b00kw0rm_bella asked Erin E. Adams:

I love writing my own stories that are horror/thriller for 14-18 for myself. I struggle to write something interesting. I guess how do you get enough suspense where you keep the readers on their feet, and not too much to the point where they know what to expect?

Erin E. Adams Hey! Oh yes, this is a constant balancing act. Two things here. One, only reveal one key piece of the mystery at a time and track all of it through to the end. That way you are only sharing just enough information to keep readers hooked. Two, plot the mystery backward! If you know where you need to get to, start your main character as far away from that goal as possible. Then take each logical step backward till you get to the beginning. The distance between the start and the conclusion is where your tension lies. Also, accept that some people will guess your ending no matter what. The fun part for readers is seeing how you pull it off. You can also use a red herring or two to throw people on the wrong track, but the red herring must be as plausible as the true culprit. Something that I did starting out was look at thrillers I loved for their structure: what reveals happened and when? Were they character reveals or plot focused? How did they change the story? How did they change my protagonist? How did all the clues add up to the whole of the book? Finally, pulling apart how someone else does something can inspire you and guide you in your own work.

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