Baking a loaf showed me how to build suspense in stories

I was making bread and realized the waiting time is perfect for tension. The dough rising slowly, the oven heat building, it's all setup for payoff. Now I use cooking processes as prompts for slow-burn narratives. Even a simple timer tick can be a countdown in a thriller.

3 comments

3 Comments

skyler_mitchell1mo ago

@aaronk10's laundry suspense is almost as good as baking.

tyler_davis1mo ago

My laundry just builds suspense by never finishing.

aaronk101mo ago

Using laundry cycles or coffee brewing for pacing shows how controlled delay builds suspense.