The way the lottery is done in "The Lottery" builds suspense by sparking the reader's interest as to what the lottery is. Once the reader comes to understand that being chosen for the lottery is a bad thing (even though it is not clear exactly what it is until the end), it is suspenseful that names are drawn and called out, because it is a slow way to reveal who is not the loser of the lottery, building the anticipation of the reader, and the fear/nerves of the characters. This is a successful way to form suspense for those both in and out of the story, because both the reader and characters know that something bad is going to happen, but it is a mystery as to whom it will happen.