Turn up the Tension

Mini Course for Novelists

Inject energy, intrigue, and page-turning tension into every scene

Your story isn’t flat. It just needs more tension.

You’ve got great characters, an engaging premise, maybe even a solid plot.

But something still feels… off.
Your scenes lack spark. Your dialogue drags.
Readers are interested, but not hooked.

Sound familiar?

Then this mini-course is for you.

Turn Up the Tension is a hands-on, self-paced course designed to help fiction writers add drive, dynamism and edge to every page. Through short, practical lessons, you’ll learn how to weave tension into your story’s fabric—from the sentence level to the big-picture structure.

Course Snapshot

  • 3 Deep-Dive Modules

  • 13 Bite-Sized Lessons

  • Video Tutorials + Worksheets

  • Practical, Ready-to-Use Techniques

What you’ll learn

In this 3-module mini-course, author and writing coach Pamela Cook walks you through guaranteed techniques for creating tension—no matter your genre or writing style.

Module 1

Dialogue & Setting

How your characters speak—and where they speak—can either amp up or suck the energy from a scene. In this module, you’ll learn to:

  • Use subtext to create tension between characters

  • Avoid info-dumping and on-the-nose dialogue

  • Build atmosphere through setting and description

  • Add friction and contrast between place and emotion

Module 2

Scintillating Sentences

Your writing style has tension potential too. This module teaches you how to:

  • Craft rhythmic, propulsive sentences

  • Use sentence length and punctuation for pacing

  • Focus your prose for maximum emotional impact

  • Create momentum at the line level

Module 1

Making the Most of Micro-Tension

This is where the magic happens. Micro-tension is the subtle, simmering suspense that keeps readers turning pages—even when nothing “big” is happening. Learn how to:

  • Build emotional contradictions within a scene

  • Keep characters at odds with themselves and each other

  • Use shifts in tone, language, and detail to signal tension

  • Maintain curiosity through unanswered questions

  • Layer micro-tension throughout your manuscript

Is this course for you?

This course is perfect for you if:

  • You’re in the drafting or revision phase

  • Your scenes feel too slow or “nice”

  • You want readers to feel something with every turn

  • You’ve been told your novel needs more tension—but not how to fix it

  • You’re ready to write tighter, leaner, more compelling prose

What you’ll get

  • ✺

    Lifetime access to 13 short, focused lessons

  • ✺

    Video tutorials with real-world examples

  • ✺

    Downloadable worksheets, exercises and checklists

  • ✺

    Practical tools you can use immediately in your writing

  • ✺

    Expert guidance from multi-published author and writing mentor Pamela Cook

  • ✺

    Plenty of resources from different genres to inspire you

TAKE ME TO THE COURSE

What students are saying about the course

  • '"​​ It was fantastic to have the course broken down the way it was. The coloured coded look at different example texts I found really useful as I could see where I had used similar techniques, or mostly where I had gaps and could apply these approaches to my existing text to bring the reader in more.'

    Sandra Wiles

  • 'Thank you so much for yet another amazing module. The work you have put into them is incredible and I glean inspiration and knowledge out of each one!'

    Laurelle Cousins

  • '  It's fantastic! Can't wait to re-do the modules once I'm finished. I'm sure we'll get more out of it the second time around.'

    Alison Richards

  • ' Am loving the way it is sharpening the way I look at my own writing and how I think about what I’m putting on the page. '

    Deborah Jordan

Enrol now for lifetime access

Enrol now for lifetime access

Turn Up The Tension Mini Course
$67.00
One time

Turn Up the Tension is a hands-on, self-paced course designed to help fiction writers add drive, dynamism and edge to every page. Through short, practical lessons, you’ll learn how to weave tension into your story’s fabric—from the sentence level to the big-picture structure.

✓ 4 hours of video content
✓ Examples from a variety of genres and writing styles
✓ Unlimited lifetime access

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.