Author on Crafting Psychological Tension
In a recent podcast interview, psychological thriller author Will Dean explained his approach to building tension by restricting character control and using claustrophobic settings. Dean argued that leveraging a character's loss of autonomy and focusing on internal psychological fears are more effective than relying solely on external threats.
- Will Dean's own life mirrors the settings of his novels; he lives in a self-built wooden house in a remote Swedish elk forest, an experience that directly informs the isolated and wild landscapes in his books. - His best-known Tuva Moodyson book series features a deaf, bisexual reporter who is terrified of the dense Swedish forests she works in, a prime example of a character with inherent vulnerabilities and internal fears. - In his standalone thriller *The Last Thing to Burn*, Dean explores extreme loss of autonomy through the story of a young Vietnamese woman held captive on an isolated farm, a narrative that came to him in a single night. - Dean often uses a writing process he describes as a "fugue state," immersing himself in the main character's head for weeks to write a first draft, which allows him to explore their psychology with intense focus. - His 2024 novel, *The Chamber*, is a locked-room mystery set in a hyperbaric chamber deep in the North Sea, a literal "pressure cooker" environment where emergency escape would take a minimum of four days. - Critics have praised his works for their atmospheric tension and Scandinavian noir style, drawing comparisons to authors like Stephen King. - The Tuva Moodyson series is being adapted into a six-part television series titled *TUVA*, with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis cast in the lead role, moving the setting from Sweden to the UK.
