: Re: How to create suspense when the conclusion is known? How can there be suspense if the reader knows the conclusion from the beginning? I am writing an apocalyptic survival story, and I chose

@Deb2945533

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I was going to say just to tell your story and not be distracted by what the reader knows. In the moment, the perilous situation (provided the reader cares) almost always creates a feeling of suspense.

But if some characters will live and others will die, you have a more challenging task than if you know all the characters survive. If you know that, then you file that away and get absorbed in the here and now of the characters, and you still feel suspense. But if some live and some die, then you read the whole story knowing that some characters are blessed and others have targets on their backs. That creates a contrast between how you react to perils on the blessed characters and how you react to perils on the targeted ones. I think it draws more attention to the fact that you know the outcome, and changes the experience.

I wish I knew what to tell you about how to deal with that, but I do think it's something you have to consider.

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