Writers love giving their characters problems. Murder suspects, meddling mothers-in-law, ancient curses, you name it. But here’s a sneaky little trick that will make all those problems ten times juicier: slap a clock on them.
I don’t mean a big red LED timer counting down to kaboom (though thrillers adore that cliché). I mean time pressure. Deadlines. A moment that’s about to slam shut if the characters don’t get their act together.
Without time pressure, characters dawdle. They talk in circles. They get coffee. With it, they move. They make choices. They take risks. And that’s what keeps readers flipping pages.
This isn’t just a thriller trick, either. It works everywhere. Let me prove it.
Think about Sleepless in Seattle. Lovely story, great characters, lots of yearning glances across the country. But the part that makes your stomach clench? New Year’s Eve, Empire State Building. Be there or it’s over. The deadline gives the whole story its heartbeat. Without it, Annie might still be dithering in Baltimore, sighing into her cocoa.
Romance, fantasy, mystery, historical—doesn’t matter. If time’s running out, tension goes up. The baker has three days before the food critic shows up. The farm boy has until the solstice to break the curse. The detective has one more night before the killer vanishes for good.
So, when you’re revising, ask yourself: what happens if my hero waits too long? If the answer is “eh, nothing really,” then congratulations—you’ve just found the flat spot in your story. Add a ticking clock. Make them sweat.
Because nothing wakes up a sleepy plot faster than a deadline looming over everyone’s head.
Mark.