6 Steps to Increasing Scene Tension In Your Romance Novel
If you’ve ever found yourself immersed in a romance novel that you couldn’t seem to put down no matter how often you told yourself “just one more chapter,” the author was probably a master of scene tension.
Think of scene/chapter tension as always leaving your character just slightly on edge or unfulfilled. Yes, in every scene, and yes, even in a super cozy/flirty scene of a light-hearted rom-com.
Here’s an example. Let’s pretend you’re writing a small-town rom-com, and your hero has reluctantly agreed to work his aunt’s homemade baby-food booth at the county fair. It has room to be cute, right? Lots of “aww” moments of a gruff, manly-man with adorable babies.
But if you want to add tension?
Put the ex-girlfriend who just moved back into town in the booth directly across from his, selling hot fudge. And maybe she seems awfully friendly with the handsome, newly single town doctor.
Now our hero is trying not just to sell baby mashed up carrots while holding chubby babies, he’s also sneaking looks at his gorgeous ex, and trying really hard not to feel jealous of the doctor.
In other words, never let your characters be all comfy, just going through the motions of their life. Keep their feathers ruffled.
Here are a few of my go-to strategies for keeping the tension:
Give your POV character something specific to want.
Every scene is sharper when your POV character enters with a clear want or need, whether it’s to win the argument, to keep the other person at bay emotionally, to convince them to participate in a fake relationship, to ace the job interview, or to get the other person to admit that last night’s kiss meant something.
If your scene feels stuck, ask yourself, “What do they want in this chapter?” It should always be very clear and specific.
Give them something to lose if they don’t get what they want.
The flip side of desire is risk. What’s at stake if the want goes unmet? In romance, it’s often trust, their heart, or emotional safety, but it could also be something more logistical: they won’t get the promotion, the big project they applied for, a place to live if you’re writing a roommates romance. In historical romance this could be their reputation or chance at marriage, in romantic suspense this could be safety or even their life, etc.
Don’t give them what they want.
Just because they want something doesn’t mean they should always get it. In the early chapters of Pride & Prejudice, Lizzy would love to never see Mr. Darcy again after the first disastrous meeting, and how disappointed would we all be if she’d gotten her wish!
Throw a wrench at your character.
Related to the above, an unexpected obstacle or occurrence keeps the momentum going. The appearance of a romantic rival interrupts an almost kiss. A water leak forces your heroine to call in a favor with her annoying hangman neighbor. His matchmaking mother shows up on his doorstep, forcing him to lie and say that his rival coworker is actually his girlfriend.
Put a time limit on what they need to accomplish.
If your scene is feeling flat, try incorporating a ticking clock whether it’s imminent, or eight chapters in the future. Thank: an application deadline, military deployment, judgmental parents arrival, a wedding, etc. Deadlines force confessions, boldness, or mistakes that can help effortlessly lead you to the next scene.
Give your characters opposing desires
Romance tension thrives when both sides push hard in different directions. Maybe she wants him to stay for dinner, but he’s desperate to leave before he admits to himself much he wants to stay. Or she wants a good night’s sleep, her annoying neighbor wants to learn guitar and the walls are thin, triggering a toe-to-toe yelling argument and massive chemistry…
Complicate a win.
If they do succeed, add a catch. A “yes, but…” ending keeps readers hooked. Think of the wedding planner lands the high profile event of the year, only to learn the groom is her ex. Or the duke convinces who convinces governess to give his mischievous twins another chance, but an accidental touch makes him realize he’s attracted to her.
Hold something back.
Leaving something unrevealed instantly adds tension, whether it’s one character holding something back from the other, or you the author holding something back from the reader. Maybe he fails to tell her that he’s not the caretaker of the estate, but the owner, whose family she hates. Or she stiffens every time the conversation drifts toward her sister’s upcoming wedding, and you let readers wonder why.
Pro tip from the front lines
When I feel like a scene is a little flat, it’s almost always lacking tension, almost always because one of both of them has it too easy in the scene. Fixing tension can be as simple as asking yourself, “How can I stir the pot…”
