Story Structure
Tension & Stakes
Flags scenes with zero conflict, consequences, questions, or internal tension.
What It Does
Scans each scene (4+ paragraphs) for four categories of tension markers:
- Opposition vocabulary — "but", "refused", "struggled", "despite", "blocked"
- Consequence language — "must", "had to", "or else", "at stake", "last chance"
- Questions — sentences ending with
?that create unresolved tension - Internal tension — "wondered", "hesitated", "torn", "what if", "couldn't decide"
Flags scenes where the total count of these markers is zero.
Why It Matters
Scenes without tension are scenes without forward momentum. Critics mention tension and stakes in 15.8% of DestructiveReaders critiques. Tension co-occurs with grounding (Lift 2.02) and pacing (Lift 1.94) — slack scenes are often poorly grounded and drag pacing.
What Gets Flagged
| Severity | Example | Why | Suggested Revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information | (4+ paragraph scene with no tension markers) | Zero conflict/consequences | What is at stake? What opposes the character? |
| Hint | (6+ paragraph scene with only 1 marker) | Very low tension density | Raise the stakes or add obstacles |
Configuration
No configuration options. Only checks scenes of 4+ paragraphs.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Scene-level
- Method: Regex vocabulary matching across 4 tension categories, density calculation per scene