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Suspense Quotes

The craft of not knowing yet.

These are working notes from people who build suspense for a living, on why the human element matters more than tricks, and how a story keeps readers guessing on purpose.

I do try not to spend much time reading in the suspense genre.

Quotes by Thomas Perry

When the reader and one narrator know something the other narrator does not, the opportunities for suspense and plot development and the shifting of reader sympathies get really interesting.

Quotes by Sara Zarr

Suspense is worse than disappointment.

Quotes by Robert Burns

I'm interested in the human more than I'm interested in building suspense.

Quotes by Niels Arden Oplev

Always Quotes

To me a great sci-fi movie has elements of horror and suspense.

Quotes by Moon Bloodgood

Before I became a suspense novelist, I wrote romantic suspense as Alicia Scott.

Quotes by Lisa Gardner

I think one of the appeals of suspense is to safely explore our innermost fears.

Quotes by Lisa Gardner

I have always loved reading a little creep-factor and a lot of suspense.

Quotes by Lisa Jackson

Suspense arises naturally from good writing - it's not a spice to be added separately.

Quotes by Leigh Michaels

Before Quotes

What keeps readers turning pages is suspense, which you can create using a variety of techniques, including tension, pacing and foreshadowing.

Quotes by Leigh Michaels

I'm a bit more of a suspense reader on the adult side, but my favorites were the ones I grew up reading.

Quotes by Jennifer Armentrout

'Duel' is one of the greatest suspense films of all time.

Quotes by Greg Mottola

I think suspense is a big thing.

Quotes by Gina Philips

I've said in many interviews that I like my fiction to be unpredictable. I like there to be considerable suspense.

George R.R. Martin

Believe Quotes

I believe that the writer should tell a story. I believe in plot. I believe in creating characters and suspense.

Quotes by Ernest Gaines

In episodic TV you have to keep things secret to keep the viewer in suspense.

Quotes by David Giuntoli

There is no suspense in inevitability.

Quotes by Damon Lindelof

'Harry Potter' shouldn't be children's first experience with suspense and plot turns.

Quotes by Berkeley Breathed

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of suspense quotes are collected here?
These come mostly from writers and directors talking about how suspense actually gets built, why human stakes matter more than tricks, and how genre choices like sci-fi lean on it.
Why would someone look for quotes about suspense?
Writers and film fans often want insight into craft, and these quotes give a behind-the-scenes look at how tension gets constructed rather than just describing the feeling of it.
Is there a quote about how readers experience suspense?
Yes, one discusses how giving readers more information than one narrator has creates real suspense and shifts sympathy as the story unfolds.
Does the page connect suspense to a specific genre?
It does mention that great sci-fi often borrows horror and suspense elements, tying genre-blending directly to how tension is built.
What's a good related page to check next?
See Big for more on ambitious storytelling, or Believe for what keeps readers invested.

See Big for more on ambitious storytelling, or Believe for what keeps an audience invested.