GRADE VI

ENGLISH
WRITING SKILLS
SUSPENSE STORIES
MARCH 2023

MET Rishikul Vidyalaya

Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (w), Mumbai – 400050
WHAT ARE SUSPENSE STORIES?

A suspense story is a genre of

narrative fiction that involves a
state of mental anxiety,
anticipation and uncertainty.
 WHY DO WE WRITE SUSPENSE STORIES?
 To arrest the reader’s attention by arousing curiosity in them

 To heighten the tension and build anxiety

 To engross the reader in turning the pages

 To delve into the unknown and reveal the mystery

 CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF SUSPENSE STORIES
 It must have a dark and foreboding atmosphere/mood.

 It must have an uneasy and curious tone.

 It must have tension from the beginning to the end of the story.

 It must have a complex and twisted plot.

 It must have red-herrings (clues that mislead the readers)

 It must have a strong, deceptive and unpredictable hidden identity.

 It must withhold information to keep the readers guessing till the end.
IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR WRITING SUSPENSE STORY
Make use of these vocabulary in your Suspense Stories to heighten the effect!
RED HERRING
APPREHENSION
A clue that misleads the readers
Fear and anxiety about something
and diverts the attention from
unpleasant that is going to happen
the subject.
Eg: She had an apprehension of an
Eg: He is not the murderer, but a
impending doom!
Red Herring!

FORESHADOW TENSION
A warning or sign of a future event Extreme mental or emotional
OR strain.
A technique used to build suspense Eg: She could feel the tension
in a story building in her!!
Eg: The echo of the footsteps
foreshadow a crime!
IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR WRITING SUSPENSE STORY

COLD SWEAT UNEXPECTED

A state of extreme worry or fear. A state of extreme worry or fear.
Eg: The silence was so oppressive Eg: The silence was so oppressive
that she broke into a cold sweat. that she broke into a cold sweat.

FOREBODING
UNFORESEEN
A feeling that very bad is going to
A state of extreme worry or fear.
happen soon.
Eg: The silence was so oppressive
Eg: He had a strange foreboding
that she broke into a cold sweat.
about he paintings on the wall .
v
USING ATMOSPHERE TO CREATE SUSPENSE

Pitch-black
Hazy mist
darkness

Torrential
Dense fog rain
Ferocious
storm
USING ATMOSPHERE TO CREATE SUSPENSE

Haunting Lurking
dusk shadows

Approaching Strange
threat occurrences
Oppressive
silence
 ASSIGNMENTS

1. Write a story titled, ‘The Old Dark House.’

2. Write a story that begins with 'Sarah saw a Face in the Fog.

3. Write a story that takes place in a dark street where shadows whisper endlessly.

4. Write a story about a stranger wearing a ‘Black Raincoat.’

5. Write a story ending with ‘The suspense is revealed as the Clock Strikes Twelve.’

6. Write a story where The Guest Disappears in the middle of the story.
 Thank You

MET Rishikul Vidyalaya

Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (w), Mumbai – 400050
Tel: (+ 91 22) 26440061/377, 39554315
Email: metmrv@met.edu I www.mrv.edu.in