Final answer:
Authors use techniques like strategic word placement, story structure, linguistic variety, and vivid imagery to create suspense in literature, drawing readers into the narrative and heightening their emotional engagement with the story.
Step-by-step explanation:
Authors create suspense in literature through various techniques such as linguistic choices, story structure, and audiovisual cues. For example, in "A Modern Love Letter," the placement of the single word "trace" on its own line can heighten suspense by pausing the flow of the poem, creating a dramatic effect that draws attention to the word and its significance. In other cases, like in Kate Chopin's "The Storm," the use of linguistic variety contributes to character development and can also build tension within the narrative.
The organization of a story contributes to suspense as well. Considerations such as why a chapter ends where it does or how an epistolary novel reveals information can lead to increased suspense, pushing the reader to wonder what will happen next or why a character made certain revelations.
Additionally, authors can evoke suspense through vivid details and imagery, as demonstrated by Twain's account in his climax scenes. The use of descriptive language and sensory details can immerse readers in the moment, making them feel the narrator's anxiety and anticipation, thereby enhancing the suspenseful impact of the story.