How to make your writing suspenseful - Victoria Smith
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TEDEd Animation
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What makes a good horror story? Hideous monsters and fountains of blood might seem like a good place to start, but as horror author H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Writers harness that fear not by revealing horrors, but by leaving the audience hanging in a state of suspense. Victoria Smith gives some tips for adding suspense to your writing.
Think of a novel that successfully builds suspense, and consider the use of setting at key moments. Does the setting of the story naturally lend itself to a feeling of tension? Is weather used to add an air of danger? Can you find examples of threatening imagery in the author’s description of the place?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Victoria Smith
- Director Silvia Prietov
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Producer Julian Andrés Sánchez
- Compositor Julian Andrés Sánchez
- Animator Jenaro Gonzalez, Ingrid Solano, Diego Doncel
- Storyboard Artist William Cifuentes
- Designer Ronald Reyes
- Illustrator Ronald Reyes
- Character Designer Ronald Reyes
- Composer Cem Misirlioglu
- Sound Designer Weston Fonger
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
