Ramping Up Tension - What I Learned from The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

RAMPING UP TENSIONI love thrillers. In preparing for a rewrite on my upcoming novel Beyond the Black Sea I'm surrounding myself with action packed mysteries. I've watched the first 2 seasons of Homeland and the first 6 seasons of 24. Most recently, I finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I want to learn the best (and the worst) ways to increase the "page turner" aspect of fiction.
WHAT WORKS IN THE LOST SYMBOLThe entire first act is wonderful. One of the easiest ways to increase tension is to deal with deadlines. Dan  Brown does in books what 24 does on television: everything happens in one day. The reader feels like he or she is racing against the clock. There's also a real sense that if the hero doesn't move quickly enough there will be dire consequences.
This is very different than the sprawling epic fantasies of Tolkien, Jordan and Sanderson. Those stories take place over several weeks or several months in dozens of different locations. A thriller limits time and location.
Another easy way to ramp up tension is careful placement of your pauses. Breaking your chapters during the middle of action forces the reader to move on to the next chapter. If you make the end of each chapter a mini cliffhanger, the reader is pushed forward. Be cautious, however. Do this too often and you will exhaust the reader. Everyone needs a break once in a while.
What is a Cliffhanger
LINK: Examples of Effective Cliffhangers
Another thing that works is the character of Robert Langdon. He is instantly likable. There are easy ways to make the reader like and relate to your character. One is making them very good at their job. Another is making them the victim of undeserved persecution. Dan Brown does both with Langdon. The CIA character Sato is completely unreasonable and it out to get Langdon. This makes us hate her and cheer on Langdon. We want him to get away from her but Dan Brown doesn't make it easy.
The same thing happens in 24. Jack Bauer is likable because he has the worst luck on the planet. The poor guy just can't catch a break. He's the best there is at what he does but the universe seems out to get him.  Jack Bauer from 24
WHAT DOESN'T WORK IN THE LOST SYMBOLA few weeks ago I did one of those online surveys to determine which famous writer my prose is most like. It said I wrote like Dan Brown. I loved his first two books but never got around to the last two. I decided to check them out.
When I did, I realized I really DID write like Dan Brown. That includes all the things my editors and beta readers disliked were. The Lost Symbol switches POVs constantly, sometimes in the middle of a scene. It reads like a novelization of a movie focusing more on the "scene" than characters. It helped me realize the downside of constantly changing POVs. I really didn't care about any of the characters. We never spend enough time with them to become interested. The only important thing is the story...which is a big no-no. I want to write character driven stories. 
The ending was also a little flat. The big "reveal" of Mal'akh was a yawn. It was too obvious 1/2 way through the book who he was. If you want a believable, tense mystery you can't beat people over the head with sledgehammer-like clues. Even worse, when I learned the "secret" Mal'akh has been searching for I wanted to throw my book. It was a complete let down after a very strong start.
WHAT I LEARNEDTo ramp up the tension, use carefully placed breaks in the action. End chapters on small cliffhangers to push the reader forward.
Limit your scope. Keep time, location, and POVs limited to increase the sense of claustrophobia and intensity. Make your characters likable by making them good at what they do. Then put them in a situation in which they are unfairly treated, persecuted, or surround them with ever-increasing danger.





LINKS:Three Key Questions to Ramp Up Your Story’s MojoWriting Tips - 3 Ways to Ramp Up the Tension in Your WritingTranscripts - Writing Excuses 8.15: Narrative Rhythm (Transcript) which discusses Dan Brown