Have you heard of the poisonous amanita muscaria mushrooms? Probably not. But what if I told you that you are wrong? You do know this poisonous type of mushroom. In fact, you have eaten it quite often.
Remember Super Mario?
Yes, the mushroom in this game was inspired by the amanita muscaria mushrooms.
In case you never played Super Mario, here’s the gist
In this game, Mario, who is initially small, becomes much bigger in size after eating this mushroom and gains an extra layer of protection against his enemies.
The mushroom, although poisonous in real life, had the ability to transform Mario.
And just like this mushroom, there is one element that transforms writing that is boring into writing that captivates the audience. And that is tension.
As marketers, creators and entrepreneurs, we can master the art of creating tension to build deep, genuine relationships with our audience.
In this article, let’s talk about
- What is tension?
- Why is tension needed?
- How to create tension?
Ever wondered why you binge-watched Game of Thrones?
The answer is ‘Tension’.
If you have ever felt captivated by a novel or a movie, you have felt tension. Tension is when the audience feels that pull, that intense curiosity to know what will happen next, which pushes them to pursue the story further.
Let’s say you are a running coach
And you have a student who is about to run a 10km marathon in 21 days. You are worried that she is not drinking enough water during the day. How do you convince her to change her behavior?
Well, here’s one way. Go and say to her, “Hey, you should drink enough water.”
This would change her behavior. Or maybe it won’t. In fact, there is a high chance that it won’t. She doesn’t feel the need to listen to you. She doesn’t feel the tension.
However, if you try telling her, “Hey, it seems that you are really struggling after the 7km mark. You feel tired at that point. And you know, there is a simple trick that will help you avoid this feeling and keep you energetic throughout the marathon. Want to know what that is?”
Take a pause here and imagine what this runner is now feeling like. She is feeling the pull. She is worried about finishing the marathon. The loop you opened is making a promise to resolve this worry.
She is feeling the tension.
And then, you can release this tension by saying, “It’s Water. Water will ensure that you have energy throughout.”
(I just made up this fact, of course).
Why do we need tension?
You must have already figured this one out. Tension is the force that keeps the reader engaged and ensures that he doesn’t get distracted by yet another Instagram reel. We live in a chaotic world where we are constantly drowning in noise. There is always a new blog, a new Linkedin post, or worse… a new Tik-Tok video that demands our audience’s attention.
Amidst this noise, if we want to grab our audience’s attention and maintain it, we can’t afford to be mechanical. Seems like we have no other choice but to create tension.
This means more effort. Bad news, right?
This is great news
Fortunately for you and me, most of the writing on the internet is boring and devoid of any personality, tension, and drama. And herein lies the opportunity for us to stand out and earn trust by building tension.
The lowest temperature on Mars
Did you know that on 9th November 2022, the lowest temperature on Mars was -98 degrees Fahrenheit? Why not? Don’t you care about the weather on Mars?
Of course, you don’t care.
Because that is irrelevant to your dreams and aspirations… and your concerns and worries.
As we embark on this journey of creating tension, there is a non-negotiable. You need to get the reader to care. Only when we get the reader to care will he feel the tension.
Finding Nemo could create tension because we cared. We felt the pain that Marlin, Nemo’s father, felt. Breaking Bad could create tension because we cared about Walter and Jesse. And so, if your writing cannot get me to care, you will fail to create this tension.
Hence, knowing the audience is extremely important. When we intimately know our audience’s dreams and desires, we can write a story that matches their dreams and thus creates tension.
And while there is no standard template, no step-by-step guide (Follow these 5 steps to create tension), we can always be mindful that without ‘care,’ tension cannot exist.
In conclusion
Tension has the power to transform our boring writing into an interesting one. It is one ingredient that makes us stand out from all the other noise. Mastering the art and science of creating tension is a skill that we need to master.
I can only imagine the kind of tension that Mario felt when he was there all alone, fighting the dragon to save the Princess…
Have you heard of the poisonous amanita muscaria mushrooms? Probably not. But what if I told you that you are wrong? You do know this poisonous type of mushroom. In fact, you have eaten it quite often.
Remember Super Mario?
Yes, the mushroom in this game was inspired by the amanita muscaria mushrooms.
In case you never played Super Mario, here’s the gist
In this game, Mario, who is initially small, becomes much bigger in size after eating this mushroom and gains an extra layer of protection against his enemies.
The mushroom, although poisonous in real life, had the ability to transform Mario.
And just like this mushroom, there is one element that transforms writing that is boring into writing that captivates the audience. And that is tension.
As marketers, creators and entrepreneurs, we can master the art of creating tension to build deep, genuine relationships with our audience.
In this article, let’s talk about
- What is tension?
- Why is tension needed?
- How to create tension?
Ever wondered why you binge-watched Game of Thrones?
The answer is ‘Tension’.
If you have ever felt captivated by a novel or a movie, you have felt tension. Tension is when the audience feels that pull, that intense curiosity to know what will happen next, which pushes them to pursue the story further.
Let’s say you are a running coach
And you have a student who is about to run a 10km marathon in 21 days. You are worried that she is not drinking enough water during the day. How do you convince her to change her behavior?
Well, here’s one way. Go and say to her, “Hey, you should drink enough water.”
This would change her behavior. Or maybe it won’t. In fact, there is a high chance that it won’t. She doesn’t feel the need to listen to you. She doesn’t feel the tension.
However, if you try telling her, “Hey, it seems that you are really struggling after the 7km mark. You feel tired at that point. And you know, there is a simple trick that will help you avoid this feeling and keep you energetic throughout the marathon. Want to know what that is?”
Take a pause here and imagine what this runner is now feeling like. She is feeling the pull. She is worried about finishing the marathon. The loop you opened is making a promise to resolve this worry.
She is feeling the tension.
And then, you can release this tension by saying, “It’s Water. Water will ensure that you have energy throughout.”
(I just made up this fact, of course).
Why do we need tension?
You must have already figured this one out. Tension is the force that keeps the reader engaged and ensures that he doesn’t get distracted by yet another Instagram reel. We live in a chaotic world where we are constantly drowning in noise. There is always a new blog, a new Linkedin post, or worse… a new Tik-Tok video that demands our audience’s attention.
Amidst this noise, if we want to grab our audience’s attention and maintain it, we can’t afford to be mechanical. Seems like we have no other choice but to create tension.
This means more effort. Bad news, right?
This is great news
Fortunately for you and me, most of the writing on the internet is boring and devoid of any personality, tension, and drama. And herein lies the opportunity for us to stand out and earn trust by building tension.
The lowest temperature on Mars
Did you know that on 9th November 2022, the lowest temperature on Mars was -98 degrees Fahrenheit? Why not? Don’t you care about the weather on Mars?
Of course, you don’t care.
Because that is irrelevant to your dreams and aspirations… and your concerns and worries.
As we embark on this journey of creating tension, there is a non-negotiable. You need to get the reader to care. Only when we get the reader to care will he feel the tension.
Finding Nemo could create tension because we cared. We felt the pain that Marlin, Nemo’s father, felt. Breaking Bad could create tension because we cared about Walter and Jesse. And so, if your writing cannot get me to care, you will fail to create this tension.
Hence, knowing the audience is extremely important. When we intimately know our audience’s dreams and desires, we can write a story that matches their dreams and thus creates tension.
And while there is no standard template, no step-by-step guide (Follow these 5 steps to create tension), we can always be mindful that without ‘care,’ tension cannot exist.
In conclusion
Tension has the power to transform our boring writing into an interesting one. It is one ingredient that makes us stand out from all the other noise. Mastering the art and science of creating tension is a skill that we need to master.
I can only imagine the kind of tension that Mario felt when he was there all alone, fighting the dragon to save the Princess…