Building Narrative Tension in Nonfiction Audio

Narrative tension in a nonfiction piece is about timing more than it is big juicy details. Often the details you’re working with are complex and smaller than some kind of big reveal.  You can't manufacture an obstacle that wasn't there, or write in a twist that didn't happen, but what you can do is find the honest, real tension that's already buried in the material, and structure the story so a listener feels it the way you felt it discovering it yourself.