Tension is the thing that keeps your reader reading. Conflict can help build tension, but there are other ways to do so as well. Here are just a few. Raise the Stakes to Increase Tension Ugh! I remember hearing this phrase as a beginning writer and being befuddled. What are stakes? How do you raise them?  Easy peasy. Just think of it like this. Stakes are what your character has to lose. That’s all. Your main character should always have a type of death at stake. I can be physical death, psychological, professional, etc. They need to be risking more than a hangnail.  In order to get to this level,…