How to make your writing suspenseful - Victoria Smith

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

What makes a good horror story?

Što čini dobru horor priču?

Sure, you could throw in some hideous monsters,

Naravno, možete ubaciti čudovišta,

fountains of blood,

fontane krvi,

and things jumping out from every corner,

i stvari koje iskaču iza svakog ugla,

but as classic horror author H.P. Lovecraft wrote,

ali kako klasični pisac horora H.P. Lovecraft piše

"The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

"Najstariji i najsnažniji strah je strah od nepoznatog."

And writers harness that fear not by revealing horrors,

I pisci izazivaju taj strah ne otkrivajući užase,

but by leaving the audience hanging in anticipation of them.

već ostavljajući publiku u iščekivanju užasa.

That is, in a state of suspense.

To jest, u stanju napetosti.

The most familiar examples of suspense come from horror films and mystery novels.

Najpoznatiji primjeri napetosti dolaze iz horor filmova i romana.

What's inside the haunted mansion?

Što je u ukletoj vili?

Which of the dinner guests is the murderer?

Koji gost na večeri je ubojica?

But suspense exists beyond these genres.

Ali napetost postoji izvan ovih žanrova.

Will the hero save the day?

Hoće li junak spasiti dan?

Will the couple get together in the end?

Hoće li par biti skupa na kraju?

And what is the dark secret that causes the main character so much pain?

I koja je tajna koja glavnom liku uzrokuje toliko boli?

The key to suspense is that it sets up a question, or several,

Ključ napetosti je u tome da postavlja pitanja, ili nekoliko njih,

that the audience hopes to get an answer to

na koje se publika nada dobiti odgovor

and delays that answer while maintaining their interest and keeping them guessing.

i koja odgađa odgovor dok zadržava zanimanje i potiče nagađanje.

So what are some techniques you can use to achieve this in your own writing?

Pa koje su neke tehnike koje možete koristiti za ovo u vlastitom pisanju?

Limit the point of view.

Ograničite točku gledanja.

Instead of an omniscient narrator who can see and relay everything that happens,

Umjesto sveprisutnog pripovjedača koji vidi i povezuje sve što se događa,

tell the story from the perspective of the characters.

pričajte priču iz perspektive likova.

They may start off knowing just as little as the audience does,

Oni mogu početi sa znanjem koje ima i publika,

and as they learn more, so do we.

i kako oni uče više, učimo i mi.

Classic novels, like "Dracula," for example, are told through letters and diary entries

Klasični romani, kao "Drakula," na primjer, ispričani su kroz pisma i unose u dnevnik

where characters relate what they've experienced

gdje likovi pričaju što su iskusili

and fear what's to come.

i strah od onog što dolazi.

Next, choose the right setting and imagery.

Sljedeće, odaberite dobro okruženje i slike.

Old mansions or castles with winding halls and secret passageways

Stare vile ili dvorci sa zavojitim hodnicima i tajnim prolazima

suggest that disturbing things are being concealed.

sugestiraju da se uznemirujuće stvari skrivaju.

Nighttime, fog, and storms all play similar roles in limiting visibility

Noć, magla i oluje igraju slične uloge u ograničavanju vidljivosti

and restricting characters' movements.

i ograničavajući kretanje likova.

That's why Victorian London is such a popular setting.

Zato je Viktorijanski London tako popularno okruženje.

And even ordinary places and objects can be made sinister

I čak i obična mjesta i predmeti mogu postati zlokobni

as in the Gothic novel "Rebecca"

kao u gotičkom romanu "Rebecca"

where the flowers at the protagonist's new home are described as blood red.

gdje je cvijeće u domu glavnog lika opisano kao krvavo crveno.

Three: play with style and form.

Tri: igrajte se sa stilom i formom.

You can build suspense by carefully paying attention not just to what happens

Možete graditi napetost pažljivo obraćajući pozornost ne samo na ono što se događa

but how it's conveyed and paced.

već kako je izrečeno i tempirano.

Edgar Allan Poe conveys the mental state of the narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart"

Edgar Allan Poe prenosi mentalno stanje pripovjedača u "Izdajničkom Srcu"

with fragmented sentences that break off suddenly.

sa fragmentiranim rečenicama koje iznenada budu prekinute.

And other short declarative sentences in the story

I druge kratke izjavne rečenice u priči

create a mix of breathless speed and weighty pauses.

stvaraju mješavinu velike brzine i teških pauza.

On the screen, Alfred Hitchcock's cinematography

Na ekranu, filmovi Alfreda Hitchcocka

is known for its use of extended silences and shots of staircases

poznati su po uporabi dužih tišina i snimki stubišta

to create a feeling of discomfort.

kako bi stvorili osjećaj nelagode.

Four: use dramatic irony.

Četiri: koristite dramatičnu ironiju.

You can't just keep the audience in the dark forever.

Ne možete publiku ostaviti u mraku zauvijek.

Sometimes, suspense is best served

Ponekad, napetost je najbolje servirana

by revealing key parts of the big secret to the audience but not to the characters.

otkrivajući ključne dijelove velikih tajni publici ali ne i likovima.

This is a technique known as dramatic irony,

Ovo je tehnika poznata kao dramatična ironija,

where the mystery becomes not what will happen

gdje misterija postaje ne što će se dogodit

but when and how the characters will learn.

već kad i kako će likovi shvatiti.

In the classic play "Oedipus Rex,"

U klasičnoj predstavi "Kralj Edip,"

the title character is unaware that he has killed his own father

glavni lik nije svjestan da je ubio oca

and married his mother.

i oženio svoju majku.

But the audience knows, and watching Oedipus gradually learn the truth

Ali publika zna, i gledajući Edipa kako polako saznaje istinu

provides the story with its agonizing climax.

to postaje priča sa svojim mučnim klimaksom.

And finally, the cliffhanger.

I na kraju, napeti kraj.

Beware of overusing this one.

Pazite da ne koristite ovo previše.

Some consider it a cheap and easy trick, but it's hard to deny its effectiveness.

Neki to smatraju jeftinim i lakim trikom, ali teško je osporiti učinkovitost.

This is where a chapter, episode, volume, or season

To je ono kad poglavlje, epizoda, nastavak ili sezona

cuts off right before something crucial is revealed,

završe točno prije nego nešto ključno bude otkriveno,

or in the midst of a dangerous situation with a slim chance of hope.

ili u opasnoj situaciji sa malom nadom.

The wait, whether moments or years,

Čekanje, bilo trenutci ili godine,

makes us imagine possibilities about what could happen next,

čini da zamišljamo mogućnosti koje slijede,

building extra suspense.

gradeći dodatnu napetost.

The awful thing is almost always averted,

Užasna stvar je gotovo uvijek svladana,

creating a sense of closure and emotional release.

stvarajući osjećaj završetka i emocionalnog otpuštanja.

But that doesn't stop us from worrying and wondering the next time

Ali to nas ne sprječava da se brinemo i pitamo sljedćei put

the protagonists face near-certain disaster.

kada se protagonisti suoče sa gotovo sigurnom katastrofom.