Tony Tips Tuesdays™: The Tension of Waiting

Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.
2 days ago
4 min read

Some scenes explode. Others whisper.

But some—oh, some—make us sit on the edge of our seats, heart pounding, breath caught, wondering what will happen next. They make waiting feel like a weapon. That’s the beauty of well-crafted tension.

As we reach the last Tuesday of the year, the 30th of December, it’s only fitting to talk about the art of waiting. Right now, the world itself is suspended in a strange pause—between the closing of one chapter and the quiet hope of another.

The same is true in your fiction. Your characters—and your readers—can sit in that pause, in that unbearable space between what was and what’s coming. The tension of waiting isn’t just a pause in action. It’s the loaded silence before the leap. It’s what builds stakes, multiplies suspense, and delivers emotional payoff.

Let’s talk about how to make your waiting scenes not just filler—but unforgettable.

⏳ Why Waiting Works

Writers often feel like action means movement—but real drama? It lives in stillness. In hesitation. In the threat of something happening.

Tension builds when we:

Know something’s coming—but not when.
Watch a character unravel in silence.
Feel time stretch like a rubber band about to snap.

Waiting isn’t inaction. It’s anticipation weaponized.

A good waiting scene is like holding a musical note for one second too long—it vibrates with meaning, emotion, and consequence. Even when nothing moves, everything shifts.

🧠 Elements of a Powerful Waiting Scene

1. Set the Clock Without Ticking It

Let readers know something is coming: a verdict, a phone call, a storm, a goodbye. But don’t let it arrive too fast. Build pressure by slowing time down.

✍🏾 Example: “They said they’d call before midnight. It’s 11:47. The phone hasn’t rung.”

Let your readers feel every second like it's dripping from a faucet in the dark.

2. Make Silence Heavy

Don’t fill the air with endless chatter. Let silence speak volumes.

Think of a hospital room. A character staring at the monitor. No one talks. The only sound? The beeping. The hum of machines. Everyone is holding their breath.

The less your characters say, the more the reader listens.

3. Internal Monologue is Your Weapon

Let your character’s thoughts spiral. Waiting gives space for doubt, fear, hope, memory, and old wounds to surface.

“What if they don’t show? What if they changed their mind? What if this is just… it?”

Use the mental noise to amplify the external stillness.

4. Use Physical Sensation to Heighten Time

Time is felt in the body.

Dry mouth.
Racing heart.
A foot tapping.
A hand gripping the chair.
A twitch in the eye.

Let the body betray the mind’s calm. Readers will mirror the discomfort.

5. Break the Wait Unexpectedly

Don’t let the reader get too comfortable. Just when the silence becomes unbearable… let something happen.

A knock. A scream. A single word. A breath.

The silence itself should become part of the conflict.

🎬 Waiting Across Media: Examples That Echo

📚 Literature

Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) – The quiet tension before the final act. You know something’s coming. You just don’t know when.
Room (Emma Donoghue) – The scene before the escape. The silence in the wardrobe is more terrifying than a scream.
The Road (Cormac McCarthy) – Every page is soaked in dread, but it’s the slow, quiet dread of what could happen that unnerves you.

🎞️ Film

A Quiet Place – Here, silence is survival. Waiting isn’t passive—it’s life-or-death. Every step, every glance holds tension.
No Country for Old Men – The coin flip scene. Stillness and slowness deliver unbearable suspense.
Cast Away – The long, quiet scenes show us the weight of time—and the unbearable nature of waiting for rescue, for hope, for purpose.

📺 TV

Breaking Bad – Walt in silence. Walt waiting for justice. Walt waiting to be caught—or kill.
This Is Us – The slow-burning mystery of Jack’s death. The wait becomes part of the heartbreak.
The Walking Dead – We wait to see who lives, who dies, who changes, and what the world will take next.

🎮 Video Games

The Last of Us – The quiet moments between violence are the most gut-wrenching.
Until Dawn – The decision-making pauses freeze you. Because waiting is part of the horror.
Life Is Strange – Still scenes soaked in emotion, reflection, and the unbearable tension of time-travel consequences.

🎭 Isiah Whitlock Jr.: A Master of the Slow Burn

On this final Tuesday of the year, we honor the memory of Isiah Whitlock Jr., a legend of the screen who passed away today.

Best known for his unforgettable role as Senator Clay Davis in The Wire, Whitlock taught an entire generation the power of pause. His drawn-out, tension-soaked catchphrase—“Shiiiiiiiiiii…”—wasn’t just funny. It was timing perfected.

That single, deliberate moment of elongation captured:

Anticipation of consequence
Inevitable fallout
Suspense in the smallest package

Whitlock didn’t rush the moment. He lived in it. He drew it out. And we felt it.

As writers, there’s a lesson there: every pause is a tool. Every beat can speak louder than dialogue.

Rest in power, Mr. Whitlock. Your gift was silence that said everything.

✍🏾 Writing Prompts: Use the Wait

A woman stands at the airport gate watching the arrival board flicker: “Delayed.”
A child hides under a bed, holding their breath, waiting for footsteps.
A man sits outside a courtroom, unopened letter in hand, afraid to read the verdict.
A couple sits in a diner. One plans to end the relationship. The other doesn’t know.
A rebel leader sends a signal into the void… and waits for an answer that may never come.

Use time as tension. Use waiting as transformation.