Analyzing Fiction - Suspense

Today in class we read the short story Heading Home by Ramsey Campbell. It's a very short story with a LOT of suspense packed in, and almost all of you were totally surprised by the ending. I love stories like that!

If you've ever watched a scary movie, read a creepy book, walked through the woods in the dark, or have been left home alone at night, you've probably experienced the sensation of suspense. It's that uncomfortable nervous feeling you have when you're not sure what's going to happen next, but you can almost guarantee that it won't be good.

In movies, suspenseful moments are pretty easy to identify. The following movie clips are some of the most famous suspenseful scenes of all time. Cue the foreboding music!

Jurassic Park (1997): Velociraptors want to know, "Why you no want to hang out with us, childrens?"

Jaws (1975): The shark attack that filled my nightmares. Warning: there will be blood.

The Dark Knight (2008): The Joker has a totally psychotic social experiment. Fun on a boat!

 

While movies have the luxury of music, lighting, and set design to create nail-biting, breath-taking, heart-pounding moments, in stories, we depend on the author to provide suspense for us. Not an easy task! So, how do they do it? I'm so glad you asked!

After you've read and annotated the short story Death by Scrabble by Charlie Fish, you will need to visit this website to learn all about how writers create tension (suspense) in a story. Taking notes on that page would be helpful, but is not required. Once you've studied that page closely, head on over to Google Classroom for your assignment!