Ever written a scene so tense it was nerve racking?

[JamesSavik]

The scene I'm writing now is so tense I'm wanting to chain smoke, get up and pace around and chew my nails all at once.

 

I hope it's a good sign that it's a winning scene.

 

Not a bad sign that I'm in need a the laughing academy.

 

Now that you mention it, just might be a little of both.

[Mann Ramblings]

I've definitely written scenes that wired me in the excitement and others that completely upset me. Like you, I hope that means I did the moment justice.

[Krista]

No, but that is something I want to achieve.

[CassieQ]

Writing…no.  Usually because I know what is going to happen.  I have read scenes that made me so tense I had to get up and take a little walk around the room though.  

[Cole Matthews]

I have written a chapter that had me weeping the entire time. But, then I always have to pace as I'm writing. It is very emotional most of the time for me. Up and down.

[Krista]

It would be similar to the subject matter you're working with and how comfortable you are writing scenes? I doubt much of consequence would ever happen in the type of stories that I write. None of my characters, etc, have the ability to make me nervous and have it fit within the story itself.

[JamesSavik]

The last scene that I wrote in Case: Black (38) had me pacing back and forth- the whole thing was so creepy.

 

11 years ago there was an accident at a secure lab that caused a localized outbreak of a deadly disease. The lab was supposed to be state of the art and had every safety feature but something went wrong. They could never figure out what happened and 8 years later they needed the data that was still down there. After the lab had been pumped full of chlorine dioxide and sealed with 22 bodies in it.

 

My character had to go down in this lab, crawl over bodies to retrieve the data and try to figure out what went wrong.

 

It was tense just creating it.

[Dark]

Does it count if your beta reader goes nuts over something you wrote? 

[Mann Ramblings]

Does it count if your beta reader goes nuts over something you wrote? 

 

I'd like to think that counts.

[Former Member]

Writing is very emotional process also for me.  There have been times where I have snapped at other people in the room to be quiet when I'm writing a really tense scary scene because I'm sure that the noise thy are making in real life is going to reveal my character hiding in the corner and they will die because of it.  I also tend to cry when writing really sad scenes and I also make faces...  Video chat me at your own risk

[Sasha Distan]

oh that's a good sign. I was got myself and my main character so worked up i ended up throwing a cup across the room (it was plastic, the character of the other hand punches someone)

[scotty94]

I don't do tense scene but once I was writing a very, very, very,hot steaming sex scene and I had to adjust myself a few times because I was not very comfortable in the lower regions.

[Thorn Wilde]

In reference to Scotty's post above, there's a quote of unknown origins (it may have been fantasy author Sam Sykes) that goes thusly:

 

'If you read closely enough, you can tell the exact point in the prose where the author started touching themselves.'

 

As for the topic, I get upset on my characters' behalf sometimes, and some very intense scenes will result in my needing a very long break and a cup of tea after (if I smoked, I'm sure I would), but for the most part I'm just a sadistic fuck and I like putting my characters through as much shit as humanly possible. Seeing them suffer fills me with glee, and and the thought of leaving my readers hanging after an especially intense scene makes me giggle. I think in the end I'm probably just blasé, to be honest. The things that really, really get to me in stories aren't the sort of things that I generally write. I probably should. It would be good for me to step out of my comfort zone.

[Ron]

How about more 'Lavender and Gold, Thorn. 

 

In answer to the question, yes. When I wrote my response to prompt 270, I think that I must have channeled some anger from many, many years ago. I can tell you that the keys took a beating on that one.

Edited December 1, 2013 by Ron

[Nephylim]

Oh goodness yes. I laugh, cry, get mad, scared, sexed up and just plain crazy. I'be burst out laughing on a train, and I've had to stop myself from outright sobbing in public. Writing is a therapy to me so I'm not sure whether the writing makes me crazy or my craziness creates the writing. Or both

[Thorn Wilde]

How about more 'Lavender and Gold, Thorn. 

 

Working on it.