Striking the Right Balance: How to Weave Narrative Tension into the Tapestry of Your Story

By Audrey Quinn

My favorite book series growing up was Warrior Cats, by Erin Hunter. Erin Hunter is a pseudonym representing multiple female authors who co—wrote this magical series about various clans of feral cats living in fictional landscapes. 

My mom would read the Warrior Cats books aloud to me almost every night when I was in elementary school, and both of us soon found ourselves sucked into the wild world of former kittypet (the word wild cats use to describe household cats in the books) Fireheart and his quest to become part of Thunderclan, one of the clans of wild cats who dwelled primarily in the forest. The characters in Warrior Cats were funny, serious, and had to make drastic life—or—death decisions on a daily basis. Different clans had different behaviors, homes, and cultures, and there was often conflict both within each clan and between different clans over territory, relationships, leadership, and food. 

This was the earliest example I can remember of being sucked into a series so completely, and being filled with anticipation and excitement to find out what would happen next with my favorite characters. My mom was right there with me in wanting to read “just one more chapter” before I went to bed for the night. To this day, we both recall reading Warrior Cats for the first time with delight and nostalgia.

What is Narrative Tension?

That feeling of anticipation and the desire to read “just one more chapter” is due to a literary device called narrative tension. Narrative tension can be accomplished in many different ways, but it always consists of three basic ingredients: investment, anticipation, and uncertainty (Source). 

In the case of mom and I reading the Warrior Cats series together, we both were engaged with the story because we liked the various cat characters and going on their journeys with them as they faced new worlds, relationships, and conflicts with both their environments and other cats. Both of us loved Fireheart, and the bold female leader of Thunderclan Bluestar, as well as Graystripe, Fireheart’s best friend and ally in his new home. We were invested in the emotional, physical, and spiritual transformations these characters underwent throughout the story, which is the first ingredient of narrative tension. Then, we wanted to know what would happen next in the story, and what secrets and histories would be revealed as the plot progressed, which is the second ingredient in narrative tension. And finally, there was no way to know for sure which way the story was going to turn without reading onwards, which gives us the third ingredient of narrative tension: uncertainty.

Finding the Right Balance of Tension

As you’re reading this, you probably recall your own favorite series or book that kept you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. There is a thrill to reading a book like that for the very first time, and it’s actually disappointing when you finish it, because you know you’ll never again feel that same sense of “what is going to happen next?” that you did before you read it. This is because of narrative tension, and once you know how everything plays out, the tension is broken, because there is no uncertainty anymore. Similarly, you’ve probably read, or tried to read, books that just didn’t “click” with you. Maybe the characters were flat or unrelatable, or the style of writing was particularly off—putting. Once again, this leads to a lack of narrative tension for you the reader, because you are not invested in the story. And if you are not invested in the story, you probably don’t care very much what happens next.

On the other hand, you may have also read books that seem so rife with tension that they’re also incredibly hard to read cover to cover. In my experience, I’ve seen this in books that take on too many characters and storylines at once. There are too many different things to follow, and it becomes hard to care about any of them as a result. This overuse of narrative tension makes a book feel like a fishing line about to snap. You’ve reeled me in, but there’s so much going on that I’m pulling away with everything I have!

Sources of Narrative Tension

So what is the secret? How do some books strike just the right balance of narrative tension in weaving together a story that is engaging, thrilling, and memorable? There are several methods writers employ to develop narrative tension, but their success depends on creating a story that hooks the reader from the beginning to the end. 

One source of narrative tension is the relationships between characters in a story, be they enemies, lovers, friends, family, aquaintances, or even strangers. When readers become invested in what will happen next in the relationships between characters, this builds narrative tension, because they are engaged with the story, they are uncertain what will happen next, and are eager to read on and find out. In Into the Wild, the first book in the Warrior Cats series, there is initially tension between the character who comes to be known as Fireheart (at first, his name is Rusty, and then he is named Firepaw by Thunderclan’s leader Bluestar after she accepts him as an apprentice into Thunderclan) and some of the other cats who think kittypets are weak and useless. At the same time, Fireheart does have support from his friend Graystripe (then known by his apprentice name Graypaw), and some of the older and more experienced cats who serve as his mentors, including a cat named Lionheart, Whitestorm, and the leader Bluestar herself. These relationships between the characters build narrative tension because there is a sense of uncertainty as to where they will lead, and what other secrets they may reveal about other characters’ personalities and pasts. 

Another source of narrative tension is tasks, or the actions characters take to achieve particular results. There may be a larger task that takes up a significant amount of the plot of the novel, such as a quest or journey of some form. In the case of Warrior Cats, Fireheart’s personal quest is to leave his kittypet household and become a member of Thunderclan. His process of leaving behind his first home and learning the ways of a brand new culture are a significant source of engagement for the reader.

Irony, mystery, and surprise are also all elements that contribute to a story’s narrative tension. Dramatic irony occurs when either the readers know something the characters don’t in the story, or the characters know something the reader doesn’t in the story. In the first case, dramatic irony builds narrative tension because the reader wants to know what will happen when the characters become aware of the information that they already know. In the latter case, dramatic irony often contributes to narrative tension in the form of surprise when the reader finds out what secret the characters have been keeping over the course of the story and discovers what impact it has had thus far and may have in the next parts of the story. Mystery in a story stokes readers’ engagement by fueling their desire to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the mystery in question, which leads them to keep reading until the puzzle is solved. An example of dramatic irony occurs in the first book of the Warrior Cats series, when a cat named Tigerclaw of Thunderclan is revealed to be a main antagonist of the series after his apprentice, Ravenpaw, confesses to Fireheart that he witnessed Tigerclaw kill the former deputy of Thunderclan, Redtail. This revelation surprises readers, but also sheds light on some of Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw’s actions, and foreshadows future conflicts involving Tigerclaw as a villain. 

Writers can also craft effective narrative tension by playing with time, sometimes in unexpected ways. They might begin their story in the middle of a high—action scene, and then dive into the events leading up to that scene. Or they might start their story at its conclusion and spend the rest of the novel recounting the experiences and events that led the story to its inevitable ending. 

Narrative Tension Makes Stories Stand Out

All of these elements and methods—crafting engaging relationships between characters, giving characters complex and challenging tasks that take them on a journey, incorporating irony, mystery, and surprise into their story, and playing with time—build narrative tension, that special spice that draws readers in and holds their attention throughout the course of a story (Source). 

With any of these elements, it’s important for the writer to keep a tight hold on the level of tension, maintaining a balance between enough tension to keep readers engaged so they read on with the hope of resolving the sources of tension and not pummeling readers with so much tension they lose track of the most important and meaningful parts of the story. 

The books that pull off this balance are in a class of their own because you remember them and you remember the thrill you felt as you discovered each page of them for the first time. It’s been sixteen years since my mom opened Erin Hunter’s first Warrior Cats book, Into the Wild, and read the opening lines to me before bedtime, and the fact that we both still remember those stories with love and affection is a testament to Erin Hunter’s prowess in crafting narrative tension. 

Upcoming classes you might enjoy

Nap-a-thon

Nap-a-thon: a fundraiser for people who are tired. Which, statistically, is everyone.

Nap Ambassador sign ups close Sept 30.
Napping and fundraising happens Oct 1-31.

Learn more! Nap-a-thon

Writer’s Life Lunch

Come share a meal with other writers and talk shop—craft, process, money, motivation, publishing, rejection, weird writing habits, and whatever’s currently living rent-free in your brain.

Friday, Sept 18 | Noon–1:30 pm
Ages 18+

Learn more! Writer’s Life Lunch