In Popular Media
See also: Thriller (genre)In thrillers, suspense is the key element authors use to leave the reader or viewer hanging, trying to figure out what will happen next. The effect is especially strong when the work ends without actually revealing what happens next in the storyline.
Suspense is what gives a person the "on-edge" feeling. Suspense builds in order to make those final moments, no matter how short, the most memorable. The suspense in a story just keeps the person hooked into reading or watching more until the climax is reached, and the thrill and amusement of the suspension finally come to a close.
The tension doesn't have to be in the form of the bad guy stalking the hero. It can be much simpler, much less dramatic, but still make the person keep reading or watching. Suspense is about conflict, about the obstacles between the hero and his goal.
The suspense of a story may be the point at which the reader or viewer feels more eager to know the end, and what would happen next. It is often referred to in literature as the climax; when characters and events reach a high complexity. The suspense in the story is the most important element, which was never ignored by writers throughout the ages.
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