Progressive Time, Digressive Time and Suspense

PROGRESSIVE TIME


Authors use progressive time when the stages of the story move in chronological order. This means that there will be no flashbacks nor foreshadows. An example of this is The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy moves through the story without thinking about the past nor the future; the story does not move towards the past nor the future in any moment.

DIGRESSIVE TIME


Authors use digressive time in books when they use the methods of foreshadowing and flashbacks. A foreshadow is when the character or the book applies a guess of what will happen in the future. This is more rare than the flashbacks. A flashback is when the story goes to the past towards a significant event. An example of a flashback is in the Hunger Games, when Katniss recalls the story of Peeta's bread. This event and magnanimous gesture from Peeta is very significant in all the trilogy. That is why digressive time is really important in literature.

SUSPENSE


Suspense is the feeling of anxiety that one experiences in the moments preceding a big moment. Many authors use it as a page-turning device that doesn't allow you to drop the book. A big example of this is Suzanne Collins in the Hunger Games trilogy. One cannot stop reading because, at the end of each chapter, something big happens and you must read the consequences of the problem.
A big factor in suspense is music. If the creator uses the right music at the right time, the effect is really surprising. One example is "Scary Mary" video on YouTube because it shows actual clips from Mary Poppins and it only changes the music. It is really scary and creates a lot of suspense.