will increase.  

Each crisis can also be mapped out so that you have a general view of how each of these affects the larger arc of the piece.

See below:

The goal is to focus on each scene and how it leads to the bigger mounting tension in the story. I also recommended that you name each scene. For example, Scene 1 might be the "Diner scene" or Scene 2 might be "The first confrontation."

Overall, the key should be to use these types of graphs to determine how tense your scenes are, at what point in the story they take place and the rate at which they occur.

GROWING TENSION THROUGHOUT THE STORY

When you visually see how tension works in the story you can get a sense of how it builds and what it does to the story. The momentum a story has, or when tension is released, will all influence pacing.

In fiction, pacing refers to the speed at which a story is told.

What information is told and how fast each action, or scene, moves is the pace by which the story moves.

Just like a doctor, you can diagnose irregular pacing with your tension and time graph. Increase the tension when your story is moving too slowly or bring it down to help your readers breathe a little.

These are so many interesting ways you can structure your novel, even the various elements of fiction within it.

As mentioned, the goal is to find the structure that best communicates the story you want to share!

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