Tense/tension

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Last night I read a few chapters of John Romer's book TESTAMENT. Romer is an Egyptologist and more. Polymath comes to mind. And he tosses dead cats into the sanctuary a lot. Last nights dead kitty is TENSION. Romer defines it as the interaction tween myth and reality. I thought about it and did some research.

Almost no one puts their finger on what tension is or how it feels to be tense. But I think Romer is close. I'd substitute another word for MYTH, maybe UNKNOWN. Like these events from my life:

Youre at a restaurant with friends, two guys and the wife of one of the guys. Someone rubs your leg with their foot for a couple of minutes. Or a buddy invites you over for spaghetti and he or his wife rub your leg with their foot for a couple of minutes. Or my favorite, you visit with two sisters at their home, the electricity goes off, and someone sits on your lap and starts frenching you in the dark (then hop up and leave). Or youre at the laundromat and observe a woman looking thru your basket of clothes (I married her later).

I think women are masters of tension creation.

A while back I start getting emails from a woman I dated in high school. They arent real emails, theyre ads from her email account. She didnt send the ads to me...but my email address was in her computer. What does it mean? Tension again.

Plenty of writers have trouble creating tension but it seems to me tension is everywhere.

 

[steve44uk]

Last night I read a few chapters of John Romer's book TESTAMENT. Romer is an Egyptologist and more. Polymath comes to mind. And he tosses dead cats into the sanctuary a lot. Last nights dead kitty is TENSION. Romer defines it as the interaction tween myth and reality. I thought about it and did some research.

Almost no one puts their finger on what tension is or how it feels to be tense. But I think Romer is close. I'd substitute another word for MYTH, maybe UNKNOWN. Like these events from my life:

Youre at a restaurant with friends, two guys and the wife of one of the guys. Someone rubs your leg with their foot for a couple of minutes. Or a buddy invites you over for spaghetti and he or his wife rub your leg with their foot for a couple of minutes. Or my favorite, you visit with two sisters at their home, the electricity goes off, and someone sits on your lap and starts frenching you in the dark (then hop up and leave). Or youre at the laundromat and observe a woman looking thru your basket of clothes (I married her later).

I think women are masters of tension creation.

A while back I start getting emails from a woman I dated in high school. They arent real emails, theyre ads from her email account. She didnt send the ads to me...but my email address was in her computer. What does it mean? Tension again.

Plenty of writers have trouble creating tension but it seems to me tension is everywhere.

Ha! Tru dat.

 

[SecondCircle]

I think you're right. A lot of times in the stories I read, they are well written, punctuated, have a nice flow, and are very interesting, but the tension you mentioned isn't there. Of course I give the good story a good rating, and try not to criticize it too harshly for not having elements that I found it was lacking, but I feel like a jackass if I mention little tidbits like this.

I think that sort of tension is one of the essential feelings that we get when we are involved in an intimate situation. Everyone gets that cold nervousness in their chest. Your mind races to figure out how to cope or react. I actually think that feeling you get when you flirt with someone or meet someone new that we call attraction could actually be described as magnetic tension. It's thrilling. Not enough stories describe these sort of feelings.

I like to think I try, but it is a tough thing to deliver.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I think you're right. A lot of times in the stories I read, they are well written, punctuated, have a nice flow, and are very interesting, but the tension you mentioned isn't there. Of course I give the good story a good rating, and try not to criticize it too harshly for not having elements that I found it was lacking, but I feel like a jackass if I mention little tidbits like this.

I think that sort of tension is one of the essential feelings that we get when we are involved in an intimate situation. Everyone gets that cold nervousness in their chest. Your mind races to figure out how to cope or react. I actually think that feeling you get when you flirt with someone or meet someone new that we call attraction could actually be described as magnetic tension. It's thrilling. Not enough stories describe these sort of feelings.

I like to think I try, but it is a tough thing to deliver.

I think tension is fair game for criticism. It doesnt need to float your boat if youre unaffected by the issue, but its part of good writing. I dont think its that tough to do, the mechanics are simple...something happens that can go different places, and the tension is in the possibilities. Youre teaching school and the cutie on the front row flashes you.

 

[SecondCircle]

I don't think it's a tough thing to do, but the delivery of the emotion of how tension affects a character is the tricky thing. Either way you've given me a critical thing to consider for my future endeavours.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EMOTIONS.

Emotions are tough to peg if theyre poker players and schizophrenics. Many emotions are obvious, laughter, crying, rage, lust, fatigue, depression. Its the subtle feelings that ambush you. Like, if you pickup a gal at the hotel bar she might get out ahead of you and darn near trot to her room. Gals are known for disrobing quickly at times. Some loiter near an attractive man. I had one girl literally leap on me without a hint it was coming. Guys, of course, get erections.

I notice, too, that females move their eyes a lot when theyre excited. I suspect theyre comparing what youre doing to what they had in mind.