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This entirely depends on my characters. Sometimes it's humor, sex, cooking together, having fun, or just a relaxing moment. I find this out as I write.

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I usually weave it into humorous situations.

In "Hell Is Work," for example Virgil goes and requests divine intervention for a bad coffee shop, etc.

In "Muertos" I add skeletal details. E.g. Mick taking his lower jaw from his pocket to smoke or drink.

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This depends on what I am writing.
For my short-form horrors, I don't have a lot in between to work with so it needs to serve a purpose.

In "Don't Work Late" I have character interplay. A desperate narrator and a 'get it done' character create levity without diminishing the horror.

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I'm not sure I have an exact answer for this, 'cause it depends. I use a lot of humor to lighten the mood, plus slow moments where they just enjoy things like eating and hanging out. So... I guess that's my answer~ :D'

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"Drink to forget." The plot tends to linger over these situations, but people in real life can and do distract themselves when they're not able to actively engage with them. They go out for a meal, they joke with each other, they fall into daily routines.

Those release valves are a moment for not only the character, but the reader to "breathe", especially after a very tense moment...but the suspense is always there

In my work, I tend to lengthen my prose in those moments, to sit with descriptions, and to let the characters turn inward

#Sustember

Suspense is the gradual build of a nervous/anticipatory tone throughout a work, which culminates in a catharsis of tension

In a longer work, the plot can be built around tension release valves, but the decreasing availability of those valves is what defines the suspense genre

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This really boils down to pacing & tone. I make sure that no two chapters have the same tone. If a chapter is heavy, I won't follow it with another heavy. I'll go lighter (levity, POV shift, etc...) or I go darker/heavier, but always with a view towards plot and character development.

#Sustember 14!
I fill the spaces between suspenseful moments with humor, found family and queer camaraderie. My boys are always bumping each others elbows jovially, calling each other nicknames, and playing bideo games together.

It depends on the book. I vacillate between serious and whimsical horror, and the more whimsical side tends to have more room for levity and humor. Both rely on deep character bonds, so we're also fostering and developing those.

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My #Sustember answer -- This is the scaffolding of the novel. Suspense gives nuance; without any of these other things, it would fall flat. My favorite non-suspense items to add are humor, but I tend to have the story beats ironed out first.

Happy #Sustember 14!

I'd yes/and that suspense really only works when there's grounding & building, which is a lot of the surrounding material. Not that I really write *for* the suspenseful moments, but they work best when the reader is invested in the story, characters, and stakes ^^

#Sustember | Day 14

Suspense is only effective if it's used in very specific moments. How do you handle the moments in between?

Joke scenes, happiness, exposition, lore drops? What's this look like for you?

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Hell yeah, hidden motives! Zeroing in a bit, I've got a big Unreliable Narrator plan, but I'm trying to set myself firm groundrules. Not only no lies, every thought this guy had must be legitimate and fully sincere in that moment.

#Sustember Sept 13: I'd be surprised if my stories didn't have hidden motives 🫢 The characters aren't always aware of them. Sometimes a third party secret comes along that no one has control over or even knows about. There are also mistaken perceptions; things seem one way when they're far from it.