#219. How To Build Story Tension by Sharing More (Not Less) with Daniel David Wallace

Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

Discover why clarity (not secrecy) is the key to keeping your readers engaged, curious, and emotionally invested in your story.

Writers often think suspense means withholding information, but what if the opposite were true?

In this episode, I'm joined by Daniel David Wallace, author, writing teacher, and founder of the annual Escape the Plot Forest Summit, to discuss why holding back details can leave readers confused or disconnected rather than curious.

Daniel explains how sharing the right information at the right time builds trust, deepens emotion, and makes every twist hit exactly the way you intended.

Here’s what we cover:

[02:25] Why trying to keep readers guessing for too long kills tension, and what actually makes a mystery feel exciting instead of confusing.

[06:35] How the fear of being ‘too obvious’ causes writers to hide key details, and why showing your hand sooner can keep readers even more engaged.

[10:00] What The Hunger Games can teach us about foreshadowing in fiction through the famous berry scene.

[18:00] What it really means to treat your reader like a friend, and how building trust keeps people invested in your story from start to finish.

[20:00] Where writers go wrong with multi-POV—and why including more POVs isn't always the way to make your story clear to readers

If you've ever worried that giving too much away will ruin your story, this episode will change how you think about suspense, clarity, and reader trust.

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Daniel David Wallace Website
• The Character First Story Free Writing course

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1. Treat Readers Like Friends (00:00:00)

2. Busting The Suspense-By-Secrets Myth (00:00:52)

3. Meet Daniel David Wallace (00:01:05)

4. Mystery Done Right: Clues As Confetti (00:02:22)

5. Reader Experience And Clear Stakes (00:04:20)

6. Be Obvious First, Refine Later (00:06:17)

7. Foreshadowing That Lands: The Berries Test (00:10:05)

8. Repetition With Rising Stakes (00:13:03)

9. Balance Reveals And Dramatic Irony (00:15:18)

10. Choosing Focused Points Of View (00:17:05)

11. Readers Learn Through The Protagonist (00:19:06)

12. Core Takeaway And Practice (00:21:14)

13. Free Short Story Course And Links (00:22:58)

14. Show Notes, Quiz, And Closing (00:28:14)