Writing escalating tension

[NaughteeDragon]

I’ve got this chapter I’m struggling with and I need some inspiration or some advice.

I am looking for a story about sisters or very close female friends that have escalating tension due to a one way sexual attraction that blows up into an argument they heal from and fall in love.

What I really need is inspiration for that final escalation to the explosive argument. I’m 80% of the way there in a story along those lines and I’m struggling with the last 20%. I’ve been fighting this chapter for a couple of months, and I really want to get it done so I can get to the fun stuff again.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

It's hard to come up with an escalation when we don't know anything about the plot.

Also, I'd say that the challenge in your story will be to convince the reader that a woman who was previously unattracted to her friend/sister (because she wasn't a lesbian, or because she didn't see her that way?) suddenly becomes attracted to her.

Maybe you could make the escalation about the one-way nature of it? Maybe the one who's attracted does something, makes a move, and gets a shocked rebuff?

 

[NaughteeDragon]

I was trying to avoid going to deep into the plot, because then the post gets so long nobody will read it.

FMC1 and FMC2 have been friends since they were about 7 and are 18-19 at the start of the story. They are both romantically involved with MMC, at the instigation on FMC1. FMC1 intended it to be a polygamous relationship. However, when they had a threesome with the MMC, FMC2 got ‘rewired’ and became sexually attracted to FMC1.
FMC1 has a fear of being perceived as bisexual because of a traumatic event in her past. FMC2 knows about the event, but not the trauma because FMC1 has hidden the emotional involvement she had in the event.

Tension has been building for weeks since the threesome. FMC2 is fun, impulsive, and kinky. FMC1 is serious, staid, and vanilla. Problem is that FMC1 is also deeply in love with FMC2 but her trauma makes her unwilling to admit that her love could be sexual. They have a huge blowout argument that forces FMC1 to confront her trauma.

 

[SamanthaBehgs]

I was trying to avoid going to deep into the plot, because then the post gets so long nobody will read it.

FMC1 and FMC2 have been friends since they were about 7 and are 18-19 at the start of the story. They are both romantically involved with MMC, at the instigation on FMC1. FMC1 intended it to be a polygamous relationship. However, when they had a threesome with the MMC, FMC2 got ‘rewired’ and became sexually attracted to FMC1.
FMC1 has a fear of being perceived as bisexual because of a traumatic event in her past. FMC2 knows about the event, but not the trauma because FMC1 has hidden the emotional involvement she had in the event.

Tension has been building for weeks since the threesome. FMC2 is fun, impulsive, and kinky. FMC1 is serious, staid, and vanilla. Problem is that FMC1 is also deeply in love with FMC2 but her trauma makes her unwilling to admit that her love could be sexual. They have a huge blowout argument that forces FMC1 to confront her trauma.

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around FMC1's motives here. With the trauma mentioned about being perceived as bisexual, how did the threesome happen. That in and of itself would, in my understanding of what I'm reading of the above, potentially cause anxiety about that perception. You're there, there's a male and a female, and you're in a sexual encounter with them. There, to me, is where the fear of being perceived as bisexual would be. I'm sure there's a detail I'm missing?

 

[NaughteeDragon]

FMC1 has a slightly narcissistic personality, FMC2 is submissive and a little bratty. MMC is engaged to FMC1 and FMC2 is his sister.
FMC1 took the lead in their threesome and “taught” FMC2 how to give a blowjob. FMC2 and FMC1 didn’t engage in sex between them, but both were pleasing the MMC.

FMC1’s issue is about her public image dictating her self-perception. When this all blows up, FMC1 will finally realize that her love of FMC2 is more important than her public image. She doesn’t come out of the closet, but finally accepts that she can accept the new love of FMC2.

 

[Britva415]

When this all blows up, FMC1 will finally realize that her love of FMC2 is more important than her public image.

I think you have everything you need. I’m not sure that other story recommendations will help. This is your plot, your story.

Let me ask - do you at least know how and why the above is going to happen? I’m asking, to see whether the part you’re stuck on is making that make sense, or, something else, like how to write it so that it feels like a blow-up when it happens.

Hopefully you do already know how and why that happens the way you say it will. If not, you gotta get that figured out, and, you might find that the scene subsequently writes itself.

Otherwise, yeah, I guess it’s possible that seeing examples of well-executed “it hits the fan” scenes could help you. I don’t have any to recommend.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

yes, the scenes after the blow up have been written for weeks.
FMC1 goes home and faces the memories of what happened. She finally realizes that what happened to her 13 year old self has been dictating her life for almost six years. Once she finally realizes that she learned the wrong lesson from what happened she publicly apologizes to the memory of what happened (commenting on a FB post from years earlier, this sets up a couple of later scenes, one good, one bad). When she tries to reach out to FMC2, she gets slapped down and told off. She spirals. She reaches out the MMC and admits to him what happened, it's the first time she's ever told anyone the truth behind what happened. MMC reaches to FMC2 and convinces her to hear out FMC1.
FMC2 learns the truth. She agrees to go on a date with FMC1. They go dancing, FMC1 kisses FMC2 while "More Than Words" plays in the background.
It takes a while for the FMC's to advance the physical side of their relationship, because FMC1 still has to deal with her brain freaking out every time they do something new together.

 

[Off_base]

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around FMC1's motives here. With the trauma mentioned about being perceived as bisexual, how did the threesome happen. That in and of itself would, in my understanding of what I'm reading of the above, potentially cause anxiety about that perception. You're there, there's a male and a female, and you're in a sexual encounter with them. There, to me, is where the fear of being perceived as bisexual would be. I'm sure there's a detail I'm missing?

This would be my only problem as a reader. If fmc1 was traumatized sexually, and was the reserved, steady personality, and fmc2 was the naughty, outgoing one, what motivated fmc1 to instigate a threesome with her bf and his sister? Maybe when the trauma is revealed that will be more clear?
I'm not a reader of t/i stories, but the idea sounds plausible for the genre, except for the element mentioned here.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

This would be my only problem as a reader. If fmc1 was traumatized sexually, and was the reserved, steady personality, and fmc2 was the naughty, outgoing one, what motivated fmc1 to instigate a threesome with her bf and his sister? Maybe when the trauma is revealed that will be more clear?
I'm not a reader of t/i stories, but the idea sounds plausible for the genre, except for the element mentioned here.

FMC1 has a couple of OTHER issues going on as well. She is an only child and her parents got divorced very suddenly many years before. She attached herself to FMC2 as an adopted sister. The MMC told her he would treat her like his little sister and watch out for her. He did. She's been in love with the MMC for years, but "wanted him to be her last boyfriend, not her first." She has a near pathological fear of losing FMC2. FMC1 is the instigator of the relationship between FMC2 and MMC, thinking they would have a polygamous relationship. She didn't count on FMC2 becoming sexually attracted to her. (Welcome to the law of unintended consequences.)

FMC1 also has a serious incest kink because of her attraction to the MMC, while also spending several years thinking of him as a brother.

Her trauma was not sexual. She had a crush on another female friend (Rena). They were starting to explore as teenagers are wont to do. FMC1 is scared, so is very cautious, but her first romantic kiss is with Rena. Rena gets caught with another girl (Jen), publicly outed, and bullied. FMC1 publicly agrees with the things being said about Jen and Rena to protect her own reputation, even as she is trying to privately support Rena. Rena commits suicide. Jen goes on to become president of the school's pride club. The realization that FMC1 comes to in the dark of the night is that she was afraid that if everyone found out, she would be Rena, not Jen.

 

[Off_base]

FMC1 has a couple of OTHER issues going on as well. She is an only child and her parents got divorced very suddenly many years before. She attached herself to FMC2 as an adopted sister. The MMC told her he would treat her like his little sister and watch out for her. He did. She's been in love with the MMC for years, but "wanted him to be her last boyfriend, not her first." She has a near pathological fear of losing FMC2. FMC1 is the instigator of the relationship between FMC2 and MMC, thinking they would have a polygamous relationship. She didn't count on FMC2 becoming sexually attracted to her. (Welcome to the law of unintended consequences.)

FMC1 also has a serious incest kink because of her attraction to the MMC, while also spending several years thinking of him as a brother.

Her trauma was not sexual. She had a crush on another female friend (Rena). They were starting to explore as teenagers are wont to do. FMC1 is scared, so is very cautious, but her first romantic kiss is with Rena. Rena gets caught with another girl (Jen), publicly outed, and bullied. FMC1 publicly agrees with the things being said about Jen and Rena to protect her own reputation, even as she is trying to privately support Rena. Rena commits suicide. Jen goes on to become president of the school's pride club. The realization that FMC1 comes to in the dark of the night is that she was afraid that if everyone found out, she would be Rena, not Jen.

That's pretty deep and I'm relatively shallow. Maybe reach out for an editor or beta reader for help with your blowup between the fmcs?

 

[nice90sguy]

I can see your problem; It's not the relationship, or the events: It's the fact that you haven't created personailities that clash angrily. Consider all the times you, or people you're close to, have exploded with anger, frustration. Feel that tension building when you recall them -- I'm very fortunate in that I have a very volatile relationship with my partner, and all our own fears, anxieties and frustrations (which we brought to the table when we got together) lead to a ton of emotional escalation. The triggers don't have to realte to the "real issue": A simple argument about where to eat, politics, what a movie was actually about, an opinion about a news item, or a judgement about a friend's action, can quickly blow up.
The "real issue" need never come up, if the rest of your story has already made it clear.

 

[Erozetta]

I was trying to avoid going to deep into the plot, because then the post gets so long nobody will read it.

FMC1 and FMC2 have been friends since they were about 7 and are 18-19 at the start of the story. They are both romantically involved with MMC, at the instigation on FMC1. FMC1 intended it to be a polygamous relationship. However, when they had a threesome with the MMC, FMC2 got ‘rewired’ and became sexually attracted to FMC1.
FMC1 has a fear of being perceived as bisexual because of a traumatic event in her past. FMC2 knows about the event, but not the trauma because FMC1 has hidden the emotional involvement she had in the event.

Tension has been building for weeks since the threesome. FMC2 is fun, impulsive, and kinky. FMC1 is serious, staid, and vanilla. Problem is that FMC1 is also deeply in love with FMC2 but her trauma makes her unwilling to admit that her love could be sexual. They have a huge blowout argument that forces FMC1 to confront her trauma.

Little rejections often add up to big emotions. The big blow up can be something as minor as FMC1 telling 2 that she'll never love her the way 2 wants her to. If 2 suggests she wants 1 to love her the same way 1 love's 2's brother, and 1 says something along the lines of shaming her ("That's disgusting, I won't ever love you like that.") while thinking about how her image is more important to her than her feelings, trying to put logic behind the illogical, it can be extremely cutting to 2.

Following that up with something along the lines of being unintentionally hurtful and extremely selfish ("I don't ever want anyone to ever think I'm like you. It would ruin everything for me to be so impulsive.") you have the recipe for small cuts that, over time, translate into big reactions. A friend subtly calling you undesirable/unlovable over and over will get to you after a while of trying to cheerfully dismiss it or trying to think around it ("Oh, she didn't mean x, she meant y, okay," until x gets harder and harder to dismiss as y, z, or a and it becomes clear that she meant x the whole time, and x is incredibly hurtful to 2.)

Or 1 could simply be constantly correcting/controlling 2 toward behaviors that are opposite Rena and can look more like styling 2 toward behavior more like Jen. In her mind "No, Rena did c, it won't work, so you need to do b instead of c so I can do d. Jen did b and d, Jen was okay, Rena wasn't. I can manage d, but c isn't possible." After a while of that, the partnership becomes tedious and can cause someone to just reach a boiling point of "Stop telling me what I can and can't do. You either love *me* or you don't. Styling me to your expectations and taste is not happening."


You already have the framework in place for a blow up. Loving someone who is a constant corrector or emotionally absent in a relationship can easily be the slow burning wick.

 

[StillStunned]

Have you considered having it blow up over something trivial? And as they're yelling at each other, they realise that the immediate trigger isn't the problem, it's what's beneath.

 

[NaughteeDragon]

she was in a pretty good mood when she and Cecilia dropped their swim suits on the deck so they could stretch out to get some sun.


“This might be my favorite part of this,” Cecilia said as she smoothed tanning oil onto Kaitlyn’s back. Kaitlyn replied with a non-committal grunt. “I love the feel of your body in my hands.”


“Cici,” Kaitlyn said in an exasperated tone.


“Not like that,” Cecilia replied with exaggerated patience. “You’re so… fit. It makes your body very interesting and pleasant to touch. I get to feel your muscles move under my hands, and your skin is so smooth and perfect.” Kaitlyn tried to make herself think of it like being with a masseuse as she took long deep breaths and tried not to think about how much her sister was enjoying touching her body.


“Can I do all of your back,” Cecilia asked. “I promise not to play with your butt. I’ll just do that quickly and move on.”


“Just my back, arms, and legs?” This was a far as Kaitlyn was willing to go, but wanted to make sure her friend wasn’t going to push for more.


“Yes. I want to do your front, but you don’t trust me not to do more.” Kaitlyn started to respond, but she kept talking. “And you’re not wrong. I probably wouldn’t be able to behave with that opportunity. But this is just me wanting to do something nice for you. I missed spending time with you last weekend, and we’ve both been busy this week.”


“Alright,” Kaitlyn finally made herself agree. “As long as you behave. It does feel nice when you do this for me. Just, don’t make me regret it, okay.”


“Of course,” Cecilia replied with a soft sigh.

Cici (FMC2) is blind. This type of interaction has happened several times.
I’m to the point I just need 3 or 4 more interactions that can lead to frustration. They will be from Cici’ POV, and Cici is getting tired of apologizing. The last one will be something public that sets Kaitlyn off.