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Bill W

Bill W 61,571
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"Pressure" originated in the late 14th century, deriving from the Old French pressure (anguish, oppression) and directly from the Latin pressura ("a pressing, a pressure"), which stems from pressus, the past participle of premere ("to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress").  Pressure combines the Latin stem press- (from premere) with the suffix -ure (indicating action or result).  
 
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the noun pressure was first used in English during the Middle English period  (1150—1500) with the original meaning referring to "suffering, anguish, or pressure on the mind/heart".  The OED's earliest recorded evidence for the noun pressure is from 1486 in the Boke of St. Albans.  The sense of "a constraining or oppressive kind" (e.g., "pressure of Consciences") dates back to an essay by Francis Bacon in 1625.  The use of "pressure" in a physics context (force per unit area) did not appear until the 1650s.  The verb pressure came much later, with the earliest OED evidence appearing in the 1910s (1911). 
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Bill W

Bill W 61,571
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Pressure (often termed "tension" or "conflict" in literary terms) is the indispensable engine of storytelling.  Without pressure, a story is simply a sequence of events where nothing is at stake and characters have no reason to act.  It is the force that grips the reader, forces character growth, and drives the plot forward. 
 
Drives the Plot Forward (Momentum):
Creates Urgency: A "ticking clock" (e.g., a deadline, a bomb, a poison antidote needed) forces characters to act now rather than later, creating a sense of urgency that propels the story forward. 
Forces Action: When characters are under pressure, they cannot stay passive. They must make decisions and take risks, which leads to plot progression. 
Creates "Page-Turners": Tension makes a scene impossible to look away from. It forces the reader to keep reading to find out if the character survives or succeeds. 
 
Develops Characters and Stakes: 
Reveals Character: A character's true nature is shown by how they handle pressure. It forces them to make difficult choices, showing their strengths, flaws, and capacity for growth. 
Raises the Stakes: Pressure forces characters to risk something they care about (their lives, relationships, reputations, or goals). If the consequences of failure are low, the story feels flat. 
Internal and External Conflict: Pressure acts both externally (e.g., a villain, a storm) and internally (e.g., fear, guilt). Both types of pressure are necessary to create depth. 
 
Engages teh Reader (Emotional Investment): 
Creates Empathy: When readers see a character under immense pressure, they feel that pressure too. It builds a bridge of empathy, making the reader care about the outcome. 
Creates Curiosity: Tension in the story makes readers ask "what if?" or "how will they get out of this?" This curiosity keeps them hooked. 
Suspense and Release: A well-paced story balances high-pressure scenes with moments of respite. This ebb and flow creates a pleasurable experience of suspense, followed by relief or heartbreak. 
 
Examples of Pressure in Storytelling: 
Forbidden Love (Romeo and Juliet): The societal pressure against their love forces them into secret, desperate actions. 
The Killer in the House (Horror/Thriller): Physical pressure and the immediate threat to life. 
The Deadline (Thriller): A character must solve a mystery before the bomb goes off. 
Emotional Pressure (Drama): A character must choose between their career and their family, forcing them to confront their values. 
 
Without Pressure, stories are mundane, static, and disengaged.  With Pressure, stories are dramatic, active, and engaging.
As a writing technique, the goal is to constantly raise the stakes—start with pressure, increase it in the middle, and peak it at the climax. 
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drpaladin

drpaladin 108,099
Zorro

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Pressure is a simple force, but it is life itself. 

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Bill W

Bill W 61,571
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Atmospheric pressure is different, depending on where you are on earth, because it keeps getting lower the higher you go above sea level, so it should be at it's lowest point on top of Mt. Everest.  The pressure of water increases the deeper you go underwater, and it's greatest in the Mariana Trench.  

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