day she hadbeen hauntedby the feeling that
shewas being followed, and her fear grewas
night fell. Fear of the unknown. Fear ofwhat
lurked in the shadows.
●
A cold, shivering wind blew on the
back of her neck and ears like the touch
of cold fingers. Suddenly, the whole world
seemed unnaturally dark, as if it had been
drained of all light.
●
Thewindwas ferocious, gaining in power all
the time, until it screamedover the house and
beat like afist against thewalls.
As before, adding detail anddescription
will give the reader amore vivid sense ofwhat
is happening:
●
It was quiet. Too quiet! The birds had
fallen silent and even the wind seemed to
have died down. All was as still as death and
dark as the grave.
4Give thema clue
Include hints to the reader of the danger
to come, or indications that the danger is
getting closer. Think about:
●
Entering the danger zone - what’s lurking
outside, at the top of the stairs?
●
A feeling of being followed/watched
●
Fear of discovery in a hiding place as
footsteps/voices, thuds, crashes get closer.
●
Use of punctuation to add suspense -
include a sentence that holds back essential
information from the reader until its ending,
using colons, commas and repeated full
stops to delay the revelation.
For example:
●
Climbing the ladder, he suddenly stopped
dead in his tracks.
●
She heard the shuffle of footsteps,
the scrape of metal. Silence. A shadow
loomed over her. She dropped to her knees.
Silhouetted in the flickering light was....
5Vary the pace
Build a sense of tension by making frequent
references to time (the ‘ticking clock’ effect):
●
Could he make it in time?
●
He searched desperately for
a way to escape. Frantic now…time
was running out.
●
The next few seconds unfolded in
horrifying slowmotion.
●
For fatal seconds, he stared,
unable to think or move. And as
he faltered, the jaws of the trap
closed around him.
Vary the length of words,
sentences and paragraphs to
increase the pace and tension:
●
Use short words, for example, ‘at
once’, rather than, ‘immediately’.
●
Place several short sentences
consecutively.
She ducked. He lunged.
●
Include one or two-word sentences.
For example: ‘Oh no!’ or ‘Coming closer.
Too close.’
●
When the action is fast, use partial
sentences:
He had to get to the others. Had
to reach the attic. He staggered, stumbled,
scrambled. Five steps more.
●
Use short paragraphs – some may
be a single line.
●
Include lots of verbs to convey action and
create a fast pace; use several verbs in a
single sentence.
TEACH READING & WRITING
59
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