Slowing Perceived Time

Time is weird. Sometimes three seconds is an instant, and other times, it's an eternity. In movies, that can be done pretty easily making scenes actually take longer. In writing, you can do a similar thing. 

When somebody is asked a question, the answer could be simple enough, but there is a tension between the ask and the answer. To keep that tension going, don't answer the question right away. What is the person thinking? What can they hear? What do they smell? How hard is their heart beating? Describing any of these potential questions, and more, sustains that tension. 

Things that may only take seconds can seem to take a long time when you sustain the tension. And when you do the, you create that phenomenon we have experienced ourselves. And that is a great technique to master.