Have you ever stayed up half the night to finish reading a book because it was so good? It's every author's dream that their book would be so good that readers, editors, and agents wouldn't be able to put it down. Have you ever wondered how to do this? Suspense and conflict is the answer. If readers are made of metal, then suspense is the magnet that pulls them to the page. But how exactly does one go about creating suspense or conflict in a story?
First of all, be sure to make sure there's something standing in the way of your main protagonist. It seems fairly obvious, but I've read many stories (and written some too) where the protagonist was just having a happy-go-lucky adventure with no antagonist and nothing working against the MC. So be sure that the overall story has a main thing standing in the way of the MC's goals. I've heard it said that there is an indirect ratio between the character's happiness and the happiness of the readers – so limit the amount of time that your MC spends in a happy, safe environment.
Second, make sure that each chapter has suspense. Even if you have created the coolest scene, the sharpest dialogue, and the most realistic characters, there is nothing pulling the reader to the page unless there is suspense. Every chapter should contain something, either small or large, that goes against the protagonist, and that could turn out one way or another. Keep your reader guessing! It's unanswered conflict that pulls in the reader's attention.
Finally, on a related note: even if you're not writing suspense in every scene, there should be conflict in nearly every scene. If you find your characters living happy lives, then go in and wreak havoc. Turn peaceful conversation into a misunderstanding. Flip a nice gathering into a high-tension situation.
For instance, I'm writing a fantasy story where my MC receives a warm welcome in an Elvish city and is asked to a dance. It was going to be all happy conversation and pleasantries. But then I thought, what if she was terrified of going to the dance? What if my MC had never danced before and was scared of making a fool of herself? What if she gets into a fight at the dance? What if she doesn't have anything to wear? What if, what if?
Suddenly it went from a cool scene to a magnetic scene. Even if the small changes didn't effect the outcome of the whole story, they helped make the lead-up to the dance more suspenseful.
If you go through each plot, each chapter, each scene, and add distrust, confusion, and chaos... well, then you will have a terrific story. Or at least a magnetic one.
Feel free to drop a comment about how you add suspense to a story, or your opinion on what I suggested!