Women's Fiction: Building Dramatic Tension In Your Scene
Every story needs dramatic tension — a sense of mystery — to create "What Happens Next?" Your knowing the difference between inner dramatic tension, which is character-driven, and outer dramatic tension, which is plot-driven, makes the reader want to turn the page!
This picture has a clear dramatic tension built into it. But that's outer dramatic tension, which is good. It's easier to write a scene where the dramatic tension is high. And if you are someone who shies away from high tension, then this prompt is for you!
How do you continue to build the tension? You get inside the woman and find out what she is feeling and thinking. Does she know the man who is following her? If so, what's their story? An old boyfriend or maybe her ex-husband? A drug dealer who she owes money?
What's their history? Get inside her to find out. Go for high tension. Try something you haven't tried before. Let the woman guide you.
If you're not making any headway, write from the point of view of the man following her. Is he stalking her? Don't shy away from the apparent "bad guy's" point of view. You'll be surprised what you find out when you don't judge your characters, but open yourself to whichever one of them speaks most clearly to you.